Pasta a la Stan

Stan is my Dad.

My dad cooked a lot when I was growing up. My mom is a nurse and worked a lot of shift work, so Dad made a lot of dinners for my sisters and I.

My Dad is a Hunter and a Fisherman and he is a very good cook! He has been cooking since he was young.

This is one of his signature dishes. I remember him making it for us when we were kids. My Sweet loves it! Its one of his favorites. It's MAN food!

Plus is is super easy and quick so another perfect weeknight dinner.

I have modified the recipe a bit over the years as my tastes have changed.

Ok here it goes its really easy!

What you need:

1 lb. of ground beef

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

1 540ml can of diced or whole tomatoes (I like the flavored chopped kind, the spicy red pepper one is good, adds a kick, or the Italian spice or roasted garlic, or plain, use whatever floats your boat)

1 can full of water

2 cups of uncooked shell shaped pasta

¼ cup ketchup (this is one of my add ins. I like the extra tomato flavor it gives, you could use a 1tbsp of tomato paste if you had some)

1 tsp of hot sauce (this is totally optional)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

½ cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese (use the real stuff not the kind from a can its WAY better!)

1-2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese, grated.

Brown the hamburger in a large skillet that has a lid. Once the burger is browned nicely add the onion soup mix and some pepper. Now add the can of tomatoes, the ketchup a can of water and the hot sauce. Add in the noodles and stir. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes or so until the pasta is cooked. You may need to add a little more water throughout the cooking just keep an eye on it. If it looks dry and the pasta isn’t cooked yet add a touch more water.

Once the pasta is cooked stir in the Parmesan cheese. Then sprinkle the mozza on top put the lid on and let the cheese melt.

Serve with a nice green salad.

Quick, easy and hearty! Thanks Dad!!

Jen