Good ol’ goulash
I love goulash. Growing up, I was always happy to see it on the dinner table. Later, as a grown-up, I loved going to my folks’ house and seeing leftover goulash in the fridge – and eating it! But I realised that I’ve never actually made it myself. I guess it was one of those meals that were never prepared when it was my turn to help in the kitchen.
So, when I decided I wanted to make a goulash, I had to stop and think about what was in it. I knew it was simple but wondered if I could replicate it.
I don’t know if I used all the same stuff my folks use, but it seemed to taste like theirs so I’m calling it a success.
Just Goulash
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 4 (or so) cups cooked macaroni pasta
- ½ chopped onion
- Chopped garlic
- Oregano
- Fresh ground pepper
Whilst the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef then add garlic and onions to sauté. Add the tomatoes (do not drain), oregano, and pepper to the meat and heat through. Add cooked and drained pasta to the pan and mix. Serve and enjoy!
The entire thing cost about £4 to make and provided tonight’s dinner plus three portions for the freezer. So, £1 per serving. Unless you include the glass of wine I had with it, which was from a £5 bottle (actually, an £8 bottle that was on an incredible sale!). Figuring four meals per bottle of wine (I’m a lightweight!) means £1.25 per glass, bringing the total cost for tonight’s dinner up to £2.25. That’s pretty good, especially when I think about the limited food budget I have at the moment.
Of course, the best thing about budget meals at home is that when I go out to dinner (like I’ll do tomorrow) I don’t feel guilty! (Yay!)
Good job! I’ve actually never used the oregano before, but I’ll be trying in next time. We add celery and a bit of green pepper sometimes if we have them in the fridge. I also like to sneak in a small can of V8 juice and a dash of Lea&Perrins!!
Celery! I knew there was something else you put in. But I’m actually not a big fan of cooked celery, so that’s OK. I do like the idea of some V8. Maybe I’ll try that next time.
YUM! With a slice of bread and butter to soak up all the extra juices, too!
Oh yeah! I forgot we used to do that. I’ll have to remember that when I re-heat a portion from the freezer. I even had some nice whole wheat rolls that would have worked nicely. Next time …
And the V8 made sure there were plenty of juices!!
When I was a kid, I thought goulash was just a word for throwing a bunch of random things in a pot. That’s what Maile and Keno and I did on summer days when are parents were working and we wanted to entertain ourselves. We found all kinds of yummy stuff, including bacon and mac and cheese to add to our “goulash”. I will have to try the real thing now. It looks super yummy!
Reading the WikiPedia entry on goulash (yes, I researched on Wiki before writing this story!), I learned that there are parts of the states (especially in the south) where goulash is throwing leftovers together. So, you’re not wrong!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash
Our version growing up had a little (usually left over) spaghetti sauce, so it was just the name given to spaghetti with mac noodles instead of spaghetti noodles!