Beef-a-roni Recipe

Beef-a-roni Recipe
Here's how I make beef-a-roni, which we had for Thursday's dinner. It's similar to the recipe that used to be on the side of the can of stewed tomatoes but I've tweaked it a little; my version is healthier!

Kim’s Beef-a-Roni Recipe

½ lb. super lean ground beef (I like Maverick Ranch organic beef)

1 cup soy crumbles (optional; I like them in this recipe but the Middle Child will pick out every little crumble, leaving them in a sad pile by the side of her bowl, so I gave up)

1 tbs olive oil

2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 cans niblet corn, drained

½ cup shredded cheese, either cheddar or a colby/jack mix

1 tbs brown sugar

2 tsp lemon juice (or half a lemon, squeezed just a little bit)

Salt and pepper to taste

5 tbs taco seasoning mix

2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

Brown the ground beef in the olive oil and season it with the taco seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In the meantime, use either a blender or an immersion blender to puree one can of stewed tomatoes. When the beef is completely brown, add both cans of tomatoes and the corn and mix thoroughly. Stir in the lemon juice and brown sugar. Taste at this point and adjust seasonings as necessary. Allow mixture to simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors will marry. Stir in the macaroni and heat through. Turn off the heat and immediately stir in the cheese so it will melt. Serves 4 to 6.

This is a quick and easy recipe but it gets me in trouble sometimes! If I'm really hungry when I'm cooking I'll graze on the pasta before I mix it in with the rest of the ingredients. (I always wind up making more pasta than I need.) The kids love it though, so I have to be careful to wash some fruit or have something else healthy on hand for snacking while I cook. ~:-P