Dump canned diced tomatoes over raw pork belly strips, combined with 3 ingredients, into slow cooker for a hearty meal that's my default when I don't know what to make.

This simple slow cooker Hoover stew is the kind of thing folks threw together during the Depression with whatever they had on hand. It’s my default when I don’t know what to make: I just lay raw pork belly strips in the slow cooker, dump canned diced tomatoes over the top, add three more pantry ingredients, and let it putter away all afternoon. The pork belly slowly softens and flavors the tomatoes and pasta, turning a handful of humble ingredients into a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs bowl that feels like something my grandparents might have eaten on a lean week.

Serve this Hoover-style stew in wide bowls with a sprinkle of black pepper on top. It’s plenty filling on its own, but a slice of buttered white bread or cornbread on the side feels right at home with these old-fashioned flavors. A simple green salad or some steamed frozen vegetables will round out the plate if you want a bit of color. Leftovers reheat nicely, so it’s also a good candidate for packing into a thermos for lunch the next day.

Servings: 4

1 pound raw pork belly strips

Lay the raw pork belly strips in a single layer on the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. They don’t have to be perfect, just spread out so they’re not all stacked in one tight pile.

Open the cans of diced tomatoes and pour them, juices and all, directly over the pork belly strips in the slow cooker. This is the heart of the recipe: just dump the tomatoes right over the meat so everything can cook together.

Pour in the chicken broth around and over the pork belly and tomatoes. Sprinkle the salt over the top. Give the mixture a gentle stir, trying not to disturb the pork belly too much so it stays mostly on the bottom.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or on HIGH for about 3 hours, until the pork belly is tender and the broth and tomatoes smell rich and savory.

Stir the stew, breaking the pork belly into bite-size pieces with a spoon or fork. Skim off some of the excess fat from the surface with a spoon if you like a lighter broth, or leave it for extra richness.

Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to the slow cooker and stir it into the hot tomato and pork mixture, making sure the pasta is mostly submerged in liquid so it cooks evenly.

Cover again and cook on HIGH for 20–30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the pasta is just tender. If the stew looks too thick for your liking, stir in a bit more hot water or broth to loosen it.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt if needed. Ladle the stew into bowls while hot and serve right away, making sure each bowl gets a good mix of pork belly, tomatoes, pasta, and broth.

If you’d like to stretch this stew a bit further, you can add a can of drained beans (such as kidney or navy beans) along with the tomatoes, or toss in a cup of frozen mixed vegetables when you add the pasta. For a little extra flavor without complicating things, stir in 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning or a pinch of red pepper flakes with the salt. You can also swap the elbow macaroni for any other small pasta shape you have on hand, or even broken spaghetti. If pork belly is too rich for your taste or hard to find, you can substitute thick-cut bacon or diced ham, though the texture will be different. For food safety, always start with fully thawed pork belly, not frozen; keep the slow cooker covered while cooking; and be sure the stew reaches a safe temperature (the pork should be well-cooked and tender, with the liquid bubbling around the edges). Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow containers, and reheat until steaming hot before eating. If the stew thickens in the fridge, just stir in a splash of water or broth when reheating.