Macaroni and Tomatoes is a Southern classic that combines tender elbow pasta with stewed tomatoes, seasoned with bacon grease or butter, and finished with a kiss of sugar, salt, and pepper. This budget friendly dish can be served as a delicious side dish or a simple, comfort meal.

A red Dutch oven filled with cooked elbow macaroni mixed with stewed tomatoes, sitting on a wooden countertop. A wooden spoon is in the pot, and a red and white checkered towel is draped nearby. A pepper grinder, a wooden container, and stacked white plates are in the background.

"Fantastic recipe! It's exactly like my Granny used to make."

★★★★★- Beth

Macaroni and tomatoes is a simple, budget friendly dish the whole family will love. More than likely, you have all of the ingredients on hand in the pantry. While the ingredients are very simple, it is loaded with rich, sweet, and savory flavor. Serve it as an easy meal with buttered homemade bread or pair it with your favorite entree.

Most people enjoy this old fashioned macaroni in the winter using canned tomatoes from their garden, because it is warm and comforting. However, I personally love it in the warm spring and summer months. It pairs wonderfully with cucumber salad, field peas, bacon pea salad, corn, okra, or watermelon salad for a meatless meal. It is also absolutely delicious in the summer time using garden fresh tomatoes. I hope you love it as much as we do. Enjoy ~Xoxo, Katie.

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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Steps
Watch how to make
Can you use fresh garden tomatoes?
How do you store leftovers?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

macaroni and tomato ingredients-stewed tomatoes, elbow macaroni, bacon grease, butter, sugar, salt, and pepper

Ingredient notes and substitutions

You will need the following ingredients to make this macaroni and tomatoes recipe.

elbow pasta- You can substitute with shells, rigatoni, or ziti.
stewed tomatoes- Stewed tomatoes are more sweet and flavorful than plain diced tomatoes. However, you can substitute with with canned diced or canned whole tomatoes. If you like a little heat, canned rotel with peppers are a tasty substitution.
bacon grease or butter- Bacon grease adds a rich and smokey flavor. If you are making fresh bacon grease for this dish, feel free to crumble the bacon and add it in. Use butter if you want a different flavor profile or do not have bacon grease on hand.
sugar-Sugar balances the acidity and enhances the flavor of the tomatoes with a touch of sweetness.
salt and pepper

*The full recipe with ingredient measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Steps

Follow these simple steps to make Southern macaroni and tomatoes.

Cook macaroni pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain the water from the pasta but do not rinse. Set aside.
In a large sauce pan or stock pot, melt bacon grease or butter on medium heat.
Add stewed tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. If you are cooking whole tomatoes, break the tomatoes into smaller pieces inside the pan to prevent loosing any of the tomato juice. ( I take a spoon or meat chopper to break them down while in the pot.)
Add the cooked elbow pasta. Bring the macaroni and tomatoes to a simmer and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the macaroni has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove from heat and serve.

Watch how to make

Can you use fresh garden tomatoes?

Fresh garden tomatoes are absolutely delicious in macaroni tomatoes. You will need to cook them into stewed tomatoes. To stew tomatoes, follow these directions:

Bring a large pot to a boil and blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes to an ice bath.
Peel tomatoes and discard the skin.
Cut tomatoes into desired size and add tomatoes with their juice into a large pot. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Cook at a simmer for 30 minutes.
They are now stewed tomatoes. Simply follow the macaroni and tomato recipe using these stewed tomatoes.

How do you store leftovers?

Store leftover macaroni in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, after 2 days, the pasta begins to soften and the sauce begins to become watery.

More simple Southern recipes

How did your tomatoes and macaroni turn out? Please leave me a comment below if you make this and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.

Also post a picture of your Southern pasta dish on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!

📖 Recipe