'Beefy-roni'

Ingredients:

o  1 pound Grass-fed Ground Beef

o  3 pounds tomatoes, cored and roughly diced

o  2 ½ cups dried macaroni noodles

o  4 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped

o  1 large Candy Onion, roughly chopped

o  1 quart (4 cups) chicken bone broth

o  6 ounces white cheddar, grated

o  2-4 ounces cream cheese

o  ½ cup half and half

o  2 Tbsp. tomato paste

o  1 Tbsp. Salt, plus more to taste

o  1 tsp. finely ground black pepper, plus more to taste

o  1 tsp. Pampas Herbs

o  1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

o  2 Tbsp. EVOO or other beef tallow (rendered Suet)

o  1/8 – ¼ cup brown sugar (may sub with honey)

Directions:

1.      Brown ground beef in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed, non-reactive* pot over medium-high heat. Pour Worcestershire over beef when starting to brown. Remove to a separate dish.

2.      Add olive oil to pot, followed by onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until they start to become translucent and add garlic. Cook for another minute or two, stirring continuously until onions are lightly browned and garlic is aromatic. 

3.      Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and Pampas herbs. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomato paste, bring to a light simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4.      Blend in the pot with an immersion blender until no more chunks remain. Return to a simmer and add macaroni noodles, cooking for 8 minutes.

5.      Add to the pot half and half, cheddar, 2 ounces cream cheese, 1/8 cup brown sugar or honey and ground beef. Stir until cheeses are melted and totally combined.

6.      Taste and adjust salt, pepper and sweetener. You may add another 2 oz. cream cheese if you’d like it creamier. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Non-reactive* pots are required to not leech metallic flavors into the tomatoes. Options are stainless steel and enamel-coated cast iron.
• To make it super 'beefy', simply double the amount of ground beef.
• While we almost always opt for honey, the brown sugar really does give it extra depth. Delicious either way!