I grew up eating Beef-a-Roni on a regular basis and in the US we even had a version sold in a can in the grocery store. It’s pretty common and sometimes called American Goulash. Super easy to make, this dish is one of the things from my childhood I sometimes crave. When I was young I used to microwave it with cheese slices on top, so it should come as no surprise that I’ve given this childhood favourite a cheesy upgrade.
Mozzarella, chopped into tiny pieces and stirred into the mix is the cheesy secret. Because it’s hot, the little chunks melt slightly while still holding some of their shapes so it gives a nice, cheesy texture to the soupy pasta.
When I ate Beef-a-Roni as a child it was pretty much ground beef with a diced onion, tomato juice and boiled macaroni. I’ve updated the flavours in this slightly from what I ate in the 80’s. Using olive oil & butter, a pinch of chilli flakes, garlic granules, Worcestershire Sauce and a stock cube or pot stirred in are packing this bowl of delicious goodness with so much flavour. It still tastes familiar, but it’s definitely an improvement.
Macaroni is not always the easiest to find on the shelves at grocery shops here in London, so I tend to buy it when I see it, mostly online or in specialty shops and keep it handy. That said, if you can’t find macaroni then another pasta shape will absolutely suffice. I would try chifferi rigati, orecchiete, ditalini, conchiglie or radiatore. Something that will hold the sauce in holes or recesses is going to be ideal! Let’s get started!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 30g unsalted butter
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 500g beef mince (ground beef)
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 beef stock cube or stock pot
- 600ml tomato juice
- 300g macaroni
- 250g fresh mozzarella, patted dry and chopped into small cubes
- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Method
- Put a pot of salted water with a drop of oil on high heat to boil for the pasta.
- Add the olive oil and butter to a large saucepan that has a lid over medium heat. When the butter has fully melted, add the onion and cook while stirring until softened.
- Add the ground beef and season with the garlic granules, salt & pepper and chilli flakes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and push it around the pan as it browns. Continue cooking and stirring until it looses it’s pink colour and is browned.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and the beef stock cube or stock pot and stir to combine, coating the beef in all the flavourings.
- Pour in the tomato juice and increase the heat to high. Stir to combine and bring to the boil. Once the mixture is boiling, cover with the lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer while covered for about 10 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in the boiling water according to packet instructions. You want it al dente, so check it about 2 minutes before the time indicated on the packet just to be on the safe side.
- When the macaroni is cooked, reserve a cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and then strain it. Pour the strained pasta directly into the tomato juice & beef mixture. Increase the heat to medium or medium-high and stir to coat all the pasta with the sauce, adding a drop of starchy pasta water to help it along. If needed, add more of the pasta cooking water only a little at a time until you have the consistency you like.
- Once everything is combined and piping hot, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chopped mozzarella cheese. Don’t overstir it – you just want to try to get it in there and incorporated.
- To serve, ladle the pasta into a bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.
Click here to see all the pasta recipes from ashleylaurenturner.com!
