Midwestern Goulash

Midwestern Goulash?

The truth is, I hesitate to call it goulash because the recipe my family has made my entire life looks nothing like other goulash recipes I've read online and in cookbooks.  But, we call it goulash.  So what else am I supposed to call it?

I don't know for sure where this recipe originated, either.  I don't remember either of my grandmothers making it.  Come to think of it, I don't remember either of my grandmothers COOKING.  Except for the corned beef and cabbage or ham hocks and beans my Irish grandmother made with much regularity.  Of one thing I'm sure, it's origins do lie somewhere in the midwest between South Dakota and Illinois, in the many places my mother lived while growing up.  By the time I came along, this dish was well established in my family's rather odd culinary history.


MIDWESTERN GOULASH

Ingredients

• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1 lb ground beef (I like to use extra lean 92/8)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 - 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 - 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Prepare macaroni according to directions.  (I start boiling the water for the macaroni, then assemble my ingredients to make the sauce.  My goal is for the macaroni to finish shortly after the sauce is ready.)
2. Spread the ground beef out on a large plate and sprinkle with the paprika.  (You can also add salt to taste at this point.)
3. Brown the spiced ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onions and garlic, lower heat to medium and continue to cook until they are soft.
4. Stir the can of tomato paste into the ground beef mixture, cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Stir until tomatoes and sauce are well mixed in the ground beef.  Simmer until macaroni is ready.
5. Add macaroni to the skillet and carefully (this spills easy!) incorporate that macaroni into the sauce. Cover and cook over low heat for ten minutes.

This is how my kiddos and I make it today.  I know that my mom added ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, but somewhere along the line we stopped doing that at my house.  We also serve this topped with shredded cheddar cheese, which would never have happened at my mom's table. Maybe because cheese was too expensive?

ENJOY!


Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living is hosting a weekly Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

 

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