Frank-Veggie Hot Pot

Time for some nice warm comfort food. (Well, we hope it’s comforting, at least…)

For 4 servings you will need:
1 lb turkey or beef frankfurters
1 can (10 1/2 oz) chicken broth plus water to equal 3 cups liquid
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup each sour cream and mayonnaise, optional
Chopped fresh parsley, chives or green pepper

Tips: You may use cooked, diced turkey or pork in place of the frankfurters, if desired or other shapes of pasta for the elbow macaroni. Whole wheat macaroni adds a nice flavor and color as well.

Preparation:

1. Cut frankfurters into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat to boiling chicken broth and water in heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add macaroni, basil, salt and black pepper. Return to boiling. Cook, uncovered, for 5 min.

3. Stir in frankfurters, vegetables and onion. Simmer 5 min. longer until macaroni is tender, vegetables are cooked and water is almost all absorbed.

4. Fold in sour cream and mayonnaise, if used. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, chives or green pepper before serving.

I’ve never actually used chicken stock for cooking pasta, although I have heard that it can add a lot of flavor to the noodles without much effort.

When the stock and basil boiled, all the basil flakes ended up being pushed off the surface of the water and smearing all over the sides of the pot. I made sure to scrape them back down after putting in the macaroni.

After the macaroni had boiled for five minutes, we dumped in the frankfurters and vegetables.

After another five minutes, there was still a whole lot of cooking liquid left in the pot.

Even after another five minutes, I ended up just draining off about a cup of liquid that the fully-cooked macaroni had failed to absorb. Then I had to skim the dried basil off the top of the excess liquid and mix it back in!

1/3 cup of mayonnaise (no sour cream) was enough to lightly coat the components of this dish.

A sprinkle of chives and parsley, and we’re ready to eat!

This was a little bland — there’s only so much you can do with basil, parsley, and chives — but actually came out really nicely. I was also pleasantly surprised that the whole wheat macaroni was indistinguishable from regular macaroni, so we’ll clearly be able to use that more often in future and sneak a bit of nutrition into their lives.

Oh, and the frankfurters were not really necessary — this makes an excellent macaroni salad without any hot dog chunks or other meat bits floating around. Serve them on the side or leave them out entirely, unless you need to convince your kids to eat delicious macaroni salad by putting hot dogs on top.

Found at Vintage Recipe Cards.

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