Forget The Sandwich And Repurpose Your Meatloaf Into This Classic Dish Instead

When it comes to long-standing ground beef meals most people love, meatloaf is a fan favorite. Though, next to enjoying this nostalgic food with mashed potatoes and green beans, crumbled meatloaf might be the smartest leftovers trick you're not using. Sure enough, next to making a platter of top-tier meatloaf sandwiches with a waffle maker or toaster oven, one of the best things to try is saving your next round of leftovers for a hearty and flavorful pasta sauce. Especially if you're looking for a tasty way to stretch the remaining slices of last night's meatloaf, crumbling this savory food into a simple tomato sauce makes a whole new dish that everyone is sure to enjoy.

Thankfully, all you need to make delicious meatloaf spaghetti is leftover meatloaf, a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, spaghetti noodles, and Parmesan cheese. To prepare this unconventional dish, simply break apart your preferred amount of leftover meatloaf and heat it with your jarred sauce plus some additional water over your stove. Make sure to stir the combined mixture intermittently to avoid burning and add more water or additional spices if necessary.

You can also give this convenient meal a more homemade taste by forgoing the jarred pasta sauce for your own recipe made with chopped onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, and select herbs. However, whether you're using jarred tomato sauce or preparing your own, there are a few ways to add more flavor and texture to your next pot of comforting meatloaf spaghetti.

To fuse together these two ingredients in the best way possible, don't be afraid to follow a few secret weapon meatloaf tricks for a better eating experience. For starters, enhance your pasta sauce with more seasonings and condiments to better complement your favorite meatloaf recipe. For example, if you usually make your go-to meatloaf recipe with dried basil, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce, add a small amount of these ingredients directly to your pasta sauce as well. Alternatively, if you like to infuse your meatloaf with finely chopped vegetables like carrots and bell peppers, saute some extra veggies in a bit of oil to better build your sauce.

Fortunately, even if you don't have leftover meatloaf on hand, you can still make simple and delicious meatloaf spaghetti. All you need to do is brown your choice of meat with some chopped onions before building your tomato sauce. Just make sure to add a variety of add-ins for an extra flavorful meal.

You can also take a more simplified version of meatloaf spaghetti to the next level by using a different type of pasta besides spaghetti like ziti or rotini. Better yet, once combined, bake your meatloaf pasta in the oven with some added ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Once you try meatloaf pasta once or twice, you may come to find that you prefer serving noodles with this classic food each and every time.