Beef Goulash! Yum!

Contributed by Barbra Moore , The Hive Overland Park

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This beef goulash recipe is a family favorite and one my mother made for us growing up and one I have made for my family.  It’s a great recipe to make any time of the year and can easily be halved, doubled or even tripled, depending on your crowd size. I have made it for Sunday night dinners, skiing vacations in Colorado, as a meal for families in need, Super Bowl watch parties and too many team sports dinners to count, and it never disappoints!

My mother's original recipe has almost no measurements to speak of, simply: ground beef, onion, green pepper, elbow macaroni, salt, crushed red pepper, basil, etc. When I made this recipe for the purpose of this blog, I had to take careful notes on how much of each ingredient I was using for your benefit.  But that’s the beauty of this recipe, you can easily tweak it to make it your own!  You can substitute the beef for ground turkey or add more or less seasonings to your taste. If you like a more meaty mixture you can add less macaroni noodles or vice versa if your family likes lots of noodles. Only have 1 pound of ground beef handy? No problem, just add less macaroni.  You can even substitute different shapes of pasta if you are out of macaroni.  I have used penne, fusilli, and rotini pasta in a pinch.  If my green pepper or onion is too large for my liking, I will just use half in my recipe. Don’t like green peppers? You can leave it out entirely and it’s still delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 lbs ground beef

1 yellow onion, diced

2 14oz cans tomato sauce

2 14oz cans diced tomatoes (I prefer petite diced tomatoes)

1 medium sized green bell pepper, diced

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked 

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp basil (or to taste)

1 Tbsp oregano (or to taste)

Dash of crushed red pepper (to taste)

Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil then add macaroni and cook until al dente.  Drain macaroni and set aside. (Chef’s tip: Add a couple of tsp of the tomato sauce to the noodles to keep from sticking)

2. Place oil in a large dutch oven or heavy stock pot and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. If onions are starting to brown, reduce heat a bit. Add green pepper and cook 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small-medium sized chunks with a wooden spoon, and cook until no pink remains, about 5-7 minutes. If a lot of liquid or fat remain in the stock pot, push your beef mixture to one side and scoop out most of the liquid with a spoon and discard.*

3. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper. (Don’t have basil and oregano?  Use Italian seasonings instead.) Stir to combine and return to simmer. 

4. Add the cooked macaroni. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with a pinch of parmesan cheese if you like, and enjoy!

Chef’s Note: You can make the beef mixture ahead of time and let simmer on low for about an hour, adding a splash of water if needed, stirring occasionally. Wait to add the macaroni noodles until you are about ready to serve, then cook on medium low until noodles are hot. I have also frozen my goulash, but the noodles will break up when reheating.  It’s still delicious, it just doesn’t look as pretty.  If you know you are going to freeze some now, then divide the meat mixture before adding the noodles and freeze. Then simply cook half the macaroni when needed. 

*When discarding fat, scoop into an empty can and let cool before discarding.  I have a can of fat in my freezer that I use for this purpose and when its full, I throw it away and get a new can. Do not pour hot grease down your drain as it can clog the pipes. 

This beef goulash is great served as a one dish meal for you and your family or you can serve with your favorite Italian salad and garlic toast. YUM!