Cheeseburger Macaroni

The tomato is native to western South America and Central America.

In 1519, Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in Montezuma's gardens and brought seeds back to Europe where they were planted as ornamental curiosities, but not eaten.

Most likely the first variety to reach Europe was yellow in color, since in Spain and Italy they were known as pomi d'oro, meaning yellow apples. Italy was the first to embrace and cultivate the tomato outside South America.

The French referred to the tomato as pommes d'amour, or love apples, as they thought them to have stimulating aphrodisiacal properties.

In 1897, soup mogul Joseph Campbell came out with condensed tomato soup, a move that set the company on the road to wealth as well as further endearing the tomato to the general public.

Campbell may have made tomato soup popular, but the first recipe is credited to Maria Parloa whose 1872 book The Appledore Cook Book describes her tomato chowder.

The high acidic content of the tomato makes it a prime candidate for canning, which is one of the main reasons the tomato was canned more than any other fruit or vegetable by the end of the nineteenth century.

By About Home Cooking

Looking for a beefy, cheesy dish. You have come to the right place. This entree will become a weeknight favorite at your home.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Copyright 2012, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni pasta

garlic salt

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (14.5 oz.) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Season pasta water with garlic salt. Drain.

Cook ground beef and onion in Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Season ground beef and onion with salt and crushed red pepper. Cook until ground beef crumbles and no longer pink. Drain excess grease.

Stir in diced tomatoes, ketchup and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Cook until heated through. Garnish with remaining cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!