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It was a big debate on what to call this one because it has so many names: American goulash (that’s what won), American chop suey, Johnny Marzetti, slumgullion, Beefaroni, and hot dish. Whatever you know it as, it’s all the same thing: macaroni in a tomato sauce loaded with meat and, usually, bell peppers and onions (see Tips). I included a recipe in my Simple Comforts Instant Pot cookbook under the American Chop Suey name, but I simply couldn’t leave it out of this book as it’s a quick, easy, and delicious beloved classic.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced (see Tips)
1 large green bell pepper, diced (see Tips)
1 and 1/2 pounds ground beef or meatloaf mixture (veal/beef, see Tips)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed or 3 cubes Gefen Frozen Garlic
3 or 3 and 1/2 cups beef or chicken broth (3 cups for Instant Pot and 3 and 1/2 cups for stovetop)
3 to 4 cups Tuscanini Marinara Sauce, divided
1 pound Gefen Elbow or large elbow macaroni (or any short-form pasta you prefer)
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick eight-quart pot over medium-high heat (or hit Sauté and Adjust to the High or More setting on the Instant Pot). Once shimmering, add the onion and pepper and sauté for three to five minutes, until the veggies are a bit softened.
Add the meat and garlic and sauté for another three to five minutes, until the meat is crumbled and lightly browned. Leave the juices in the pot as they’ll add rich flavor to the sauce.
Add some of the broth and deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot to get up anything that may have been browned onto it, then add the rest of the broth and one and a half cups of the marinara sauce and stir well.
Stovetop Directions: Increase the heat to high. Once boiling, add the pasta to the pot and stir, then lower the heat to medium or medium-low so that the boil is gentle. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to make sure the pasta cooks evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. When most of the broth has been absorbed by the pasta and it’s fully cooked, remove the lid, and reduce the heat to low.
Instant Pot Directions: Add the pasta to the pot but do not stir. Simple smooth it out so it’s mostly submerged. Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position, and hit Cancel followed by Pressure Cook or Manual for five minutes at High Pressure. Quick release when done. There will still be some liquid left and that’s what we want!
Add the remaining marinara sauce (start with one and a half cups and work your way up to two and a half if you want it super saucy) and stir until warmed and combined. Turn the heat off and serve.
To halve: Halve all the ingredients but reduce the broth to two cups for the Instant Pot and two and a half cups for stovetop. Cook times remain the same.
Excerpted from PASTABILITIES by Jeffrey Eisner. Copyright © 2024 by Jeffrey Eisner. Photographs by Aleksey Zozulya. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
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