One-Pot Tomato Beef Macaroni
A true one-pot macaroni supper with browned beef, tomato body, and enough pasta liquid to stay saucy instead of turning tight and sticky by the time it reaches the table.
Meet Ruthann About Ruthann’s Baking
This recipe stays visible, but recipe rich markup stays off until a real finished-dish image is available.
If this is your kind of supper, breakfast, or bake, keepFamily Pan Baked Spaghetti, Chicken Rice Casserole for 8, and Crock Pot Taco Soup nearby for the next pan.
If you want a cleaner fix or a little backup, these guides helpHow to Cool Big Pots Safely and Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Guide.
If you want the household logic around this pan, keepBy Wednesday, the Supper Plan Breaks — Here Is How We Catch It and Before the Freezer Fills Wrong — Here Is What Earns the Space nearby too.
This is for the night when you want one pot, one spoon, and dinner to still taste like somebody paid attention. Browning the beef properly and letting the tomato paste darken are what keep it from tasting like a rushed pantry pot.
It also reheats honestly. That matters when the house is busy and tomorrow’s lunch needs to come from tonight’s supper without feeling tired.
Recipe Rescue
Need the fix fast?
Get the safe cooling, storage, reheating, and carryover logic for leftovers built around ground beef, macaroni, and tomatoes.
Recipe details
Timing & yield
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook / bake
- 35 minutes
- Total
- 50 minutes
- Yield
- 8 servings
Ingredients
Beef base
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pot finish
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounces
- 1 can tomato sauce, 15 ounces
- 5 cups beef stock
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Method
- Step 1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, and cook it with the onion and bell pepper until the beef is browned and the vegetables have softened.
- Step 2. Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute until the tomato paste darkens and smells sweeter.
- Step 3. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef stock, scrape up the browned bits, and bring the pot to a steady simmer.
- Step 4. Stir in the macaroni, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened into a loose sauce, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Step 5. Turn off the heat, stir in the cheddar, and let the pot rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles and clings to the noodles instead of running thin.
- Step 6. Taste and adjust the salt before serving, because pasta always drinks up part of the seasoning on the way to the table.
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large deep skillet
- wooden spoon
- instant-read thermometer
Storage & safety
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 4 days. Reheat with a splash of stock or water so the macaroni loosens instead of turning stiff.
Safe minimum internal temperature: 160°F
Rest time: 5 minutes
Portion leftovers into shallow containers so the pasta cools down faster than it would in one hot deep pot.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F before serving.
Ground beef should reach 160°F; do not judge doneness by color alone.
Troubleshooting
- The pasta soaked up too much liquid before dinner
- Stir in hot stock a little at a time until the sauce is loose again, then warm the pot gently.
- The beef tastes flat
- Add salt first, then a small spoonful of tomato paste or grated cheddar if the pot still needs more body.
Recipe rescue notes
- The pot turned gluey
-
Likely cause: The pasta was cooked too long after most of the liquid was absorbed.
Fix: Add hot stock, loosen the pot gently, and stop cooking as soon as the noodles are tender.
Next time: Keep the sauce a little looser than you think you need and remember that the pot keeps tightening during the rest.
Substitutions
- Ground beef
- Use ground turkey plus 1 extra tablespoon of oil for similar body. — Turkey needs a little more help with richness, so do not skip the browning step or the tomato paste.
Carryover / Next Meal Ideas
Stuffed pepper filling
Spoon reheated leftovers into halved bell peppers, top with a little cheese, and bake until the peppers are tender for a second supper.
- If the leftovers are very thick, loosen them with a splash of stock before filling the peppers.
Comments
Questions about this recipe?
Loading comments.
right.