AMERICAN CHOP SUEY

A meaty tomato sauce with pasta

American Chop Suey, our very own classic

If there is a classic American dish I think this might be it. If you have a group of Americans in a room, no matter what the mix in demographics, my money is on a bet that most everyone in the room knows exactly what American chop suey is.

No two cooks’ American chop suey tastes the same even though most everyone is using essentially the same ingredients.

Do you have your own version ?

I was talking with a friend the other day (my oldest best friend Doreen) about getting ready to upload this American chop suey recipe. I thought that the recipe was probably a non-starter for her when she immediately said “Well, I add tomato soup to mine like my mother did.”

Doreen is not alone. Many people steer the conversation to how they make their version of American chop suey when I bring up this recipe.

Like lots of other dinner cooks, I had my own version of American chop suey. It got cast out the first time I made this recipe.

This is Ricky’s recipe, my cooking buddy and lifelong friend. Like so many of his recipes, this one is a lot easier than mine. And yes, it’s better tasting too.

This recipe might be better than yours too

As for Doreen, after some consideration she tried this recipe and loved it. Her husband prefers her mother’s hand me down recipe made with tomato soup so they alternate having one or the other when American chop suey is on the menu.

If you don’t have an American chop suey recipe of your own, you hit it rich. You will never need another one.

But even If you have your own recipe I would encourage you to give this a try. You too may abandon your old way of making American chop suey and adopt this recipe as your own.

It is that good and that easy.

The secret to success is time

The secret to this sauce is how long it simmers. It only takes a couple of minutes to get your ingredients ready and into the skillet and about 3 more minutes to get your ingredients ready to simmer. But to get this sauce right, it needs to simmer for a full 1 1/2 hours (=90 minutes) on the stove.

There is no substitute for the simmer time in this recipe. Less time and you have a more ordinary, same old, same old sauce.

With only a light sauté with the ground beef, the onion and pepper finish cooking in the tomato sauce. That gives this sauce an entirely different fresher taste than if you pre-cooked them in oil before adding the meat.

The long cooking time also tenderizes the ground meat so it falls apart. The tender meat becomes part of the sauce and helps to make it so thick and rich.

There is no short cut. This sauce needs time. It just is not the same without it. It’s the key to getting full flavor and richness.

Anyone can make this recipe, anyone

This recipe is a winner for beginners!

If you or someone you know is kitchen challenged this is a great beginner’s dinner. It’s just about foolproof if you follow along with the post, picture by picture.

One skillet is all you need to make this delicious, meaty, thick sauce and the only preparation needed is to chop a bell pepper and an onion.

You are at the stove for only a few minutes then the stove takes care of the rest for you. An occasional stir is all the sauce needs once it is simmering.

Here’s what YOU WILL NEED:

About ingredients

Pasta

The classic pasta for this recipe is elbows but any size or shape of pasta is fine. It’s all about the sauce!

Don’t cook any more than you need. If it looks like you will have a lot of extra sauce, it freezes well. Personally, the more sauce the better for my serving please. 😋

Herbs

We are using basil and oregano in this sauce. You can use 2 teaspoons of oregano or basil alone or 2 teaspoons of a mixed Italian herb seasoning instead.

I am using my homegrown dried oregano and dried basil. I dry them and rub to crush them by hand before I use them. There is a burst of aroma which is heavenly. They really pack some flavor.

Growing herbs is fun. You don’t need a plot of land, you can grow them in pots too. You can learn more about growing and using your own herbs in Cooking with Herb, Back Porch Herb Garden and It’s Drying Time Again.

About ground beef %

Do you know what it means when the label on ground meat shows a percentage on it?

When a butcher is “grinding” a ground meat they use lean meat and fat. They need to add the fat to add flavor, moistness and texture. The percentage on the label tells you how much of the meat in that package is lean meat. It follows then, that the rest of the grind is fat.

You can tell the difference in the percentage of lean meat to fat just by looking when it comes to red meats. Next time you are shopping for ground beef look at the difference in colors of ground beef depending on the percentage of lean beef. The more lean meat in the grind, the more red it is. As the percentage of fat increases, the color gets lighter. That makes perfect sense since beef fat is white(ish).

We have found that 85% ground beef is perfect for this recipe. The rendered fat from the ground beef is a major factor in the flavor and texture of this sauce. We have found that the 85% mix gives the best end result. But sometimes it can be hard to find or if found it can be overpriced.

If you can’t get 85% and you use an 80% or 75% ratio, the fat may not fully incorporate into the sauce, even after cooking for the full 1 1/2 hours. If you want to get rid of the excess fat rather than stir it in, you can spoon it from the sides of the skillet before adding it to the pasta. Personally I don’t mind that extra flavor.

You can cut down on the fat in the sauce by using 90% ground beef. The sauce is a little less rich but still very delicious.

This is WHAT TO DO:

It’s this easy

Chop

Chop the bell pepper and onion.

Get the meat and vegetables in the skillet

Do not add any oil to the skillet. You don’t need it unless you are using a 90% lean ground beef or a poultry ground meat. In that case you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Turn the stovetop to medium high heat.

In a 10 or 12 inch heavy bottomed skillet add the ground beef. Break it up into large chunks as you add it. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion at the same time.

You are not trying to cook the onions and pepper. You are just getting a head start on the meat to give you a little fat in the skillet.

Cook & stir

Cook on medium high heat until most of the pink is gone from the ground beef. It will only take about 3 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. As you are stirring break your large pieces of ground beef into smaller pieces with your spoon or spatula. The ground beef breaks apart much easier when it is cooking than it does when it is raw. DO NOT drain the fat that has rendered, it will incorporate as you stir during cooking. The fat is a major part of the flavor.

Add the the tomato and spices

When the ground beef still has a little pink, add the canned crushed tomato, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Note: When the meat is pink the onions and peppers will not be cooked. That’s just the way we want them.

Simmer

Mix the ingredients together and bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn the temperature down and simmer, covered for a full 90 minutes (1 ½ hours). If your skillet doesn’t have a cover that fits tightly, use aluminum foil to cover the top. Keep the skillet covered except to stir a few times during cooking.

As the sauce cooks you may notice that some fat has rendered and risen to the top and puddled around the edge of the skillet. When you stir, incorporate the rendered fat into the sauce. That is the key to what makes this sauce so irresistibly thick and rich.

Cook the pasta and mix the sauce in

Just before your sauce is finished cooking, cook your pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is fully cooked drain it and add it to the skillet. You may want to reserve some of the sauce in the skillet before adding the pasta so you can spoon it over the pasta when it is served. In either case, mix the sauce and pasta together gently until the sauce is fully incorporated. Then take it off the heat.

Serve