The grown-up hamburger helper: lean beef browned with onion, then macaroni simmered right in the tomato sauce so it soaks up all the flavour. One bowl is 30g of protein for 351 calories — and it’s one pot.

Cooking the pasta in the sauce, not separately, is what makes this a single-pot dish.

Ingredients

  • For the beef
  • Ground beef — 227 g (1 cup, 95% lean) [P 50 C 0 F 11]
  • Onion — 1 medium, chopped [P 1 C 7 F 0]
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika — to taste
  • For the macaroni
  • Whole-grain macaroni — 85 g (¾ cup dry) [P 12 C 62 F 3]
  • Canned crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce) — 1 cup [P 2 C 8 F 0]
  • Water (or broth) — 1 cup

Method

  1. Soften the onion. Cook 2–3 minutes in the oil.
  2. Brown the beef. Add and cook 6–8 minutes until crispy-brown.
  3. Simmer the pasta. Add the crushed tomatoes, water and macaroni; boil, then cover and simmer on low ~20 minutes until the pasta is cooked.

What to eat it with

  • Chopped spinach stirred in at the end for greens.
  • A little parmesan on top.
  • Hot sauce — for a kick.

Variations

  • Any ground meat: turkey or chicken.
  • Cheesy: stir in a little low-fat cheese.
  • Spicier: chilli flakes.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 5g a serving, from the whole-grain pasta and tomato.
  • Beef note: 95% lean keeps the 7g fat honest.
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 351 cal / 30g protein listed; no correction needed.