Very rarely do I make something with on hand ingredients that I just throw together. Most of the time I plan out what I'm going to make and have it ready. This weekend didn't go according to plan. I had made macaroni noodles to try to make a macaroni salad, but I never got around to it. I had ground beef thawed out to make meatloaf, but there ended up not being enough. So I thought I would make something like hamburger helper. I like the ease of hamburger helper, but I don't like that there is so much sodium in the boxed meals. So I did it myself.
I preheated the oven to 350, then browned the ground beef. While it was browning I added the spices I wanted. I used a dash of pepper, salt, onion powder, parsley flakes, and garlic powder. When it was browned, I added 1/4 of a small can of tomato paste (I would add more next time if I was not planning on freezing any of it), 1 can of stewed tomatoes (I use a wooden spoon to make the pieces of tomato smaller), and 1/4 can tomatoe sauce (or spaghetti sauce if you want extra flavor). The I added the macaroni noodles. I mixed it all together, then added 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Mix again, then add a layer of shredded cheese on top. I put my skillet (mine is oven safe. If you do not have an oven safe skillet you can transfer to a greased casserole dish) into the oven and let it cook for about 10 minutes. My noodles had been cold from the refrigerator. If you cook your noodles and add them while they are hot, just wait for the cheese to melt. Remove and serve with a yummy vegetable.
The rating for the meal is from my husband, and the fact that both my girls ate it. My older daughter even asked for a second helping!
