Macaroni and beef create this old favorite

Pasta is a favorite with many, especially macaroni. It's very hard to top a good dish of homemade macaroni and cheese and this is mostly what macaroni is used for. Sometimes, we turn it into a pasta salad and use it in certain casserole recipes. Now, this favorite pasta is made more nutritious, with the availability of whole-wheat and high-fiber macaroni that actually tastes much like the regular version

I'm sharing a recipe for a way to transform macaroni into a main dish that would appeal to anyone, young or old. "Brazilian Macaroni" takes macaroni and combines it with ground beef and seasonings to create a main dish that will please anyone, particularly children. Since most children enjoy macaroni and ground beef, this would be a dish that would bring them to the table!

Though this recipe calls for ground beef, ground turkey may be used instead. Make certain that you get the ground turkey breast and not just regular ground turkey, since it contains turkey skin, which would have more fat. The recipe calls for a small amount of oil, in the event that the beef you're using isn't very lean.

As you'll see by the recipe, it's easy to do and goes together fast. If you're running late getting dinner started, this can be assembled easily. This is also a dish a young cook could make. If you have a youngster at home who's learning the basics of cooking, he or she could make this and give a running start to getting the meal ready.

To go with this dish, I would suggest an easy dessert. I did an article last year on "Desserts for the Lazy Cook", which contains some very easy dessert recipes. Here's the link to the article, if you'd like to get those recipes:

http://www.examiner.com/article/desserts-for-the-lazy-cook

Once you try this dish, keep the recipe handy....you'll most likely be asked to make this again!

BRAZILLIAN MACARONI

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/3-1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 3 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 oz. macaroni, cooked according to package directions

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the beef, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks. Drain fat, if necessary. Add onions, green pepper, salt, pepper and oregano and simmer for five minutes. Add the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare macaroni according to package directions. Drain and combine with meat sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.