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Meat, Africa and overseas

Somali spaghetti (baasto)

Somali spaghetti, or baasto, is a dish of spaghetti coated in a ground beef sauce with tomatoes, cumin, and cardamom. It serves 4, takes 40 minutes, rates very easy, and costs about €2.70 per person. The key is crushing the spices fresh and letting the sauce simmer gently.

Somalis love spaghetti, so tonight we're making baasto, with a beef sauce flavored with cardamom and cumin.

Somali spaghetti (baasto)
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€2.70
Calories per person
530 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

Somali spaghetti looks a lot like a spaghetti bolognese, but cardamom and cinnamon change the whole character. The sauce stays fairly loose, meant to coat the noodles rather than cling thick like a classic bolognese. Green pepper adds a little crunch, and fresh cilantro lifts everything right at the end.

It's a solid weeknight dinner when you want a break from your usual pasta without spending the whole evening cooking. Kids get the spaghetti they already love, and the spices stay mild, never spicy. Mon Chou likes to serve it on a cool autumn evening, when a slow simmering sauce warms up the whole kitchen.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Spaghettioften in the pantry 360 g
  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 400 g
  • Ground cuminoften in the pantry 2 tsp
  • Green cardamomoften in the pantry 4
  • Ground cinnamonoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 2 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Butcher

  • Ground beef 500 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 2
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Green bell pepper 1
  • Cilantro 8 sprigs

Allergens Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Finely dice the onions, garlic, and green pepper.

    The smaller the pieces, the closer the sauce gets to the one served in Mogadishu.

  2. Sauté the onions and garlic in hot oil, add the ground beef, and break it up until well browned. 10 min

    Let the meat sit and catch a bit on the bottom before stirring, it browns better that way.

  3. Add the pepper, cumin, crushed cardamom seeds, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and crushed tomatoes, then let simmer over low heat. 20 min

    If the sauce gets too thick, add a ladle of pasta cooking water.

  4. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water, then drain while keeping a little of the cooking water. 10 min

    Taste a minute before the package time is up, the noodles should stay slightly firm.

  5. Coat the spaghetti with the sauce and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

    Finish the pasta in the sauce for a minute, it soaks up the spices better that way.

Our tips to get it right

  • Crush the cardamom pods well before adding them, the released seeds carry far more flavor than a pod left whole and closed.
  • Keep the sauce at a real gentle simmer for the full 20 minutes, a hard boil dries out the meat and dulls the spices.
  • Always save a bit of pasta cooking water, it rescues a sauce that's gotten too thick and helps the spaghetti take on the sauce better.

The variations

  • Swap the ground beef for ground lamb for a sauce closer to some traditional Somali tables, the flavor turns richer.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with cooked red lentils or crumbled tofu, keeping the same spices.
  • For a faster version with rushed kids, use store bought seasoned tomato sauce and cut the simmering time to 10 minutes.

What to serve it with

  • A fresh cucumber and tomato salad
  • Flatbread for scooping up sauce
  • Spiced Somali black tea

Storage

The sauce keeps 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, ideally stored separate from the pasta. It freezes well for up to 2 months. Reheat it gently in a saucepan, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.

Questions about this dish

Can you make the sauce ahead of time?

Yes, the beef sauce actually tastes better made a day ahead. Reheat it gently and toss it with freshly cooked spaghetti.

Can you use a different pasta shape?

Yes, linguine or thick vermicelli work just as well. Stick with a long noodle, it holds the loose sauce better than short shapes.

What if I don't have cardamom pods?

Use ground cardamom instead, about half a teaspoon replaces the 4 pods. The flavor will be slightly less delicate but still very close.

Is this dish really kid friendly?

Yes, the spices stay mild and a bit sweet, with no heat at all. You can also cut the cinnamon in half if your kids prefer a more neutral taste.

How long does it take to make a plate of Somali spaghetti, baasto?

Count 40 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a plate of Somali spaghetti, baasto?

About 530 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a plate of Somali spaghetti, baasto cost?

About €2.70 per serving, or €10.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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