Macaroni Saute

This macaroni sauté is a clever microwave method that skips boiling water entirely. The dry pasta gets toasted in oil with onion, green pepper, and garlic until it turns slightly yellow, then cooks directly in tomato juice until tender. Everything happens in one casserole dish.

Toasting the dry macaroni in oil before adding liquid is a technique borrowed from stovetop pilaf-style rice cooking. It adds a nutty, slightly toasted flavor to the pasta and helps the noodles hold their shape instead of turning mushy in the tomato juice.

The Worcestershire sauce stirred into the tomato juice gives the dish a savory, umami depth that tomato juice alone doesn’t have. Between the garlic, onion, bell pepper, and Worcestershire, you get a lot of flavor from very simple pantry ingredients.

Kitchen Tips

• Stir the macaroni occasionally during the toasting step. Microwaves heat unevenly, and some spots will brown faster than others.
• Use a heat-resistant, non-metallic casserole as the recipe directs. Metal in a microwave is obviously a problem, but ceramic and glass also hold heat well for even cooking.
• Check the macaroni a couple minutes before the suggested 13 minutes. Microwave wattages vary, and overdone macaroni in tomato juice turns to paste.
• Let it rest for a minute or two after cooking. The pasta continues to absorb liquid and the temperature evens out.

Variations

• Stir in shredded cheddar cheese after cooking for a tomato-mac-and-cheese version.
• Add cooked ground beef or Italian sausage for a heartier one-dish meal.
• Toss in a handful of sliced olives or capers for a Mediterranean spin.