Looking for an easy, hot, kid-friendly dinner at the end of a long day? That’s the perfect description for what my 2 year old has dubbed ‘Spaghetti Macaroni’.
Spaghetti Macaroni is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Spaghetti sauce + macaroni noodles + cheese and sour cream = a delicious feast the whole family can enjoy. This recipe, like many of my others, was born of necessity one night when all I had in the pantry to make for dinner was spaghetti sauce and the only noodles I had were macaroni. I proceeded with those ingredients, and in a stroke of brilliance decided to add some sour cream to the cooked noodles to give the whole dish a boost. Because creamier is always betterer.
It turned out so well that I make it all the time now, and it has the added benefit of being something my 2 year old can easily manage. She wasn’t a fan of spaghetti up to this point, not because she didn’t like it, but because the long, slippery traditional spaghetti noodle caused endless frustration for her toddler self. But now we can all enjoy spaghetti with nary a meltdown, including you because the recipe is down yonder.
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/4 tsp Italian herb mix
- 2 cups macaroni noodles
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
-
Brown ground beef and garlic in a medium to large skillet. In the meantime, prepare a separate pot of boiling water for the macaroni. When the beef is cooked and browned, add crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer let sauce thicken while you add the macaroni to the boiling water. Cook pasta until tender and drain. Toss sour cream and salt with the macaroni, then add the spaghetti sauce to the macaroni pot and stir until well combined. Sprinkle mozzarella over top and put a lid on the pot. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt, then serve immediately.
Such a fun, easy meal for moms that kids will love! Way to go.
Thanks!
Oh man! Can’t go wrong with pasta, sauce, and cheese! One of my favorite comfort foods, for sure. Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Thanks! Hope you love it!
I love how simple this recipe is, and it looks so good!
I’m all about simple! It really is such a good comfort food.
This looks delish! I’ll have to give it a try!
Hope you like it!
Yum! This look so so good and you can’t go wrong with pasta!
Never can you go wrong with pasta 😉
What a great, simple recipe! And it’s so versatile too, cause you can add all kinds of other things, when you have them on hand. I love how kids are so literal with their thoughts!!
I know, right? Kids are funny lol
Looks like the perfect recipe for my family!
Awesome, hope they like it!
What a fun mash up of two comfort foods! Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing at Friday Frenzy Link Party! PINNED!
Thanks!
I concur – creamier is always better! Thanks for linking up to the Friday Frenzy!
Thanks for hosting!