My Mother's Easy Recipe
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup elbow macaroni
- 1 large onion
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (i like gebhardt chili powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste (optional)
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice (i use hunts)
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (i use hunts)
- 1 15-oz can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- -- optional toppings --
- cheddar cheese
- sweet onions minced
- sour cream
- Carbohydrate 26.9990536668333 g
- Cholesterol 44.423753375 mg
- Fat 11.6272421860417 g
- Fiber 5.58047855160508 g
- Protein 16.6975594826292 g
- Saturated Fat 5.87762563771208 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Cup (283g)
- Sodium 214.824032722083 mg
- Sugar 21.4185751152283 g
- Trans Fat 1.31948476147083 g
- Calories 271 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
- Cook ground beef with onion in a 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until crumbly and no longer pink. Drain, if needed. Stir in chili powder and crushed red pepper (if using). Add tomatoes and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked macaroni; cook for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Why does combining beef chili with tender pasta create such a distinct culinary texture compared to serving each component separately? This dish sits squarely at the intersection of American comfort food and mid-century canned convenience, emerging as a staple when home cooks stretched meat with pantry starches. The technique relies on starch management. Cooking the elbow macaroni separately prevents the pasta from absorbing excess liquid and turning gummy during the 20-minute tomato simmer.
Mastering the Simmer
Brown the ground beef and diced onion in a heavy 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 4 to 6 minutes. Break the meat into small crumbles to maximize surface area for the spices. Adding chili powder directly to the hot fat for 30 seconds blooms the fat-soluble aromatics before the canned tomatoes go in. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then lower the heat immediately. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to reduce the acidity of the 28-ounce tomato cans. Fold the drained macaroni in for the final 5 minutes of low heat.
- Drain canned kidney beans thoroughly to prevent excess sodium from altering the sauce balance.
- Substitute gluten-free brown rice pasta at a 1:1 ratio if dietary needs require it.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
