The Viral Recipe You Should Try Before Judging

As you can imagine, the staff at Allrecipes has seen (and tried) its share of viral recipes from TikTok and Instagram. From salads to cookies, we’ve pretty much seen it all. We’ve even tried recipes that looked like their ingredients should not even go together, only to discover that they usually surprisingly do. 

Which is why when we saw a viral recipe for spaghetti with a secret ingredient (cranberry sauce!) pop up on our feed, we knew we had to try it even if we were feeling pretty skeptical about that secret ingredient. 

That recipe came from Sabrina Burke, known on Tik Tok as  @emma_grace.s_mom, and while she calls the recipe Spaghetti with Parmesan Ricotta, the surprise appearance of cranberry sauce is definitely what makes this a viral recipe. In the video, Burke combines jellied cranberry sauce with jarred spaghetti sauce and ground meats to provide a sweet-tart kick over angel hair pasta. 

Cranberry sauce “will give your spaghetti the most incredible flavor,” Burke says in the video. “It is like a sweet, tangy [flavor]. You don’t even know it’s in there. It just takes it to the next level.” 

Putting Cranberry Spaghetti to the Test

Allrecipes tasked two of its in-house experts, Nicole McLaughlin and Natalie Gravois, to test the recipe. While both were a bit hesitant at first, they did find merit in this surprising match-up. 

“I think if you are a fan of sweeter spaghetti, it could work,” McLaughlin says. “I also don’t think anyone would ever guess what makes it sweet.” 

Gravois agrees. “It would definitely be hard to detect, but I agree with Nicole. If you like a sweeter spaghetti, you’d probably enjoy trying it!” Gravois says she enjoyed it enough to take leftovers home and eat them in bed. 

How to Make Cranberry Spaghetti

Ready to try it yourself? It could not be easier. 

Cook and stir about 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of country sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, breaking up chunks with a spatula, until browned and crumbly, about 7 minutes. Strain the grease and return meat to the pan.

In a small bowl, mash one can of cranberry sauce with a fork and add to meat. Add 3 jars of spaghetti sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add angel hair pasta to the boiling water, stirring occasionally, and cook until tender yet firm to the bite, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

Finally, combine 1 tub (16 ounces) ricotta cheese and 3 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and set aside. Serve meat sauce over angel hair pasta and top with a dollop of ricotta mixture. Serve immediately and enjoy.