Meaty American Chop Suey

My DH loves this stuff. I serve this as part of my "winter family function" menu. Cook the meat/sauce mixture the night before, reheat the next day and then add the cooked pasta. Great reheated in the microwave too!

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

•  olive oil (for sauteing)
• 1  medium onion (chopped)
• 2  red peppers (chopped or sliced into strips)
• 3 1⁄2 lbs ground beef (I usually buy the cheap stuff and drain the fat)
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes (I used Pine Cone brand)
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• 24  ounces water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon dried basil
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  lb pasta (I used rotini)
•  parmesan cheese (to sprinkle on individual servings) (optional)

Directions

1. In a large pan with olive oil, saute onions and red peppers until tender.
2. Crumble ground beef, add to pan, cook until done.
3. Once done, drain any excess fat using a colander.
4. Once drained, place back in pan.
5. Crush whole tomatoes and add to ground beef mixture.
6. Add tomato paste and water and stir.
7. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and sugar. (adjust seasoning amounts according to your tastes).
8. Let simmer for 1 hour.
9. Cook pasta according to package directions.
10. Once cooked, drain and add to meat/sauce mixture.
11. Stir until pasta in well coated and serve immediately.
12. (For added flavor, top individual serving with parmesan cheese).