One of My Childhood Favorites: Texas Spaghetti

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Hardee's first opened its restaurant in Hong Kong in 1990. It closed its last two shops in Hong Kong on December 27, 2006. Within 16 years, Hardee's left in my heart a few signature foods - curly fries, Texas Spaghetti and Mushroom Rice. I would say Hardee's was quite a success, as my mum didn't like fast food yet she wouldn't mind taking us to Hardee's.

Since I moved to North America (first Canada, then San Francisco), I have had more time for cooking. I looked for the recipe for my Texas Spaghetti but it was nowhere to be found. I also looked up Hardee's menu and finally realized what we had was a special Hong Kong menu! Lucky us!

I have cooked this spaghetti a few times already and my friends love it so much (they even call it "irresistible"!). I love it myself too! The taste brought back a lot of fond memories I had with my mum (especially because we both loved spaghetti). If you keep on reading my food blog, you will learn how much I love spaghetti, and perhaps you will also find out Hong Kong people love pasta much more than you expect.

Texas Spaghetti

By Cin Chau Lai (Published: September 6, 2014)

You will like this easy recipe for an impressive spaghetti with delicious aroma and exquisite taste!

My Texas Spaghetti

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 4

Ingredients:
Spaghetti: 400g
Ground beef: 400g
Onion, chopped: half
Mushroom, sliced: 200g (optional)
Tomatoes: 2
Butter: 3 tablespoons
Tomato soup: 160 ml
Golden mushroom soup: 160 ml
Mozzarella cheese: 1 cup
Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
Salt: 1 teaspoon
Sugar: 1 teaspoon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F.

2. Add spaghetti to boiling water. Cook according to the instruction time on the package. (The best time is probably one minute less than is indicated.) [Here, you may run the spaghetti under cold water to stop cooking and avoid sticking. Or skip this cold water step so that the spaghetti will absorb the sauce better.] Drain and set it aside.

3. In a skillet heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook until translucent.

4. Brown the meat. Add butter and mushroom halfway through.

5. Add tomatoes, tomato soup and golden mushroom soup. Cook until it bubbles.

6. Pour half of the mixture into the casserole. Then, add half of the cheese.

7. Add the remaining mixture into the casserole, then the remaining cheese.

8. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot throughout.