Cafeteria Style Mac and Beef

Serves 4-6

My husband grew up eating mostly Taiwanese food at home, which he loved, but he craved American food. The cafeteria at school was one of the places he got to experience this food. One of his nostalgic meals was the infamous Mac and Beef. Of course, it must be topped with lots of Kraft parmesan cheese in a shaker! I think I brought back some fond memories when making this dish for him. It was nice to share this meal with my family. Enjoy cooking this recipe with your family or friends and create some memories of your own!

My Version of a Classic Tomato Sauce

4 oz of pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ cup of carrots, small dice
1½ cups of yellow onion, small dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 28 oz can of tomatoes (I like San Marzano tomatoes), chopped and reserve the liquid
2 cups of tomato puree
½ cup of red wine (I like using Chianti or any medium body red wine, plus more for drinking!)
2 bay leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
*Optional: you can add any cooked ground meat to the sauce (I added 1lb of ground beef and 1lb of ground veal)

Directions

1. Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pan to low heat and add olive oil. Add pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered, approximately 15 minutes
2. Add the carrot and onion. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes
3. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until fragrant
4. Add tomato paste and cook until it turns a deep red color, approximately 10 minutes
5. Add wine and cook for an additional 5 minutes
6. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to your pan
7. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 - 2 ½ hours
8. Put sauce through a food mill or use an immersion blender to puree
9. Add salt and black pepper to taste