Curried beef hash over pasta

Due to a change in circumstances I no longer have my large kitchen with loads of cupboard and fridge/freezer space. I am now living in a flat with a small postage stamp kitchen, minimal cupboards, and most disturbing a small fridge with a tiny icebox (big enough for a couple packs frozen veg). It is big enough to hold a few staples plus meat and veg for 2 or 3 days.

I also have to carry any groceries up 2 flights of stairs, so am restricted to what can fit in my shopping trolley to save my back. 

This has meant a change in my grocery shopping. Instead of doing a large shop once a week and stocking up on meat to go in the freezer I have to do a smaller shop every couple days.

This is a plan that works well under normal circumstances, but last week I became ill. Not the slight cold and sniffle kind of ill, but the shivering under 4 blankets with a temperature above 102f kind of ill. After sending my son down to the nearby kebab shop to get him and his brother chicken and chips two nights running I knew I needed to cook something healthy for all of us to eat.

But, after 3 days of not being up to shopping my options were very sparse. Looking in the fridge I had a pack of beef mince, 1 slice bacon, half a yellow bell pepper, and a pack of mixed carrots and peas.

A quick peak in the cupboard revealed no tins of chopped tomatoes, but I did have some tins of tomato soup.

This is the meal I came up with.

Curried beef hash

Cooking down curry beef hash

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 slice bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 250gm pack beef mince
• 1 200gm pack mixed vegetables, fresh or frozen
• 1 T tomato purée concentrate (tomato paste)
• 1 T curry powder
• 2 tins tomato soup
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tin water
• 3 cups cooked pasta

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot and add the bacon. Once browned add the chopped onion and pepper

   

   Chopped Yellow Bell Pepper

   and cook until softened. 
2. Add in the mince and cook until browned. 
3. Add the tomato purée and curry powder, stir constantly while cooking for a further minute. 
4. Add the mixed vegetables, tomato soup, and water.
5. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened and vegetables are cooked. About 20 minutes. 
6. Combine with the 3 cups cooked pasta. Season to taste. 

After initially turning their noses up, my boys practically inhaled this dish. Both had 2 large servings that night, compared to my small serving, and the leftovers disappeared the next afternoon. While this was kind of a desperation dish created out of necessity, all 3 of us are agreed that we should have this again.