Also known as American goulash or Johnny Marzetti, American Chop Suey is a quick and delicious comfort food hailing from New England. It’s a mix of tender pasta, juicy, savory ground beef, rich and herbaceous tomato sauce, and a few fresh veggies for good measure. The idea is to get something hearty, filling, and warming together in just 30 minutes or less, and American Chop Suey succeeds in those goals handily! Just throw everything together and watch the magic happen!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (5.5-ounce) can tomato juice
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, optional
Directions
Step 1 –Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.
Step 2 –While the pasta cooks, in another large pot, add the butter and the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.
Step 3 –Add the garlic to the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 4 –Add the ground beef to the onion mixture and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 5 –Add the green pepper to the beef mixture and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 6 –Add the diced tomatoes, the tomato juice, the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, the sugar, the oregano, the basil, the salt, the pepper, and the Worcestershire sauce and cook until it is evenly heated.
Step 7 –Stir the cooked pasta into the meat mixture and stir to coat.
Step 8 –Season the chop suey with the salt and the pepper as needed.
Step 9 –Serve.
