American Chop Suey Revamp

So there was a recipe from my childhood that I enjoyed that is known in some families as "American Chop Suey" and known in others as "Goulash." While the American Chop Suey served in my family was quite enjoyable when I was little, two things have happened that have ruined the original for me. #1 was just the broadening of my taste buds (original recipe called for browned hamburger meat, a can of tomato sauce, cooked macaroni and dried parsley). #2 was a nanny we had that couldn't cook to save her life and decided that browned hamburger and a can of tomato sauce could qualify for dinner (yes, that's right, no pasta needed, folks). So Gross! American Chop Suey in its original family format now reminds me of that dog-food concoction and I was determined to revamp it tonight to make it more palatable for grown ups and to wipe the negative connotation from my mind. Oddly enough, my changes ended up making American Chop Suey 2.0 into something that resembles this recipe on my blog. Either way, we enjoyed it and it was similar enough to remind me of childhood comfort food without being gross.

American Chop Suey 2.0

2 cups small shaped whole wheat pasta cooked to package directions & drained

2 tsp olive oil, divided

1/2 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 medium celery stalks, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh chopped basil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook all veggies in 1 tsp of oil in a large non-stick skillet. I recommend cooking celery & onion for a few minutes first and then adding the garlic & peppers. Remove from pan, add remaining tsp oil and saute turkey until no longer pink. Return veggie mixture to pan, top with canned tomatoes and crushed red pepper, stir well, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to combine. Top with fresh basil just before serving. Makes 4 large one dish servings.

Nutrition info for 1 serving: 199.3 Calories, Fat: 3.6g (.7 Sat, .4 Poly, 1.7 Mono), Carbs: 26.1g, Fiber: 3.8g