Slumgullion is a name for a cheap stew made by boiling. In this recipe, only the pasta is boiled, but cheap (and easy!) it is. I’m almost embarrassed to call this a recipe because it’s so simple. But it is one of my go to dishes when I need something fast and healthy that everyone will enjoy. I’d be lost without it, so I thought I’d pass it along. My mom made almost this exact dish while I was growing up so it’s a comfort food for me too. One of the best things about it, is that if you cook and freeze some ground beef (I like grabbing a giant pack of lean ground beef from Costco) you can have all the ingredients on hand. Then, when you don’t really have time to cook, or haven’t managed to get to the grocery store, you don’t have to get take out. And it’s a lot less messy than spaghetti!
- 200g lean ground beef cooked (more or less is fine)
- 1 package whole wheat macaroni (I’ve tried other pasta, macaroni is best)
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.
- It's best if the ground beef is warm when you add it to the pot so, cook, defrost or warm the ground beef as necessary.
- Drain the macaroni in a strainer and put it back in the pot. Add the warm ground beef and the can of tomatoes (with the juice).
- Mix well and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also just add the salt and pepper to the individual servings instead.
This recipe makes about 6 servings, so you could halve the recipe if you don’t need that much. We usually keep the leftovers for lunches. I prefer it fresh, but Gordie and my special needs brother are quite happy to have it the day after. I often fill up some ziplock containers and stick them in the freezer so Geoff has lunches ready for the whole week.
OH my God, Dana!!!
This was my mom’s go-to meal when we were kids. And now that my mom has passed away, it’s always, always, always been my #1 comfort food. I never knew anyone else who ate this, so it was always a strong memory of my childhood since the ONLY association I have to this meal is having my mom prepare it.
It’s so cheap, easy and comforting (and really makes me feel close to my mom when we make it.)
Juanita
That’s so funny. My mom is the only source for this recipe. I never knew anyone else who ate it either, but it seems so obvious I felt kind of silly putting it up.
My Grandmother is from Budapest and her and my mom and I also make Slumgullian and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! and the exact way although your missing quite a few ingredients!, sliced zucchini, dk red kidney beans, red and yellow onio, sgreen bell pepper, basil, paprika, dark brown sugar and i add a seeded jalapeno minced as well! two cans of stewed tomatoes crushed and over a lb of lean ground beef! enjoy!skip
My mom made this a lot. I have never seen it as a recipe – she just made it. (And used a lot more macaroni when there were 2 teenage boys in the house.)
Mom probably used regular ground beef and I know she used regular (not whole wheat) pasta and a can of whole tomatoes broken up (were there even diced tomatoes in cans in the olden days?)
Who knew there would be a family recipe?
I make this, but add 1 bay leaf and a dash of Tobasco. The bay leaf gives it great flavor. This recipe has been in my family for 75 years.
great with yellow cheese, onion and green peas.
Deb
Honolulu
My grandma makes this, it tastes best with canned garden tomatoes and a side of butter bread. Yum yum gimmie some!