There are some purists that will argue that what you’re about to see isn’t a traditional Minnesota hot dish because it doesn’t have tater tots or cream of chicken soup (otherwise known as “Lutheran Binding” given it’s predominance in Lutheran hot dish recipes all round the state).
Indeed, the first time I’d actually heard of this dish having a name, it was called “American Chop Suey” which is a more New England term but traditional American Chop Suey isn’t a pasta dish.
Having had enough Minnesota hot dishes from arguably one of the best Minnesotan cooks I’ve ever known, I’m sure she’d be fine with me calling this a hot dish given how widely it tends to vary in the North Star State! 🙂
What You’ll Need!
- One package of pasta (it’s up to you what kind you want, traditionally it’s done with elbow macaroni but I doubt you’ll hear much complaining if you have fun with some farfalle or rotini!)
- Two jars of pasta sauce (my favourite by far is Newman’s Own “Sockarooni”)
- Bell peppers (colour doesn’t matter)
- Sweet Vidalia Onions
- Greek Seasoning
- Olive Oil
A Couple of Pots Will Do The Job!
Boil your pasta to as desired in a tall pot (for me, this is “al dente” at 10-12 minutes) and then drain it in the colander and set aside.
Whilst the pasta is boiling, this is a good time to dice your onions and bell peppers and get them ready for the pot the pasta will vacate when it’s draining.
Saute the peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil (very little will do the job!) and start browning the ground beef in a separate pan.
Once the peppers and onions are nicely sauteed, add the pasta sauce and let it simmer a bit.
Move the pasta out of the way (the big container where the diced peppers and onions comes in handy!) and drain the browned ground beef.
Add the ground beef to the peppers/onions/sauce and simmer some more to really fuse those flavours together.
Stir in the pasta and let it go for a couple of minutes to warm the pasta back up.
Once done, get that big pie plate out and top it with some parmesan cheese and black pepper and think happy thoughts of the prairie! 🙂
