Poverty Meal

By Addie

"When I was a child, my family used to eat this at least once a week due to the fact that it is inexpensive and a little goes a long way. We also added fresh herbs or sometimes whole kernel corn. Its even better the next day and it freezes well."

Ingredients

• 1 large onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
• 2 (16 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) cans water
• 8 ounces elbow macaroni, uncooked
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Brown ground beef and drain.

Add ground beef, tomatoes, water, raw macaroni, salt and pepper to the onion and garlic mixture.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender. If desired, top with Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread and a salad.
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REVIEWS: (436)

Whether you are in no money times, or not, this is a SUPER MEAL TO HAVE! My hubby was so excited to try it, and I have to admit while cooking I ate a little here and there! LOL I did use ground turkey and put in an extra clove of garlic and 1 tsp basil. It was so good. I thank you for this wonderful meal that will come in good use at our home!

This recipe reminds me of some of the wonderful concoctions we put together as kids,there were 10 of us kids so we lived very frugal,the only change I made was to add a can of kidney beans,it was delicious!!! Thanks for reminding me of my childhood.

We really enjoyed this recipe! I browned the ground beef with the onion and added more garlic and quite a bit of salt and pepper. Simple and homestyle goodness in one pan. I served this with crusty rolls and a tossed salad and there wasn't a bit left! Nice on the budget, great comfort food.

Fabulous!!!!! Cheap, tasty, and reminds me of childhood :) Used 4 garlic cloves, a 10oz can of beef broth and 6oz of water instead of the 16oz of water, and some Italian seasoning. It was so tasty I forgot to put the cheese on before I shoveled it down!!!

I've been making a one dish meal similar to this for years. It too, was my mom's go to supper for us girls when we were children. We called it goulash, but whatever you call it, it makes a wonderful meal. I made this exactly as written with the exception of using regular cheap tomato juice in place of the water, I've found that this one addition makes a big difference in the flavor. Which means DH doesn't feel compelled to pour ketchup all over his, (that used to irritate me). This is also an easy recipe to dress up any way you want, ie. italian seasonings, mushrooms, peppers, hot pepper flakes etc. This is really good, and leftovers are better!

This is really yummy! I used 'campanelle' pasta, rather than elbows. Since iIlive alone, I make a big batch and then transfer it into Tupperware, putting some in the refrigerator and/or freezer for lunches at work. It freezes and refrigerates well.

Quick and easy to make and tasty too. I had a craving for corn so I added a can of kernels and it was delicious.

Sounds like goulash that I've been making for years, and my mom before me. I like the taste better if macaroni is cooked and then added. You can change up the spices to please you.

This is similar to an Egyptian dish known as koushary, but koushary has lentils and rice instead of beef. Comfort food!!

To add more flavor, I added onion and garlic powder as well as Mild Taco Seasoning & diced jalapenos, and used Mexican-style stewed tomatoes. Both my way and the original recipe make for good, reliable comfort food. Will be saving this and working it into my regular rotation. Update: I made this again, this time using 1 can of regular stewed tomatoes and beef broth instead of water. I also added corn and chili sauce: this really is a great base recipe.

This I will be making again! I did make some modifications to better suit this households tastes. I omitted the garlic, but not to lose out on flavor, I added some mexican seasonings. As well, we don't eat beef so I ground up some pork in place of it. I enjoyed this dish alot! Thanks Kari in Denver for posting this easy & quick recipe!

What more can I add? Wonderful recipe. Cheap, fast, easy, and the kids love it! I added a little chili seasoning and a can of beans. Thanks!

I thought this recipe was really good. It reminded me of the goulash my friends mom used to make all the time. I always loved it. I accidentally got the wrong tomatoes (I got diced) But I got the Italian style. I also added fresh basil, and some fennel seed and a ton more garlic b/c I love it. I really liked it with the Italian diced tomatoes so when I make it again I will stick with that. Great recipe for a quick meal. Will work great on those baseball nights when I need to feed the kids something good hearty and fast.

YUMMY, and super easy! I have given it to two of my friends already! I made it to freeze, but it didnt last that long...My fiance loved it. Thanks for sharing! Will DEFINITELY make again.

Delicious!!! Instead of Ground Beef, I used up some keilbasa that I had left over. Only had one can of stewed tomatoes, and one can of diced tomatoes with chiles. Corn and/or beans would also compliment this dish well.

This is a great base recipe. Without adjusting the recipe at all, it was very bland and not very good. I added a can of corn, basil, oregano, cumin, cayenne, and two jalapenos. This made for a pretty spicy Mexican variety which had great flavor.

This is exactly what I had growing up too! and now again that times are tough, we're having it tonight in my household. Thanks for posting! I was thinking of a budget friendly dinner and had totally forgot about this childhood dish!

If my entire childhood be condensed, this would be what it tastes like. I added some cilantro and several other spices and it was fabulous! This really does go perfectly with some garlic bread and a dark green salad. Will be making this meal many more times!

Simple, easy, and healthy! I use ground turkey for less fat. Thanks!