Beefaroni from a can never tasted like THIS!!!!

When I was a little girl I loved the pastas in a can. Spaghetti O's - oh yes! Beef-a-roni- you betcha! Chef Boyardee was my bestest bud...until he wasn't. I swear one day I woke up and thought they were gross.

I tried twice to serve these instant meals to Blockette when she was a toddler. Each time she did not keep them down. Now, she was still having texture issues at the time, so that could have been the result of her gag reflex being triggered.  I wasn't about to test that theory out for a third time.

At least I wasn't tempted until I saw this recipe for a version of Homemade Beefaroni from Cooking During Stolen Moments.  It just sounded soooo good.

It had been years and years since Blockette had a major texture issue with food, and this recipe looked and sounded scrumptious. 

So I went ahead and made it.

The smell of the sauce cooking filled the house with the most mouth watering aroma.

  

Blockette took one bite and exclaimed, "Don't tell daddy you made this!  I don't want to share it with him!

I told her that Daddy would know right away we ate something good for dinner cause he'd get a whiff of the scrumptious smell as soon as he walked in the door.

Still, she did not want to share.

This picture was taken five minutes after I dished up her bowl.  I think she may have inhaled her dinner.

When she finished her meal, Blockette stated, "You know mom, I think I might like this beefaroni better that frozen pizza."

Whoa....

I asked her if she was sure, and her reply was, "Well...I think they are tied for first place."

There is one tiny bad thing about this dish.  It's not technically even a bad thing.  It's the leftovers. They don't taste nearly as awesome as the food right off the stove.  They are still really yummy, just not "better than pizza" good. 


Homemade Beefaroni from Cooking During Stolen Moments
1 lb. ground beef
2 14.5 oz cans tomato sauce (I used about 28 oz of pureed tomatoes from my garden)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. water (I added a little bit more water than this as my tomato puree seemed a bit thick)
1 T. sugar
1 t. each garlic powder, salt and Italian seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
1 lb. cooked pasta (I used ziti)

Brown ground beef in a sauce pan and drain. While the meat is browning, boil noodles. Once meat has browned, stir in remaining ingredients, except pasta. Simmer about 10 minutes, to let the flavors combine. Stir in the pasta until coated.