Beef and Macaroni

This recipe is so easy, and a crowd favorite.  This recipe makes a pretty large portion, so I freeze the extra, and reheat it in the microwave later. 

serves 6, prep 15 min, cook 40 min

• 1 pound ground beef, I used the leanest I can get
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced (or 10 baby carrots)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried parsley (or dried basil, I was out)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
• Red pepper flakes (to taste)

1. First finely dice the onion, pepper, and carrots.
2. Cook the ground beef in a dutch oven, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain fat and discard.
3. In the same durch oven, heat oil over medium heat and add butter.
4. Add the vegetables and garlic and stir to cook several minutes until soft.
5. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for a minute.
6. Add the un-drained diced tomatoes to the pan and the cooked ground beef.
7. Add the spices and turn down the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 30 min.
8. While sauce is cooking bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
9. Cook macaroni until tender, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain.  Do not rinse.  If your sauce seems to be drying out at any point add in some of your reserved pasta water as needed.
10. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper.
11. Combine with noodles. Toss to mix well and separate the noodles. Serve.