spaghetti meets mexico

I've mentioned before that my husband, Dan, holds no strong affection for spaghetti.  Despite being "a good Italian boy," a love of pasta (especially any pasta shape that is long and skinny in shape) was not passed down in his Italian genes.  In fact, quite the opposite is true.  I think he more likely could have inherited a dislike for spaghetti from his own 100%-Italian grandfather.  Papa Dominic wasn't a fan of stringy pastas either, and the trend seems to be continuing with the next generation as well.  Our 21-month-old will gobble penne and rotini and bow-ties but would not touch the spaghetti I placed before him this evening.  I should have guessed this would be the case.  Like Great-Papa like Papa like son.

Despite this spaghetti standoff in our household (I am the lone spaghetti lover), I think I've discovered a way to make the skinny strands a bit more palatable to my husband and absolutely delicious to me: merge the flavors of Mexico with the classic Italian food.  Spiciness is almost always a way to intrigue Dan, so I thought I had a good chance with this chipotle-infused meal.  Turns out I was right.  While he didn't claim it to be an all-time favorite, it sure went over a lot better than any other spaghetti concoction I've attempted.  The flavor was certainly a winner, which I deem the most important part anyway. 

I found this recipe in a random library book called $3 Meals.  Turns out that the title actually means $3/serving rather than $3/recipe.  Seems like false advertising if you ask me, but, regardless, this recipe is a gem.  Even if our little guy refused to eat it, I still count this dish a success.  One out of two converts to spaghetti-eating is a miraculously happy ratio for this mama.