The Original Chef Boyardee Spaghetti Dinner

Presenter / Channel

• Chef Boy-Ar-Dee / “Tasting History” cooking segment
  • The presenter mentions “Tasting History” and sponsor Squarespace.

Ingredients (for “Spaghetti a la Boiardi” sauce)

Tomatoes + processing

• 2 lb (1 kg) peeled tomatoes
  • Fresh if in season; otherwise canned
• Separate tomato seeds/solids from pulp and juice using a food mill or conical sieve (with pestle)

Sauté / sauce

• 6 tbsp (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (sprinkled in parts: about half early; rest later)
• 1 tsp fresh pepper
• 5 medium basil leaves, sliced into strips
• 1 lb (1/2 kg) lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

Note on garlic

• The sauce recipe has no garlic, explained as a Northern Italy practice.
• The presenter jokes that a garlic clove “falling in” would be fine.

Ingredients (pasta + finishing from the 1930s cookbook)

• 1 gallon water
• 2 tbsp salt (for boiling water)
• 8 oz dried spaghetti
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• More grated Parmesan for serving/topping

Equipment / Prep

• Food mill or conical sieve (+ pestle if using the sieve)
• Deep saucepan
• Pot for boiling pasta
• Strainer
• Stirring utensils
• Lid for simmering (set slightly ajar)

Method (sauce + spaghetti assembly)

1) Prepare the tomatoes (saucing/mashing)

1. Chop tomatoes into small pieces.
2. Put chopped tomatoes with all their juice into a food mill or conical sieve.
3. Mash/separate to get pulp and juice away from seeds.
   • If using a sieve, a wooden pestle is recommended (a spatula may be too hard to press).

2) Cook the vegetable base

1. Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan.
2. Add diced onion and sprinkle with about half the salt.
3. Cook over medium heat for ~3 minutes, ensuring the heat isn’t high enough to burn onions.
4. Add diced carrots.
5. Cook 5–6 minutes, until onions soften and turn translucent.

3) Brown the meat

1. Add lean ground beef, breaking it into small bits.
2. Sprinkle with remaining salt and fresh pepper.
3. Cook 10–12 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink.

4) Simmer the tomato sauce

1. Add the processed tomato sauce plus sliced mushrooms.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Raise heat to bring to a boil for a few seconds.
4. Reduce to simmer, then cover with lid slightly ajar.
5. Simmer for ~40 minutes, until it thickens and becomes aromatic.

5) Finish with basil

1. After 40 minutes, add sliced basil.
2. Stir in, return lid, and cook another 5 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti (1930s cookbook timing)

1. Bring 1 gallon water to a boil.
2. Add 2 tbsp salt.
3. Add 8 oz dried spaghetti.
4. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Strain pasta.
6. Return spaghetti to the pot.
7. Add 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp grated Parmesan.
8. Toss so cheese/butter coat the spaghetti.

Combine + serve

1. Plate spaghetti with the sauce on top.
2. Sprinkle with more grated Parmesan.

Serving cue (from presenter)

• Highlights the sauce aroma and the creaminess from butter + cheese coating the pasta.

Chef tips / technique cues & observations

• Use the sieve/mill to separate pulp/juice from seeds.
• Keep onion heat at medium to avoid burning.
• Simmer with lid slightly ajar for proper thickening (about 40 minutes).
• No sugar is used; sweetness comes from cooking tomatoes long enough, even if canned.

Multiple variations

• Tomatoes: fresh only if in season; otherwise use canned.
• Garlic: intentionally omitted (no garlic in the referenced sauce), with a humorous “if one falls in” comment.
• No other variations described for the final dish.

Sources / References (mentioned)

• Chef Hector Boiardi / brand story discussed as background.
• The cooking portion references:
  • Chef Hector Boiardi’s 1930s cookbook Famous Italian Dishes (including spaghetti instructions)
  • The presenter’s claim that a family collection by Anna Boiardi includes “Uncle Ettore’s tomato sauce.”
• Recipe/notes promised to be posted on tastinghistory.com (via sponsor Squarespace).