Macaroni and Tomatoes

 

  Have you ever heard of macaroni and tomatoes? 

 I'm not talking about your usual spaghetti dinner, I mean just simply macaroni with tomatoes. Ever tried it? It's a traditional comfort meal that's rooted in Southern and Appalachian regional cuisine. Basically it's a budget friendly meal that uses just simple pantry staples like elbow macaroni and stewed or canned tomatoes. Add a little bacon fat and butter for a little richness, and you have an easy weeknight dinner in a snap! 

 This version is from All Recipes, and when I first saw it, I thought "How can that not be good?" And it was so easy to make, especially since I always have jars of my favorite Jersey tomatoes all put up and ready to go. LOVE it. Actually, full disclosure, when I made it, I happened to have a giant basket of fresh ripe Jerseys, so I didn't even need to open a can. I just peeled and chopped them and then into the sauce they went. YUM.

 Now.. to be clear... as was stated in the All Recipes video.. this is NOT goulash, which is ground beef and elbows in a tomato sauce. It's just macaroni and tomatoes. Simplicity at its best!

 So if you have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed during a crazy week of trying to balance a million schedules, you should add this to your rotation. It's delicious, hearty, feeds a crowd, and won't break the bank. Definitely a keeper!

1 tbs bacon grease

1 1/2 cups diced very ripe tomato

1 28oz can whole tomatoes in juice

3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup water

2 cups macaroni

2 tbs cold butter

Heat bacon grease in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add canned tomatoes and mash lightly with a wooden spoon or potato masher to break the tomatoes into large pieces. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Add water to tomato can to rinse any residual juice from the can and add water mixture to tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium-low while pasta cooks, stirring occasionally. 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 5-6 minutes. Drain pasta and add to tomato mixture. 

Cook macaroni and tomatoes together 8-10 minutes or until the flavors have combined and the mixture has thickened slightly. Stir in butter and serve immediately with warm crusty bread.

Tips:

To peel fresh tomatoes: Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato, then plunge it into boiling water for 30-60 seconds until the skin starts to curl up. Remove to an ice bath or tray. When cool enough to handle, just use your fingers or pairing knife to peel the skin away from the X. 

When I saw the video for this recipe, she added a tbs of chicken bouillon paste, which I'm guessing is not traditional, but it definitely adds to the depth of flavor. The tiny bit of sugar, however, IS traditional. Back in the day, it was probably added to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. Since tomatoes are now bred to be much sweeter, you don't really need it, but many people enjoy the nostalgic sweetness that it brings.