This is one of the first recipes I ever posted on my personal blog four years ago. At the time I posted it, it was one of Brianna’s favorite meals even at only 1 1/2. Four years later? It’s still one of her favorite meals, despite the fact that she won’t eat some of the ingredients when they appear in any other dish. And as an added bonus, it’s super quick (30 minutes tops from start to finish) and easy, so perfect for a weeknight. AND it’s not an expensive meal, and it’s easy to stretch and feed more people, by adding some of the cheaper ingredients (like another pack of ramen. I mean, nothing is cheaper than ramen!) Best of all? It actually tastes good!

As is often the case with me, this recipe first appeared on All Recipes, but I adapted it for my own use. Link is to original recipe.
Ground Beef Curly Noodles

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Servings: 6 (this would feed four people)

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 pound ground beef
* 2 (3 ounce) packages Beef flavored ramen noodles
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can Del Monte petite diced tomatoes (Petite diced are much smaller than any other canned tomatoes and easier to get into your kids because of their small size)
* 1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain off grease.
2. Stir in the flavor packet from the noodles, tomatoes, and corn (with their juices). Break up the noodles slightly, and add them to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until noodles are tender. Stir occasionally to break up any clumps of noodles.

Notes:
**I specified Del Monte diced tomatoes because they have better flavor than Hunts (no really, they do). You could use any flavor of diced tomatoes but I do rec that you use petite.

**I used 2 packages of Ramen, Beef flavor (instead of one package of Ramen, Oriental). If you’re cooking for less people, just use one package. I liked the Beef flavor quite a bit.

**Josh put salsa on top of his and thought it really kicked up the taste, so you could try this too!

Both Josh and Brianna ate it and liked it. Our test of likeability is if Brianna says “mmmm” and Josh says he’d take it as leftovers for lunch.

This is an easy meal that costs well under $10, depending on how much you buy your beef for. Here’s a breakdown of what it cost me, since I coupon shop:

beef: 1.89/pound
corn: .35 a can (Green Giant corn)
tomatoes: .40 a can (Del Monte Garlic and Onion)
Ramen: .15/package

Total for dinner at my house, with enough leftovers for lunch for all three of us: approximately $2.94