I found myself with a half of a huge onion leftover from a different recipe, along with a pretty tasteless package of ground beef that wasn’t going to make good hamburgers, as intended. I needed to use them both up in a way that would kick up the flavor. This recipe accomplished that marvelously!
1 medium onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper, diced (about 1.5 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
instead of all the following herbs, you can use 1 round T Italian seasoning
1 scant t parsley (all measurements are for dried herbs)
1 scant t basil
1 scant t oregano
1/2 scant t garlic powder
1/2 scant t thyme
1/2 scant t rosemary
1/2 scant t chili powder
1/2 scant t smoked paprika
1/2 c water
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c macaroni noodles, uncooked
Brown the beef, then drain and put in a bowl. Saute the onions in the drippings, adding some olive oil if the meat was pretty lean.
Once the onions are soft but not yet caramelizing, add back the beef and all the other ingredients except the pasta. Stir to combine and simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.
Turn heat to high to bring the liquid to a boil and add the pasta. Then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.