No, I don’t make American Chop Suey with seafood. (If I did I might call it American Chop Seafood-y because I’m so damn funny.)
I love recipes like this one because they are so great to make ahead of time to alleviate stress later in the week. Also, my little guy loves American Chop Suey so he heats it up and puts it in a Thermos for lunch. Herman also takes it for lunch on the boat. It warms my heart when I know that my family is eating homemade food while they are busy learning at school or working hard on a lobster boat.
This is a great recipe because it’s simple, too. I think sometimes we buy some food at the grocery store, like prepared soups, just because they are fast or easy or convenient. I don’t know about you though, but those prepared meals might be fast but they don’t necessarily make me feel good.
I also love American Chop Suey because it’s sort of a nostalgic food. I think we should bring more meals back that are super simple and hearty like this. Maybe not some of the crazy casseroles from the 70s, though.
American Chop Suey
You’ll need:
green pepper
onion
1 clove of garlic
1 lb of ground round
butter
1 box of your favorite noodles (We like elbows.)
1 14 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 14 oz can of chunky tomatoes
Here’s what you do:
Boil the water and cook the noodles according to the directions on the box. Make sure your water is nice and salty.
While the noodles are boiling, dice the green pepper and onion and cook them in a pan with a tab of butter at medium heat. (Add salt and pepper.) Add the garlic when there are just a few minutes left of cooking time for the green pepper and onion because garlic burns quickly. I only cook the peppers and onion for about 8 minutes because we like them a little crunchy in the chop suey to give it texture.
Remove the green pepper, onions, and garlic from the pan and set aside.
Check your noodles! When they are done, drain them and then put them back in the pot. (You’ll add everything to the pot at the end.)
Add a tab of butter to the pan you cooked the peppers in and as it starts to melt add the ground round. (Add salt and pepper.) Cook until the meat is broken up and cooked, about 10-12 minutes.
Turn the heat down to low and add the tomatoes to the pan with the meat. We like to use one can of sauce and one can of chunky tomatoes. This way we get some sauce and texture.
Mix the sauce into the meat until it is well incorporated and then remove it from the heat. (Don’t forget to taste it and see if you need to add any more salt.)
Add the meat and sauce to the pot with the noodles and mix.
Add the peppers and onions mixture to the pot with the meat, sauce, and noodles and mix until well-incorporated. (Taste it!)
American Chop Suey will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. Smell it, look at it, taste it— this is how you know if food has spoiled, not because of an imaginary date on a calendar.
