Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Beef and Macaroni

As the days grow shorter, colder and darker I like most find myself wanting foods that will fill me up and make me warm. I also like most want something quick to make when I get home or to make ahead and have it ready for me after a long day. So when I came upon this recipe I know I had to make it. The only thing I did differently is I omitted the green pepper and carrots. And I used ground turkey instead of beef. Yet it was still delicious and did warm me up.



Beef and Macaroni

serves 6, prep 15 min, cook 40 min
1 pound ground beef, I used 85/15
1 onion, finely diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp tomato paste (or 1 small can)
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley (or dried basil, I was out)
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles

First finely dice the onion, pepper, and carrots. This works with kids if the pieces are very small and uniform-big chunks of peppers and onions are going to lead to hysterical refusal to eat (“but there’s green stuff on it!”). Kay puts hers through the food processor.

Cook the ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain fat and reserve.
In the same pan, heat oil over medium heat and add butter.
Add the vegetables and garlic and stir to cook several minutes until soft.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for a minute.
Add the un-drained diced tomatoes to the pan and the cooked ground beef.
Add the spices and turn down the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 30 min.

While sauce is cooking bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook macaroni until tender, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain. Do not rinse. If your sauce seems to be drying out at any point add in some of your reserved pasta water as needed.
Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Combine with noodles. Toss to mix well and separate the noodles. Serve.

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