Macaroni and Tomatoes Recipe
Old Fashioned Macaroni and Tomatoes
Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for making this old fashioned Macaroni and Tomatoes dish.
Macaroni and Tomatoes, made with fresh tomatoes and a pinch of sugar.
…
Macaroni and Tomatoes recipe.
…
Here’s a really quick and simple dish that brings back lots of memories from my childhood. Perhaps it will yours too.
It only takes a few ingredients, and of course, it’s always better when you can get hold of some fresh tomatoes while they are in season. Vine ripened fresh tomatoes just have a unique taste of their own.
There are a few old fashioned dishes that Mama use to cook that I’ve just never been able to duplicate to my satisfaction over the years. She cooked great spaghetti in my opinion, but it was a simple recipe that I always seem to remember as containing tomato soup.
I’ve tried it numerous times, with the soup, and other such things, but never can “nail it” as the saying goes.
However, when I cooked up this Macaroni and Tomatoes recipe, I realized one of the ingredients that I had been overlooking. That ingredient was Bacon Grease. It’s what gives this that “old fashioned” taste that so many of us remember.
I haven’t tried making the spaghetti since I did this pasta dish, but I’m going to pretty soon. I’ve just got to render down some more bacon fat first. You do save your bacon grease for seasoning – right?
If you need help with that, check out this post on How To Render Bacon Fat.
Save the bacon grease and use it to add some great old fashioned flavor to our Macaroni and Tomatoes dish. You can thank me later. Smile.
So, if you’re ready, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking.
…
You’ll need these ingredients to make our Macaroni and Tomatoes.
…
Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package.
Once it’s done, drain the pasta in a colander and just let it sit until needed.
…
Of course, while the pasta is cooking, it’s a great time to go ahead and dice the onions.
…
And go ahead and dice the tomatoes.
…
I like to use the same pot that I cooked my pasta in to finish out the recipe. Rinse it out and place it back on the stove top over Medium heat. Add the bacon grease.
Did I ask you if you save your bacon grease yet? Smile.
…
Place the diced onions in the pot with the bacon grease.
…
Add the tomatoes.
…
Add the salt.
…
Add the black pepper.
…
Add the sugar.
Stir the ingredients together and let it cook gently until the onions are translucent.
…
Add the cooked pasta into the pot, then gently stir everything together.
Let this cook, stirring often, for about 5 more minutes.
REMOVE THE POT FROM THE HEAT.
…
Once you have the pot off the heat, cover it with a lid.
I used the lid from my canning pot. Can’t seem to find the actual lid that goes with the pot. I think it ran away at some point. Haven’t seen it in awhile. It was such a good lid too. Smile.
Just let the Macaroni and Tomatoes rest for about 15-20 minutes before serving. This helps the pasta to better absorb the flavors. You’ll be glad you waited.
…
Enjoy!
Serve it while warm. Hoe Cakes just seem to go well with this.
…
Macaroni and Tomatoes Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Varies
- Category: Main Dishes, Pasta
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe to prepare this old fashioned Macaroni and Tomatoes dish.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Macaroni, uncooked
- 1lb fresh Tomatoes
- ½ cup Onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Bacon Grease
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
- Chop onion.
- Dice tomato into small pieces.
- Place a medium sized sauce pan, over Medium heat, on your stovetop.
- Add bacon grease.
- Add onion.
- Add tomatoes.
- Add salt
- Add black pepper.
- Add sugar.
- Stir ingredients together and cook gently until onions are translucent.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pot.
- Stir together, continue to cook for about 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat.
- Cover the pot with a lid.
- Let sit for 15-25 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Canned diced tomatoes work well if you don’t have fresh ones. Just drain the juice off the tomatoes in the can before adding them to the onions.
Keywords: Macaroni and Tomatoes, old fashioned macaroni and tomatoes, sugar, easy
…
Your Comments:
Ever made Macaroni and Tomatoes with fresh tomatoes? Share your memories of this great Southern dish with us.
It will only take a minute or two for you to leave your comments in the section below.
Just remember, all comments are moderated. That just means that I personally read each and everyone before they are approved for viewing on our family friendly website. Thank you in advance for sharing.
Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter:
While you’re here, be sure to sign up for our totally FREE NEWSLETTER. I’ll send you an Email every once in awhile to remind you when I post a new recipe, or when anything else of importance is going on around Taste of Southern. It’s totally free, and super easy to sign up. And, should you ever decide that you are no longer interested, it’s even quicker to unsubscribe. How cool is that? I’ll be looking forward to seeing you add your name to our list. The signup box is below and you’ll also find one in the top right hand corner of each page. I hope you’ll do it today.
Be Blessed!!!
Steve
..
You might also like: How To Render Bacon Fat
Category: Main Dishes, Pasta
I always made my Mac and tomatoes with canned tomatoes this the first time I made them with fresh tomatoes it was delicious.. thanks for sharing this recipe…loved it❤️
Yes yes yes! But, my grandmother always used enlarge elbow macaroni…also made this with rice! Memories❣️
★★★★★
Hi Paula, I’m happy we could bring back a few good memories for you with our Macaroni and Tomatoes Recipe. I bet what your Grandmother made was delicious. I do appreciate your visit, and I hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
When I had 3 teenagers (and their friends) camped out in my home during summer school breaks, macaroni and tomatoes was my go to! A box of macaroni was under a dollar, a 28 ounce can of tomatoes was around $1.00, a knob of good butter and some salt,pepper, and sugar, and presto- a huge pot of hot, delicious food! Now they are grown and gone, but this is still a comfort food to me. How lovely to see it appreciated here.
★★★★
Hi Camilla, Thank you for sharing your memories of Macaroni and Tomatoes with us. It’s an old favorite for me as well. I’m glad you liked seeing it. Thank you for taking the time to share your comments and for your visit. I do hope you’ll visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve,
I’ve never macaroni with fresh tomatoes before. When I was a child, one of the dishes my mom would make from her childhood was macaroni and tomato juice, which was served with thick slices of fried bologna. The tomato juice was heated in the pan after the bologna was fried.
I still make it every once in a while.
Hi Roxanne, I hope you’ll give our recipe a try. Please let me know how you like it if you do. I’m sure your mom’s version was delicious as well. Got to love a thick slice of bologna on some white bread… with Duke’s Mayo of course. Smile. Thank you for sharing your comments with us today, I appreciate your visit and hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Looks yummy! How about the recipe for those hoe cakes? Love your recipes, thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Betty, Thank you for the compliments. I greatly appreciate it. I guess I need to do a whole new post for the hoe cakes. But, until then, check out my Collard Sandwich Recipe. It’s basically how to make the hoe cakes and has a complete step-by-step. Thanks for asking, and thank you for stopping by today. I do hope you’ll visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Sounds great! I have lots of tomatoes so this will be a good recipe to try this week. The hoecakes look great too. Think I’ll see if you have a recipe on your website for them. I have been craving them recently. I know we ate these very often as children but called them fried cornbread. I seem to remember my Grandma using bread dough and making pieces bigger than biscuits and either baking or frying them and we called them hoecakes. We would put syrup on them sometimes. Did you ever have anything like that. I live in VA so a lot of your recipes are things we ate also so I thought I would ask. Thanks for all your recipes and stories!
Hi Sandra, I do have a recipe that shows how to make the hoe cakes. I made them for my Collard Sandwich Recipe post. Guess I need to do one just on hoe cakes so it will be easy to find. The type of bread in the main picture is what I’ve always known to be hoe cakes. Some folks call them corn pones or cornpones. Just depends on who you ask I think. My mom did make a dough that she would put in a skillet or frying pan. I was like a large biscuit and we would break it apart as opposed to individual biscuits. Karo Syrup or Molasses were used to add a little sweetness to the bread. Virginia is a beautiful state and I’ve been over a large portion of it numerous times. Love the motto “Virginia is for Lovers” too. Smile. I hope you’ll put some of those tomatoes to good use and give our recipe a try. It’s simple and tasty. I hope you’ll like it. As always, I do appreciate your visits and hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I loved this dish growing up! My compliments to you. Hope to enjoy your newsletter soon.
Hi Vivian, Thank you. I look forward to having you as a subscriber. Thank you for signing up. I do appreciate your visits and support. I hope you’ll stop by often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
LAMBERTS RESTAURANT ADDS a very minimal SMALL amount of DICED GREEN PEPPERS – THIS I KNOW BECAUSE I EAT IT EVERY WEEK. WHY IS THIS LEFT OUT OF RECIPES?
Hi Dianne, I guess it just depends on what you grew up with. I know we grew bell peppers in my younger years, but don’t recall that Mama added them to the Macaroni ans Tomatoes when she cooked them. It would be a great addition though. Thank you for sharing your comments with us. I’m glad you stopped by and I do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Macaroni and tomatoes were a favorite childhood dish my mom made, and I make it occasionally. I’ll have to make it again and add the bacon grease. Haven’t tried it that way. Thanks for the memory and recipe.
Hi Karen, I do hope you’ll give the bacon grease a try sometime. Please let me know if you do and how you like it. I’m glad I could bring back some memories of the dish for you. It’s my pleasure to share the recipe. Thank you for your visit and be sure to stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
My Mom used to make a dish something like this, but I have never duplicated it to this day. It was basically spaghetti, bacon, tomatoes, maybe green peppers, onions, some sugar and cheese. She made it on top of the stove and then baked it to melt the cheese on top and get it a bit brown around the edges (best part)
I have no idea of the amounts of any of the ingredients but it was sure good..
Ever heard of it?
Hi Judi, Sounds like just a basic baked spaghetti type of recipe. My mom never baked hers but I’ve had it many times and it is another favorite as well. Isn’t it frustrating when you can’t figure one of your moms dishes out? Smile. I keep trying to replicate my moms spaghetti. We probably had it once a week, but I never gave any thought to how she made it, I just enjoyed it when it went on the table. Thanks for your visit today. I do appreciate you stopping by and hopefully you can figure out your moms spaghetti dish as well. Be sure to visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Macaroni and tomatoes – never have and never will. My Brady Bunch crush was Peter. HAHA
Hi Elizabeth. Okay, so which part don’t you like, the macaroni or the tomatoes? Both? Can’t imagine it being so bad that you’d never be willing to try it. Smile. Thanks for subscribing to our Newsletter. Glad to meet another Brady Bunch fan. Did you have pictures of Peter hanging on your wall? Those were the days weren’t they? I do appreciate your fair and honest comment regarding our recipe. Saying you never will is better than saying you tried it and you didn’t like it I guess. Maybe you can find another one of our recipes that you might like better. Smile. I do appreciate your visit today and I trust you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Good Monday to you! That plate of mac & tomatoes looks divine. I have eaten many a bowl with the fried corn bread on the side. That is a complete meal, ha ha. I have 2 great big ripe tomatoes on the table and I know what is going to happen next. Let us know about your Mom’s spaghetti recipe and if meat grease is the special ingredient!. Have a beautiful and blessed week.
Greetings from coastal Brunswick County.
Hi Carolyn, Did you grow those tomatoes or buy them from the Brunswick Berries produce stand? I do hope you’re keeping everyone around the coast in line. Smile. Doesn’t look like I’ll make it back by there before they close down for the season this year. Maybe next year though. I promise to share the spaghetti recipe if I ever get it figured out. It was so simple, but I just can’t make it happen it seems. Smile. Thank you for your visit today. Next time you get down to the ocean, be sure to take a deep breath for me. I do hope you’ll drop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve. I hope you are having a good morning. Thanks for this recipe. I always use home canned tomatoes. I’m actually canning as I type! I never thought about using bacon grease. I always use vegetable oil. I’m going to start making it your way. I’m sure it’s much better! Thanks again. Have a great day!
Hi Marianne, Aren’t you the smart one, canning tomatoes and typing at the same time. I can’t do that. Smile. You’ve really got to try adding some bacon grease. I think you’ll enjoy it. Hope all those jars “ping” for you. Keep up the great work. I do appreciate your comments and your visit today. Be sure to drop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Happy Monday morning. Mother-in-law always made this but dotted it with butter on top and added grated sharp cheddar cheese. Everyone I’ve served it to loved it.
Hi Annette, The butter and cheese sound great. I can see why everyone would like it. Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have to try that soon. I do appreciate your comments and your visit today. I hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
How about recipe for home cakes
Hi Jim, If you’re looking for the hoe cakes, check out my Collard Sandwich Recipe. It’s pretty much all about making the hoe cakes. I hope you’ll give them a try as well. Thanks for asking and thanks for your visit today. I trust you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Add bacon and grease to it and serve on hot butter toast.Recipe from 85 years ago.
★★★★★