Spaghetti Dogs

We decided not to call these pasta dogs because, for a recipe this low-brow, our childhood moniker of spaghetti is much more appropriate. Hot dogs are such a ubiquitous summer food that we started thinking about non-traditional toppings for them. We're sure that we aren't the first ones who've tried this but, we decided to see how they would be topped with spaghetti along with the Castleberry chili sauce and melted cheese.

We broiled our hot dogs until they had a nice dark crust. While they were broiling, we boiled some pasta until it was al dente, drained the water, and added the chili sauce. Once the dogs were done, we lowered the oven temp to 300 degrees, put the dogs in whole wheat buns, topped them with the chili pasta, then covered them with sharp cheddar cheese. Once the cheese was melted, we took them out of the oven.

It seems like it wouldn't really work, but the baked pasta on top of the dog really did. You had the snap of the dog, baked pasta, and cheesiness all in one bite. If you're weary of the traditional hot dog preparations this summer, you might want to give it a try.