How to Boil Water: Classic Goulash

When was the last time I did one of these? No idea. But hey, did you guys enjoy the peach tart (from EDF)? It was pretty good. I was pleased. But we aren't here to talk about that. We're here to talk about goulash. Wouldn't peg me as a goulash girl? Me either but there is another member of this household who requested goulash. I asked him what he wanted to eat and his answer: "I like goulash." So after going through every cookbook I have, I didn't find a goulash recipe anywhere. So in comes the beauty of the internet. You can find just about anything on the internet things days. And I'm pleased to say that I found a goulash recipe that I hoped would please my meat-deprived husband.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, or to taste
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, cook and stir the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown, about 10 minutes. Skim off excess fat, and stir in the onions and garlic. Cook and stir in the meat mixture until the onions are translucent, about 10 more minutes.

Stir in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and seasoned salt, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the macaroni, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and serve.

So how was our experimental goulash from a recipe I found online. It was delicious. And that really is saying something coming from me. I thought it was delicious. I was pleasantly surprised. I made this meal because the hubs asked for it and was fully not expecting to like it. See how little I know! I actually really liked it. I got lucky finding a good goulash recipe right off the bat. For our awesome lasagna recipe it took us at least three different recipes before we found the right one. So if you're looking for a really good goulash recipe - definitely try this one. It was very good!

Tonight was definitely a family meal. Even Stella decided to join us - although I'm pretty sure she was just angling for some milk (which she got a little of), but she sat there as close as we would let her (at one point she tried to actually jump in my lap) while we had dinner. She's such a family cat - and so stinkin' cute!