Spanish Macaroni

According to Nana, this was what she would cook when she couldn't think of anything else to cook.  At first glace, the finished product looks like Hamburger Helper, and in a way, it kinda is - only WAY better!!  I actually prefer making it from scratch because you know what's in it, it's cheaper and you can alter the ingredients to make other variations of the same recipe.

Spanish Macaroni

1 to 1 ½ pounds of ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 Tablespoon MORTON’S CHILI BLEND

1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes

½ can of water

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups (dry) elbow macaroni cooked and drained

 Brown 1 to 1 ½ pounds of ground beef.  Because I only had 80/20 ground beef in the freezer, I strained the excess fat off of the meat before adding the onions.

Add 1 chopped onion

 1 Tablespoon MORTON’S CHILI BLEND

1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes

½ can of water

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

 Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

 While the meat and tomatoes are simmering, boil 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni and strain.  It is best cook it aldente so that the macaroni does not get too mushy.  Add the pasta in the last 5-10 mins of simmering and stir to combine.

It should look like this. :)

A healthier version could be made by substituting the ground beef with ground turkey and the elbow macaroni with a whole wheat pasta.