Mama's Macaroni Tempter

Get ready folks - this is the ultimate comfort food. I hadn't had this in about 15 years (the last time my mom made it for me), so I made it the other night and couldn't keep my fork out of the pan after dinner. Follow the recipe the first time you make it and then decide what you want to add (i.e. mushrooms, etc.) to make it your own. My mom's recipe calls for a 16-oz can of tomato sauce, but I could only find 15-oz cans. So I added a couple tablespoons of water to make sure I had enough liquid to cook the macaroni.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground beef
• 1  onion, chopped
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 16  ounces tomato sauce
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1  teaspoon chili powder
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 lb elbow macaroni
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1  tablespoon red wine vinegar
•  Tabasco sauce, to taste (I do about 6-7 shakes)
• 1⁄2 lb American cheese (Velveeta is great, but I used Kraft Deli Deluxe slices and loved it)

Directions

1. Brown the meat with the onion and garlic in a large pan with a tight-fitting lid (to be used later).
2. Cook over moderate heat until onion is soft.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese.
4. Cover and simmer on low until macaroni is cooked, 15-20 minutes.
5. Mix one-half of cheese into mixture, then top with other half. Cover pan again for another 3-4 minutes over low heat to let cheese melt.