My mom used to make this alot when I was a kid…or a version of it. She never seemed to have a real “recipe” for it but it was ALWAYS good. It’s not a terribly long cook, 45 minutes really at the most. Hearty. Tasty. Good for colder nights.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 14.5 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 ¾ cups beef broth or water or as needed
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 sweet gherkins, diced
- 8oz mushrooms
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- salt & black pepper to taste
- 10 oz elbow macaroni noodles uncooked
- ½ cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
DIRECTIONS
- Cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium high heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning. Cook 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the broth, elbow macaroni, pickles, and mushrooms and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender…about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Top with cheese if using and replace the lid. Let rest about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
NOTES: Trader Joe makes an Ajika Seasoning that works with this for some extra depth of flavor. It’s really kind of an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ recipe so you can flavor it any way you want. In New England they call it “American Chop Suey” apparently.