If you are looking for a tasty dish, then macaroni and tomatoes is a classic. Growing up, this was often on our family dinner table. Budget-friendly and quick, this tomato and pasta dish has a garlicky, smoky, and slightly sweet taste.
The secret to this simple but delicious dish is the bacon grease, giving the sauce a smoky flavor. Sugar is also always in the recipe for this Southern comfort dish. I added a little zing by using Cajun Seasoning. You will love this variation of an American Classic!
If you love simple pasta, crave-able pasta dishes, I hope you’ll try our American goulash, creamy Rotel sausage pasta, creamy lemon chicken pasta, and one pot pasta, (essentially a really yummy bucatini, spaghettie-esk recipe the whole fam with devour!)
MACARONI AND TOMATOES INGREDIENTS
- Butter: Unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, but the seasoning in the southern macaroni and tomatoes is based using unsalted. Just adjust.
- Bacon Grease: A must!
- Garlic: Fresh
- Petite Diced Tomatoes: Any brand
- Whole Peeled tomatoes: I prefer Marzano, but any whole tomato will work.
- Cajun Seasoning: This blend gives the dish a little kick, but not too much!
- Sugar: Adding a little sugar really makes a difference in the sauce, which takes the edge off the acidity from the tomatoes and brings out the sweetness. This ingredient is a must for this dish.
- Macaroni: Dry pasta in the box. I like Barilla brand.
TIPS
- Meat Chopper: This is my favorite tool to use to chop or crush whole can tomatoes in this elbow macaroni and tomatoes and recipes that need crushed tomatoes for soups and stew. I also use this tool often, when browning ground meats it also needs to be crumbled. Honestly, it’s one of the most used tools in my kitchen. Here’s the one I use (affiliate link. This helps me make a little bit of money (very little!) to help pay for groceries and doesn’t cost you anything extra!! Thank you for your support!)
- Bacon Grease: The next time you make bacon, save the grease! It’s considered gold in my household!
- Change It Up! Add some browned ground beef or turkey, bacon, sausage, or sauteed onions and bell peppers to transform it to a main dish.
- Top It: You can top it with Parmesan cheese if you like. It’s delicious with Parm!
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This in The Fridge? Once cooked and cooled, your elbow macaroni and tomatoes will last up to one day in the fridge. The pasta will not be al dente, so leftovers will not be the same as freshly made.
- Can You Freeze This? I do not recommend freezing because the pasta will not have the same texture.
- Make-Ahead: You can prepare the dish ahead of time.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
HOW TO MAKE MACARONI AND TOMATOES
- Saute the garlic with melted butter and bacon grease.
- Pour the diced tomatoes and whole peeled tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil, and crush it with a wooden spoon or meat chopper.
- Add the seasonings, let it simmer then add the cooked macaroni.
- Stir.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
We love this down-home comfort meal with either KFC coleslaw, carrot salad, or 1905 salad for some crispy crunch.
And if you’ve read my site for any length of time, you know my family has to have biscuits. We love our super quick Bisquick biscuits, cat head biscuits, or our super yummy, butter swim biscuits!
MORE EASY PASTA MEALS
- Taco Mac and Cheese
- Crack Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Crockpot Goulash
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Easy Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Meatless Baked Ziti
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Macaroni And Tomatoes
Budget-friendly and quick, this macaroni and tomatoes have a garlicky, smoky, and slightly sweet taste. A true Southern comfort dish!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (14.-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes undrained
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni (8 ounces), according to the package instructions, in well-salted water, then drain.
- Melt butter (1 tablespoon) and bacon grease (1 tablespoon) in a large Dutch oven, or pot, over medium-low. Add garlic (1 tablespoon) and cook, stirring frequently (so garlic doesn't burn) for about 1-2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes (1 can) and whole peeled tomatoes with all the juices (1 can). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a medium-simmer, crushing the whole tomatoes as they simmer, with a wooden spoon or meat chopper (see tips), until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the Cajun seasoning (1 teaspoon) and sugar (1/2 teaspoon). Continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the cooked and drained macaroni and mix well, coating all the noodles. Adjust seasoning to your taste, if needed. Spoon into individual bowls and serve warm.
Notes
- Meat Chopper: This is my favorite tool to use to chop or crush whole can tomatoes in this recipe and recipes that need crushed tomatoes for soups and stew. I also use this tool often, when browning ground meats it also needs to be crumbled. Honestly, it's one of the most used tools in my kitchen. Here's the one I use (affiliate link. This helps me make a little bit of money (very little!) to help pay for groceries and doesn't cost you anything extra!! Thank you for your support!)
- Bacon Grease: The next time you make bacon, save the grease! It’s considered gold in my household!
- Change It Up! Add some browned ground beef or turkey, bacon, sausage, or sauteed onions and bell peppers to transform it to a main dish.
- Top It: You can top it with Parmesan cheese if you like. It's delicious with Parm!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 634mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 671IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg
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Simple, delicious. And when you add the noodles over the tomatoes to mix them in the contrast of the yellow and red was gorgeous haha. Thank you for an easy weeknight meal.
So happy you enjoyed!! Thanks for leaving a comment and the 5 star rating.
At last, my picky eater ate something and asked for a second bowl! I added chicken nuggets on the side. Thank you so much!!
Yaaay! Jackpoooot!! That’s awesome, Karen! Thanks for the positive feedback and rating 🙂