The other day when I was visiting with my daughter she said that she and her husband had made goulash for dinner. Wow! We often had it for dinner when I was growing up but I hadn’t thought of goulash for a long time.
I got out Grandmother Carr’s Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook to check for a recipe. It had a recipe for Hungarian Goulash, which seems to be just like American Goulash, except it had a tablespoon of paprika added.
My daughter had given us a variety of paprika spices from Hungary, ranging from sweet to spicy, so I used a mixture of these for this recipe. Regular paprika will also work. If you are not a paprika fan, you can just leave it out.
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown the meat until it is about half-cooked. Meanwhile, chop the onion and mince the garlic.
Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper to the ground beef and cook until the meat is cooked and the onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and paprika, if using. Stir. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste, and add more salt, pepper or paprika, if needed.
Add the uncooked macaroni, stir well, cover with the lid and simmer for about 12-18 minutes. Do not overcook or the macaroni will start falling apart.
Turn off the heat, add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. You can add 3/4 cup of the cheese to the goulash mixture and reserve 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top.
A traditional family meal – topped with cheese ! Enjoy!
Hungarian Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika, mixture of hot and sweet, optional* (can use regular paprika)
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring often, until it is almost cooked through.
- Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and saute until the meat is cooked and the onion is softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and paprika, if using. Stir, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes.
- Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to the skillet, stir well, cover with the lid, and simmer for about 12-18 minutes, or until the macaroni is tender.
- Just before serving, toss in the cheddar cheese and stir. Place lid back on until melted. You can also stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese and sprinkle remaining cheese on top when serving.
