The Old Fashioned Goulash is warm, savory, and full of layers of soothing delight, tenderized ground meat, delicately seasoned tomatoes, and gooey goodness, making it a one-pot meal the whole family will enjoy. This recipe takes comfort food to new heights with a combination of Italian and adobo flavors, elbow macaroni, and a delicious layer of melted cheeses.
Why You’ll Love This Old-Fashioned Goulash:
Family-friendly: This cheesy, savory pasta meal appeals to both children and adults.
Budget-Friendly: With simple ingredients like ground pork, spaghetti, and tomato sauce, it’s a low-cost dish that goes a long way.
Comfort in a Bowl: The tastes combine in a way that is warm, filling, and deeply gratifying.
It’s a one-pot marvel, so cleaning is a breeze!
Key Ingredients:
Ground Meat: For a more classic flavor, use ground beef, or go lighter with turkey.
Italian seasoning includes basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary, which gives an aromatic, herbaceous taste.
Adobo Seasoning imparts a mild, smoky, and somewhat sour flavor. If you don’t have adobo seasoning, try combining garlic powder, oregano, and a touch of cumin.
Cheese: The blend of mozzarella and cheddar provides smoothness and a hint of sharpness. Feel free to make changes based on your preferences or what you have available.
Instructions
Step 1: Cook the Ground Meat
Heat a wide skillet or pan over medium-high heat. It is warm enough when the ground beef or turkey is put in the pan. The meat will begin to brown, and this is when you need to break it into very small and equal-sized pieces with a spatula. This ensures that the whole meat browns evenly and mostly leads to a perfectly textured dish.
Take the meat off the skillet midway before it is overdone. That way your meats are done but now so is the rest of the liqueur.
Step 2: Sauté the Vegetables
If the meat has not rendered much fat, put in some olive oil to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to medium and start with the minced garlic and the diced yellow onion. Stir for around 5 minutes and occasionally until they are cooked.
While the onions get soft and translucence and develop more aroma through the garlic, bring out the depth and richness of flavor in the goulash. This is key for achieving a really rich-tasting foundation for your goulash.
Step 3: Combine the Ingredients
Return the partially cooked ground meat to the pan after having dunked the garlic and onion. Make sure this mixture is well stirred together, including the meat, onions, and garlic.
And finally, the water, beef broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes should be included in that order. These specific components are essential as they create the benchmark sauce that, in effect, makes the comfort and taste of goulash so very comforting.
Step 4: Season the Goulash
This is where the magic of flavors occurs. Using a ladle, combine in the Italian seasoning, adobo seasoning, bay leaves, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Mix well to distribute the flavoring more evenly in the sauce.
Garlic and seasoning make for the best-tasting food, contributing to a wonderful blend of flavors that find their way into every bite. Do not overlook this step; it is specifically what creates the goulash’s herbally-rich, enriching flavor.
Step 5: Simmer the Combination
When the sauce is made, turn the heat down to medium and let the goulash simmer for 20 minutes. Make sure you occasionally stir the mixture to keep it from sticking.
This slow simmering helps bring everything together: the meat gets the tomato goodness into its self, and the spices get a place and time to let the taste sink deeper. Then, we have a vivid flavor of the sauce, a little watery but easily thick enough to hold all ingredients in this classy dish.
Step 6: Add the Elbow Macaroni
The elbow macaroni that has already been blended with the dry sauce should be dropped into the pan now. Once the mixture has been well stirred to infuse these macaroni pieces with the sauce, let this uncovered pot boil gently for a half-hour more.
Over the 30 minutes of milling in this mill of goulash, all macaroni suck up to their max the rich goulash sauce, making every bite of it as savory as it can be. You must maintain a careful watch and keep stirring the mix so that pasta does not stick together under the bottom.
Step 7: Finish with Cheddar Cheese
Discard the bay leaves later once the macaroni has softened and the flavorful juices have made their way into the dish.
Hand-stir in the cheese and combine until it melts completely into the goulash. This small step does wonders for the goulash because the creamy and somewhat tangy aspect adequately juxtaposes the powerful tomato flavors.
Step 8: Add a Mozzarella Topping
Before removing from the stove, you can finish with the sprinkled mozzarella cheese. Allow this to sit for about one or two minutes until the heat from the goulash can just partially melt the cheese, leaving behind the perfect gooey coating to turn every bite into a rollful of delight.
Step 9: Serve and Dig in!
Serve up this traditional goulash tonight! Serve this up hot and add an extra sprinkle a touch more shredded cheese if you’re feeling extra cheesy.
This truly comforting beef dish exudes rich goulash flavors, thick tomato-stained sauce, soft macaroni, and melted cheese. Serve this with a plate of garlic bread and a green salad, and you are now ready to enjoy a very gratifying meal, which suits any occasion!
Serving Suggestions:
This Old-Fashioned Goulash is a hefty supper on its own, but here are some ideas for topping it off:
Garlic Bread: Serve with a slice of buttery garlic bread to scoop up that delicious sauce.
Side Salad: A crisp, refreshing green salad with a simple vinaigrette complements the rich, tomato-based goulash.
Steamed Vegetables: To add more vegetables and color, serve with steamed green beans or broccoli.
Storage and Reheating Tips:
This goulash stores well, making it perfect for meal prep and leftovers.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: This dish freezes beautifully. Portion it out into freezer-safe containers for easy meals down the line. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave in 1-2 minute intervals, stirring in between, until warmed through. Or, reheat on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to loosen up the sauce.
Recipe Variations:
There are endless ways to make this goulash your own! Here are a few ideas to try:
Spicy Goulash: Add a dash of red pepper flakes or a diced jalapeño to the onion and garlic for a spicy kick.
Veggie-Packed Goulash: Add diced bell peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini to the onion and garlic mixture for added nutrients and flavor.
Cheesy Baked Goulash: Pour the cooked goulash into a baking dish, top with extra mozzarella, and broil for a few minutes until bubbly and golden.
Low-Carb Goulash: Swap out the pasta for cauliflower florets or zucchini noodles for a low-carb twist.
Herbed Goulash: For an extra burst of flavor, add fresh herbs like basil or parsley just before serving.
Conclusion:
This Old-Fashioned Goulash is the ultimate comfort food, and with only a few ingredients, it’s simple enough to add to your regular evening rotation. Warm, hearty, and topped with the proper amount of cheese, this dinner feels like a warm hug in a bowl. Don’t be afraid to try different variants to make it your own—whether you prefer it spicy, more cheesy, or veggie-loaded, there’s something for everyone.
Old Fashioned Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef or turkey
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2.5 cups water
- 0.5 cup beef broth
- 0.33 cup olive oil
- 2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp adobo seasoning
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp seasoned salt
- 0.5 tbsp black pepper
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 0.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook ground meat over medium-high heat until browned. Break it into small pieces, cooking halfway through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- If needed, add olive oil to the pan and heat over medium. Add minced garlic and diced onion, sautéing until the onions are translucent.
- Return the meat to the pan and stir in water, beef broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Mix well to create the base.
- Add Italian seasoning, adobo seasoning, bay leaves, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Stir to evenly distribute the seasonings.
- Lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop flavors.
- Stir in the elbow macaroni, ensuring it’s evenly mixed. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaves and stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and let it melt slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
