Macaroni. Faked.

I am a comfort food junkie. I love thick sauces, classic recipes that Grandma used to make. Well, Macaroni was a family staple. I can not ever remember a week of my life without this recipe. My son's friends come over and ask for the "pasta with the tomatoes thing" because it is "really good!". My Gran used to make it with tons of onions. My Mom makes it with a few onions and cheese. We fake it in my house but, my Mom likes my recipe as much as she likes her own but myne is low fat and oh. so. simple. :)

Macaroni (vegan recipe to follow)

1 package GFCF Pasta (Tinkyada is the best one we have found)
1 pound of lean ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste (honestly I do not use salt)
Pinch or two of Garlic Powder
1 can (19oz) of Diced Tomatoes
2 tbsp of dried Basil
Seasoning (to taste)

Cook pasta as per package directions, set aside.
Take 1 pound of ground meat. (I use extra lean ground beef.) and brown to perfection. Drain and give the meat a quick lil rinse in the strainer. (trust me) Put it back in the pan (I rinse the pan too)
Now add minced garlic. Fry that up! And as you are frying add some pepper and I throw in a pinch or two of garlic powder (not salt, powder). Smells good eh? Ya, it does.
Open a can of diced tomatoes (I use Unico Diced tomatoes... all the time) and add to the beef mix. At this point I toss in a tablespoon or two of dried basil and a dash of lemon pepper seasoning (just a dash). Now heat thoroughly and add cooked and drained pasta.
Mix well, remove from heat and serve!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate, you can freeze it in sinlge serving sizes for lunches and quick eats for the kiddos, or you can adjust the amounts easily for more or less people!

Now time to go VEGAN!

Cook pasta as per package directions, drain, set aside.
Fry minced garlic in a pan, add sliced mushrooms and zucchini (I shred the zucchini and then fry it... it is awesome!), cook thoroughly and then add diced tomatoes, seasoning and stir! Add cooked and drained pasta and stir together and serve!

If you wish, you can add veggie ground round a few minutes before adding the pasta! It is delicious and has a beef like texture.


Some suggestions...

You can also add veggies to the meat mix in the first recipe. I just don't always have them on hand. Both recipes are a hit in my house and company always loves it.

*IF* you are a cheese eater, dice up some cheddar or mozzarella or provolone and add it just before serving. That's how my Mom makes it!

Enjoy!