Cheesy Beef Macaroni...For Busy Moms With Picky Eaters

      

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped red, yellow, orange or green bell pepper (about 1⁄4-inch pieces)
• 1 cup peeled chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes in juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder (optional but recommended)
• Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3⁄4 pound dried elbow macaroni
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated cheddar cheese

Preparation

Get a huge pan, a 12- or 13-incher (best pan in the world if you cook for a group regularly), make a vat of this, and keep it in the fridge. If you don’t have a huge honking pan, cut the recipe in half. If you have bigger kids who are constantly running in and out of the house with their friends, all of them starving and in need of fuel before or after soccer practice, then you, my friend, may never again be without a pot of this awaiting reheating and inhalation. My sister-in-law Lisa, with her three large boys and revolving cast of visiting teenagers, swears by it. It is reminiscent of something that rhymes with Flamberger Felper, but it’s better and it’s yours. Here’s how to make it:
1. Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat (for this full recipe, it should be a deep 12-inch skillet). Add the beef and cook it until browned, stirring until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Place the browned beef in a strainer and let the fat drain off, then set the beef aside.
2. Wipe out the skillet, add the oil, and heat it over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, carrots, onion, and garlic and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Return the beef to the skillet and add the basil, oregano, tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, if using, and 2 cups of water. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Increase the heat to high and let come to a simmer. Add the elbow macaroni, stir, and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or black pepper as necessary.
4. Sprinkle the cheddar on top, then cover the skillet and cook until the cheese is melty, about 1 minute. Serve this right out of the skillet.

Serving Size

Serves 8 with a lot of leftovers, which you will be grateful for (so I guess it really serves 10 to 12).
What a great mom, take a bow and an encore.