Macaroni and tomatoes is a delightfully simple side dish that you may have enjoyed as a kid. I hope you enjoy my one-pot recipe that is ready in just about 15 minutes!
Did you grow up eating macaroni and tomatoes as a side dish? Truth be told, I had never heard of this dish until recently, but when I did, I was happy to try it! I love spaghetti, mac and cheese, and chili mac, and this easy side dish has elements of all of those.
Before I made my own version of macaroni and tomatoes, I read a whole bunch of recipes to learn about different versions. All my favorites had one thing in common: b. Is there ever a time that bacon doesn’t make a recipe better?? Thanks to the use of butter and bacon, this isn’t exactly health food. That’s OK though. Just serve it with some healthy chicken and a salad or other veggie, and you’ll have all your bases covered.
Speaking of bacon, it’s totally up to you to decide how much bacon juices (AKA grease) you’d like to leave in the finished dish. I poured off all but a tablespoon or two, but I’m sure it will taste better the more you use.
Most macaroni with tomatoes recipes use tomato sauce, like the plain, unseasoned kind. I decided to use pizza sauce and recommend that or spaghetti sauce to add a little more flavor to the dish. OK, yes, I did use pizza sauce because I had leftovers in my fridge that I wanted to use. If you often have some kind of pasta sauce hanging around too, this is the perfect recipe for using up the rest of the jar!
It was a little hard for me to not add cheese to this recipe because I love adding cheese to pretty much all pasta dishes! I did manage to restrain myself, but there’s no reason not to sprinkle a little parmesan on top if it floats your boat! How do you like your macaroni and tomatoes? Leave me a comment to let me know! xo
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Macaroni and Tomatoes
Macaroni and Tomatoes is an easy side dish that your family will love. Is this a classic recipe in your family?
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 2 slices bacon chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 15 ounces petite diced tomatoes undrained
- 6–8 ounces pasta or pizza sauce (see note)
- 8 ounces macaroni
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste)
- black pepper to taste
- grated parmesan (optional)
Instructions
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Heat deep skillet or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add butter and chopped bacon. Stir and cook until bacon is brown and fat is rendered. Pour off desired amount of oil from the cooked bacon.
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Add all tomatoes, pasta sauce, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, and stir in macaroni.
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Cook at a low boil for the recommended cook time on the macaroni package. Stir often, scraping the bottom, to prevent pasta from sticking to the pan. Dish is ready to serve when macaroni is cooked to your liking.
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Serve with grated parmesan for sprinkling on top if desired.
Notes
If you prefer to use an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce instead of pizza or pasta sauce, just add a little more seasoned salt to taste.
- Prep Time: 2
- Cook Time: 15
Want more pasta + tomato goodness? Check these out!
Wendy says
My now ex had me make macaroni with either a can of tomatoes or stewed tomatoes. I thought it was word, but I still make it even 28 years after our divorce. I think tomatoes with green chiles would work if you like spice.
Wendy says
Weird. Not word.
Perla says
My mom and gramma would make this with just tomatoes and macaroni and it has always been a favorite. However, I now add sauted onions, but think I will try bacon. Thanks.
Judy says
Tomatoes and macaroni makes a good soup in winter
Andi Gleeson says
Sounds good to me, Judy!
Deanna says
My grandmother used to make this when I was a kid and it was to die for. I think she used stewed tomatoes also with no sauce, and although she included some bacon grease in it for flavoring, she didn’t put the actual pieces of bacon in. She just used black pepper and regular salt instead of seasoned, and a little sugar. For me, it was always something about the balance between the bacon flavor and that little bit of sweetness that made it SO good. She never added parmesan cheese, and while 99.9% of the time I would add cheese to just about everything since I’m a die-hard cheese lover, there is something about the simplicity of grandma’s dish that for me would be spoiled by the parm. Without it, all the other notes really sing through…bacon, tomato, pasta…the ever so slight sweetness… Yum. I need to make some! Thanks for taking me back to my childhood memory of this!
Diane says
That is exactly how my family has made it for years and years. Pasta sauce and Parmesan makes it a whole different dish!
Darlene says
Andi, I use stewed tomatoes and no pizza or pasta sauce. Sometime I also add extra sautéed onion, celery and/or finely diced bell pepper. Heavy on the vegetables. And too heavy on the bacon juice.
Carolyn says
do you find that the dish is starchy when the macaroni is cooked with it? Would it detract from the taste if I cooked the macaroni separate and added it later?
Andi Gleeson says
Hi, Carolyn! I make a lot of skillet pasta dishes this way and don’t find the finished dish to be starchy. I hope you like it too :)