Tomato Flavoured Hamburger and Macaroni

Ingredients

• 0.25 lb pork sausage
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1.75 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 0.5 onion
• 0.5 bell pepper
• oregano leaves
• paprika
• sage
• thyme
• marjoram
• rosemary leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves
• onion powder
• Frank's RedHot sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• Better than Bouillon
• 0.5 cup water
• black pepper

Method

Bloom the dried herbs and spices into the raw ground-meat|ground beef and pork before you touch heat. Mix paprika, sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano directly into the cold meat along with black pepper. This distributes the flavour evenly through the protein and allows the oil-soluble compounds in the herbs to begin infusing the fat before cooking even starts — you'll get a more integrated taste than seasoning after browning.

Dice the onion and bell pepper into roughly 1 cm pieces. Heat a large pot or deep frying pan over medium-high heat and sauté the aromatics|aromatics until the edges of the onion turn translucent and the pepper begins to soften, about 5–6 minutes. You're looking for a slight colour on the onion, not just wilted vegetables. Crush the garlic cloves and add them in the final minute — garlic burns quickly and turns bitter if left alone. Once fragrant, push everything to the side of the pot.

Increase the heat slightly and add the seasoned meat to the cleared space. Break it into small, even pieces with a wooden spoon as it browns. This takes about 8–10 minutes. You want the meat to develop colour and browning|fond on the pot bottom, not grey steamed meat. Once the meat is no longer pink and has taken on colour, fold it into the softened vegetables. Pour in the tomato sauce and the Better than Bouillon dissolved in 0.5 cup of water. Stir thoroughly to lift any stuck fond — that caramelised layer holds serious flavour. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for 5–7 minutes while you cook the pasta|macaroni.

Cook the macaroni separately to package instructions until al dente — it will continue to soften as it sits in the sauce. Drain it well but don't rinse. Add the hot macaroni directly to the pot and fold everything together, scraping right to the bottom to ensure even distribution of sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with Frank's RedHot, black pepper, and salt if needed. Stir through grated mozzarella if using. Serve immediately while the pasta is still hot and the cheese, if added, is melting through.