Are you looking to cook something fast, delicious, and cheap? Tonight I fixed an old favorite that I had not prepared in a long time. Actually, my mother-in-law inspired this recipe. One day while she was in a nursing home, she said that she was really craving macaroni and stewed tomatoes. I asked her how she fixed them and she told me. So the next time we visited her, I took her some, only I added smoked sausage. You should have seen how much she ate! My husband told me that she made something similar when they were growing up only she added ground beef and called it goulash.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 (16 0z) box macaroni
3 cans stewed tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 (14 oz) packages smoked sausage
garlic salt and pepper to taste
Cook the macaroni according to the directions on the package (about 9-10 minutes.) Drain well in a colander and return the macaroni to the pot.
Add 3 cans of stewed tomatoes. I used 2 cans original stewed tomatoes and I can Mexican stewed tomatoes. (In the summer, I use fresh tomatoes from our garden, or tomatoes that I have canned, but I’m out of those.) Heat on low.
Saute the onions and the green pepper in the olive oil. Cook until the onions are soft and transparent. Season with pepper and garlic salt. Add the onions and the pepper to the cooked macaroni and tomato mixture.
Cut the smoked sausage into 1/2 inch rounds and put them in the same pan you used to cook the onions and pepper. I used beef smoked sausage because I cannot use sausage that contains any chicken or turkey. My husband is allergic to all fowl. Yes, I know, it’s weird. We cannot have turkey at Thanksgiving either.
Cook on high for a few minutes. I like for the sausages to brown a little. Like this.
Put the sausages in the colander and rinse quickly with water. (Hey, I’m saving a few calories here!) Then add the sausages to the macaroni and tomato mixture, add 1/2 cup water, stir and increase the heat to medium.
Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
When ready to serve, ladle the mixture into bowls and top with grated cheese. I used Asiago cheese, but you could use Parmesan or cheddar.
I don’t know if you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, it will be even better the next day!
This looks delicious and easy enough for even someone like me to prepare!
Thanks for sharing and especially thank you for visiting my new blog and leaving such a nice comment!
I grew up on this dish. My mother would fix it with hamburger, sausage,or no meat at all. Depended on what time of month it was. Paycheck had a lot to do with it. An awesome dish. Keep on with the recipes.
My mom used to make something very similar to this when I was little. I cannot wait to try your recipe. Thank you.
I’ve made this many times over many years and it was on the menu when I was a child. It is delicious and economical. I’ve even left out the smoked sausage. It is good “vegetarian” too. Yours looks wonderful!
Jane,
This will be on my menu for next week. Keep the recipes coming!