Those old “Company” dishes! The idea behind them was to be a course served when company was over. But guests or no guests, this is a tasty one to serve and save the leftovers for another day.

You’ll need:

1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. shortening or beef tallow (more if meat is lean)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 No. 300 can diced tomatoes (that’s ~15 oz.)
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. steak sauce (e.g. A1)
¼ cup diced pimientos, or finely chopped green pepper
5 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked
1 Picnic size can cream of mushroom soup (that’s 10½ oz.)
1 cup grated cheddar or American cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef in shortening until all red color disappears. If meat is high in fat, over 20%, drain off a portion of the fat so that meat is very juicy in appearance but not swimming in excess fat. Otherwise, do not drain.

Add onion, tomatoes, catsup, steak sauce, and pimientos or green pepper. Salt and pepper to taste; simmer for 30 minutes. Add the macaroni, cooked according to package directions.

Place in 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon the condensed mushroom soup into the mixture; mix gently but thoroughly, lifting from bottom; sprinkle grated cheese evenly on top. Cover with foil; bake in a moderate oven (that’s 350° F) for 30 minutes.

I used beef tallow (rendered fat that I strained and saved from previous large meat dishes) instead of shortening for superior, unaltered beef flavor. Saving and refrigerating things like rendered beef fat or bacon drippings for use in future recipes is a delicious (if not at all low-fat) old-school practice.

Enjoy! (But no elbows on the table, please!