Southern Tomatoes And Macaroni
Southern tomatoes and macaroni is vintage comfort food at its finest. With only a handful of affordable ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, this budget stretching dinner is a real winner!
Servings: 4
Calories: 394kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow pasta
- 2 tbsp bacon grease
- 1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes undrained
- salt & pepper to taste
- pinch sugar optional
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp COLD water, to form a slurry
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain well, and set aside.2 cups elbow pasta
- While the cooked pasta's draining, return the same pot to the stove set over medium heat. Add the bacon grease to the pot and allow it to heat up.2 tbsp bacon grease
- Once hot, add the canned tomatoes (juice & all)- stirring until evenly combined.1 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- Pour the cooked and drained pasta into the pot, again stirring until evenly combined. Salt and pepper the pasta, to taste. Add a pinch of sugar, if using, and allow the mixture to heat through.salt & pepper, pinch sugar
- Stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until evenly combined. Pour the slurry into the pasta, stirring to evenly incorporate.1 tbsp cornstarch
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and stirring often, simmer for roughly 10 minutes, or until nicely thickened.
- Serve warm & enjoy!
Notes
- Customize this simple pasta by using different seasonings or even adding meat like ground beef or chicken or even crumbled bacon.
- Top it with some shredded cheddar for a finishing touch! The heat from the pasta will melt it and it's a treat!
- My sons like it with a teensy bit of beef bullion added for extra flavor.
- Want to use tomatoes from your own garden? In this Depression era recipe, people would have been using canned tomatoes from their gardens that they would have cut into little pieces before prepping this.
- Traditionally, you serve this with a large pat of butter on top that's allowed to melt and then stirred into each serving. MMMMM good!
Nutrition
Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 738mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 4mg