I mourne the passing of summer into autumn . . . it will take a while for me to get into the swing of the changing light and have my food photos start looking decent again . . . sigh . . . I find the transition really difficult. It's especially hard to make dishes such as this Slumgullion look good. Sigh again . . .
I am sure very family must have their own version of this delicious stove top, one pan dinner. Its basically just minced steak (I always use the extra lean with less than 5% fat) and a few store cupboard ingredients, put together in a way which is simple, quick and family pleasing . . .
One pound of minced steak, with a few ingredients added such as onions, chopped peppers, celery, some tinned tomatoes and tomato sauce (passatta here in the UK) and macaroni, with a bit of seasoning. That's basically all it is . . . but simple doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly tasty.
Even my pasta hating husband tolerates this and goes back for seconds. (Methinks he doth protest too much actually. I think secretly I am converting him into a pasta lover, but he would be the last one to admit it.)
This is the kind of meal that is perfect for this time of year. It's a great family meal and family pleaser. It's economical. Kids love it. Its hearty and filling . . . and it's deliciousy simple. You cannot ask for much better than that. Now if I could only make it look as good as it tastes! A simple salad and some garlic toast and you have a fabulous meal!
*Slumgullion*Serves 6Printable Recipe
American Chop Suey, Chinese Hash, Slumgullion. A rose by any other name. A one pan dish that is delicious and economical.
1 TBS canola oil1 medium onion, peeled and chopped fine1 red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded and chopped1 stick of celery, washed and choppedfine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced2 TBS soy sauce1 pound extra lean ground beef1 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)1 415g tin of tomato passata (15 ounce)1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice ((14.5 ounce) undrained345ml of chicken stock (1 1/2 cups)230g of dry macaroni (2 cups)
Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and some seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the garlic, Soy sauce, and tomato puree. Cook until quite fragrant. Crumble the beef over top and cook breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, stirring occasionally until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomato passata, chopped tomatoes, and the broth, scraping up any browned bits. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the macaroni, cover, and cook, stirring frequently, for a further 20 minutes or so, until the pasta is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve.
Note - Here in the uk, it may take longer for your macaroni to cook. It did mine. I just added a bit of boiling water every now and then to make sure it wasn't sticking. It turned out perfectly.
