Everyone loves a good classic recipe and that’s exactly what you’ll find with this goulash round-up! It happens to be one of R’s favorite food, so during the colder months here in Iowa we eat it frequently!
Variations on Goulash
I traveled to Australia in college and I got the privilege of staying in a lot of homes (host families) during my tour with the Castle Singers of Wartburg College. While staying in Canberra (their capital) I was placed in a home of German immigrants. They immigrated to Australia in the 60’s and still spoke German in their home. Their accents were so thick that it made it hard to understand some times. They were great people (even though our host-dad did think the answer for everything was a little “vhisky (whisky)”. Our second night with them our host-mom asked if we liked Goulash! A home cooked meal just like mom made sounded so good, but little did I know at that point in my life that not everyone made Goulash the same way. Imagine my surprise when we sat down for supper and I was served something similar to THIS over noodles! While it was good (hers had quite a bit of a spice) it definitely wasn’t “like mom makes it”! So, what better than a Goulash round-up with all these thoughts floating in my head?
My Recipe
Here is the recipe that I’ve adapted over the years from my mom. Adapted because my guys are picky and I have to cook to their liking’s or we’d eat frozen, boxed stuff all the time! Thankfully, they’ve widened their eating habits quite a bit over the years and enjoy this recipe!
- 2lbs ground beef
- 1/2 white onion, chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- One large tablespoon butter
- 1 large can (quart) diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 large can tomato juice
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- Two teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons beef soup base
- 1 box dry pasta
- Brown the ground beef and drain
- Melt the butter in a large pot and saute diced onion and garlic until brown
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, ground beef, and seasonings.
- Let simmer for at least 1 hour.
- Cook pasta according to the directions on the box and add to pot allowing to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Cooks Tips
- For browning my ground beef, I always use my Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker and Mix N Chop for speed and easy clean-up
- I always cook my pasta separately so it doesn’t absorb too much of the liquid and so it doesn’t get over cooked. We like Rotini the best as it seems to hold up in this dish and not get mush!
- If you want to make the variation that my mom did when I was little, you’ll add one can of pork and beans…trust me on this! The guys won’t eat it this way, but it’s still my favorite variation.
- Beware, this recipe makes a very large batch!
A couple other Iowa bloggers were kind enough to share their recipes for Goulash or goulash-like dishes for you to enjoy! Click on the picture to visit their website and get their recipe! But, I’m curious to know…how do you enjoy your Goulash?
Fun post and great recipe ideas! Thanks for all the great links.
Thank you!
Thank you for including my recipe! And didn’t know you went to Wartburg, I went to UNI!
Thank you for contributing! Yup! I was at Wartburg from 2000-2004.
So hungry for it!
It’s a good one! We have leftovers if you want some!!