American Chop Suey

Submitted by Molly McCrae

American Chop Suey is a favorite in the McCrae household, and also New England!
We make this a lot in the winter as it is a very filling dish. It's a good meal to make to utilize any leftovers from the week.
This dish is nice because you can pretty much add whatever you'd like to it and it will still taste as good.

Prep Time:

45 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 + ½ lbs ground beef, 85% lean
• 2 teaspoons of italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced green pepper
• 1 stick of celery, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 14.5oz diced tomatoes, undrained
• 16oz tomato sauce
• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

  

  Instructions

  1. Cook and crumble the ground beef in a large pot over medium high heat until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain grease.
  2. Bring macaroni to boil and let rest
  3. Add seasonings and tomato paste
  4. Add in onions, peppers, and celery. Cook for 4 minutes
  5. Add garlic and cook for another minute
  6. Add tomato sauce and stir until combined
  7. Add undrained diced tomatoes
  8. Add cooked macaroni, stir to combine
  9. Cover for 4 minutes. Uncover and run silicon spatula along the bottom. Genlty lift up anything that is settled on the bottom
  10. Cover partially for 4 more minutes
  11. If desired, sprinkle in cheese and stir to combine
  12. Taste test a noodle for doneness before proceeding
  13. Serve and enjoy!