Goulash: My Favorite Unexpected Company Dish

Goulash has been around since I was a kid and probably long before that. My mother had her own rendition of goulash and from what I learned from her, I have developed my own.

In making this goulash, there are no real set measurements, or even list of ingredients. It can be changed to suit your own personal preferences. Here I will give you the ingredients that I use and it's been a favorite of family and friends. Even with the use of Chili Powder and chopped chilies, this is not a spicy hot dish, or you can make it spicy hot if you wish.

First of all, the shopping list. You can buy these at any time and stock them. Even the hamburger.

1 - 2 lbs. ground beef, fairly lean
Onions
Small Shell Macaroni, large bag, or 2 small bags
Chili powder
Cumin
Fresh Cilantro
2 lg cans Crushed tomatoes
or 4 - 6 cans Stewed Tomatoes
2 cans Tomato sauce, get the small ones
Green Bell Peppers 1 or 2
Ortega Chopped Green Chilies 1 - 2 small cans

Tip: If you are prone to having "drop-in" unexpected company very often, brown your ground beef, breaking it up as much as you can, with chopped onions and chopped green pepper. Put it in a freezer bag, making in as airtight as possible, and flatten the package. It will thaw quicker.

Start with a very large pan, like a Dutch Oven, or even a spaghetti pot or stew pot. Get your water boiling for the macaroni. Put about 1 TBS salt and some cooking oil in the water before adding macaroni. Cook the macaroni until JUST done. Drain, rinse and return to the pan. Make sure burner is turned OFF.

Note: Some people can't eat or don't like green pepper (Bell pepper). You can just use the Ortega chilies with out the Bell Pepper. Or neither one. This recipe is very flexible.

Chop your green peppers, onions and brown with the ground beef. I use a pretty deep fry pan for this. Add chili powder, about 1 TBS, salt, pepper, cumin, maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp. Stir in well so spices get distributed fairly evenly.

Start adding your canned tomatoes to the macaroni, saving the tomato sauce for later. Then mix in your ground meat mixture. Turn heat on low-medium low. Make sure everything is well mixed and let it cook over very low temperature for about 15-20 minutes, stirring often to make sure it doesn't stick or burn. Add enough of the tomato sauce to keep the sauce very moist, but not soupy.

Serve in a large bowl with either sprigs of Cilantro, or rough chop it and sprinkle over the top. Grated cheese is another good topper. Use your imagination. Serve with a salad and garlic French bread and your all set.

If for some reason you don't have all the ingredients mentioned above, it really doesn't matter. This is a very versatile recipe and you can change just about everything in it you want.

Some substitutions could be: ground turkey, chicken, pork, mushrooms, cheese, olives, Italian seasonings, and more. Be creative.

Feeding an army or just a few, this is great to have around. Divide it up and freeze it. Put some in microwave safe containers and take to work for lunches. Only takes about 2 minutes to heat, more if frozen.