Healthier Beef-and-Mac
Vivian Howard’s friend Miss Lillie loves the local dish known as “Kill Hungry”—loaded with macaroni noodles, beef and a hearty tomato sauce. To make it healthier, Vivian teamed with nutrition counselor Tracy Owens to cut down the pasta carbs and amp up the vegetables.
Serves: 4
Total time: Approx. 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 zucchinis, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Cumin for flavor
Directions
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or high sided cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add ground turkey to skillet to brown. Once turkey is fully cooked, add zucchini, salt, pepper and cook for 5 minutes more.
- While onion and zucchini cook, bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In skillet, add tomatoes to turkey and use wooden spoon or spatula to break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Add tomato paste and stir to dissolve. Lower heat and simmer until pasta is done.
- Drain pasta. Combine noodles with sauce and it’s ready to “kill hungry.”
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