• Choosing the Healthiest Foods for Your Family

    Welcome! I am a mom of a busy 8 year old and an adventurous 6 year old. I also happen to work for a great company called NuVal. NuVal is a nutritional scoring system that rates foods on a scale of 1-100, based on how nutritious they are. We are implementing NuVal in grocery stores around the country.

    NuVal may not be in your area yet. But I see the scores while they are "hot off the press" and because of that I am able to make better decisions about what to feed my family.

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    I am not a registered dietitian. I am just a mom who happens to work for NuVal. I am also an AFAA-certified Group Exercise Instructor. NuVal is a system designed to lead customers to the most nutritious food choices. It is not a diet or weight-loss plan. Before starting a diet, you should always consult your personal physician. The opinions expressed in this blog are the opinions of the writer and not the opinions of NuVal LLC.

American Chop Suey

Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 07:15 AM

What is the most common dinner made in America?  We’ve bantered this question around the offices at NuVal while working on presentations and tools for our Supermarket Retailer Partners.  While there are certainly regional differences, overall we’ve come to the consensus that Spaghetti Dinner is the most common, most typical or most popular meal served on dinner tables across the country.  Here in New England, the easiest, quickest form of Spaghetti Dinner is called American Chop Suey.

There are many different ways to prepare American Chop Suey, but this recipe from Family Fun Magazine  is very close to the way in which I make it.  I find that the oil is not necessary. 

For me, as a somewhat creative and very health-conscious cook, making American Chop Suey is like raising the white surrender flag.  It’s my last resort – when times really get tough.  I can make it very quickly, the kids love it and we get two nights out of it.  But healthy?  I can think of many other dinners that are healthier – that have more vegetables, that have less fat. 

However, by using NuVal scores as a guide, it is possible to make a much more nutritious American Chop Suey. 

Consider the Traditional American Chop Suey:

  • 1 onion (NuVal score of 93)
  • 1 pound ground beef, 70% lean (NuVal score of 24)
  • 1 box elbow macaroni (NuVal score of 57for Mueller’s or Ronzoni)
  • 1 jar of spaghetti sauce (NuVal score of 27 for Newman’s Own All Natural Marinara Pasta Sauce)

Now see how you can trade up for better nutrition.

Trade Up American Chop Suey:

  • 1 onion (NuVal score of 93)  Hey, an onion is an onion.  You can’t get any better than a 93!
  • 1 pound ground beef, 95% lean (NuVal score of 32)
  • 1 box of elbow macaroni (NuVal score of 91for Barilla Plus, Ronzoni Smart Taste, or Giant Eagle Whole Wheat)
  • 1 jar of spaghetti sauce (NuVal score of 91for Francesco Rinaldi No Salt Added Traditional Pasta Sauce)

I feel better knowing that my Throw in the Towel recipe is nutritious.

So, what’s my method for making American Chop Suey?  So easy:

  1. Get out a skillet and a large pot.
  2. Fill the large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
  3. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the skillet and add chopped onion and ground beef.  Break up the ground beef as it browns.
  4. Cook pasta according to package directions omitting oil and salt.  Drain
  5. While the pasta is cooking, go back to your skillet.  Drain the fat from the ground beef.  Add the jar of sauce and simmer.
  6. Combine the drained pasta with the sauce mixture (I do this in a big metal bowl).  Add grated cheese if desired.

Yum!

Question of the Day

Does anyone know where the name American Chop Suey originated?

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Posted by: Melissa 14 comments

Posted in: Dinner Recipes, Pasta

Tags: ,