Holes

"Holes" is basically the American version of goulash. It's very simple, and actually not too difficult to make here in Japan. I usually end up using the mixed beef and pork ground meat, because it's less expensive than ground beef, and tastes better (in my opinion) than ground pork (or chicken), in this particular dish. My family calls it "holes" because of the holes in the macaroni.

Holes

I usually don't measure this when cooking, so think of these as guidelines. Adapt as you feel necessary. Basically using a package of macaroni (or shaped pasta) which may be about 300 grams and adding tomatoes and meat to that.

250 g ground meat
1/4 onion, chopped
1 can tomatoes (I used cut tomatoes, but whole tomatoes work well, just cut them with your cooking utensil in the pan)
300 grams uncooked pasta shapes (in the above picture I used a mix of shapes: twist, shell and wagon wheel--it's the cheapest at my local supermarket)
salt and pepper
processed cheese slices

Boil the pasta until almost done. It will absorb some of the liquid from the tomatoes so you don't want the pasta to become too mushy. The package (of the pasta I used) says it cooks in eight minutes, so I boil it for six. In a large pan, brown the meat with the onions; drain off fat. Add the tomatoes to the meat and allow it to warm through. Add the pasta and heat it over med-low heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper. I find that Japanese canned tomatoes don't have any salt, or very little salt compared to American canned tomatoes. I usually add more salt than I usually do to my cooking in this dish. Either cover the whole with slices of cheese, or add to individual servings, as desired.

Another easy-peasy meal!