Mom’s Hamburger Macaroni (Or a Reasonable Facsimile)

This dish is very good and very simple if not exactly like Mom's. Like a lot of hand-me-down recipes, you might see "one can of tomatoes" without mentioning the size of the can or "buttermilk" without saying how much. You were supposed to know the consistency. That's actually an aspect of older recipes I like. It's like being given permission to improvise.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3  cups macaroni, uncooked
• 1  lb lean ground beef
• 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1 1⁄2 cups water

Directions

1. Cook macaroni according to directions, but boil 4 or 5 minutes and immediately drain.
2. Cook ground meat and drain.
3. Add macaroni to ground meat
4. Add tomatoes and water.
5. Simmer, stirring for 5 to 10 minutes until moisture is absorbed.