I’m a sucker for a one pot meal. Nothing describes that more than goulash.

When I was growing up this was a staple on our home table. Made out of ground beef, simple garden ingredients, and macaroni noodles – a large stew pot could feed twelve people for a few dollars.

I don’t know the exact recipe that mom made growing up but I made a few additions that she probably didn’t include. Like “chicken seasoning” and “chicken base”. The former is a house seasoning that I keep around for quick additions to recipes and I’ll include the recipe in a link here. The latter is bullion paste that you buy at the grocery store. Skip the powdered or cubed variety – they are too salty and have too little flavor.

I call the “Central Texas Goulash” because it is quite a bit different than the Wikipedia-version which is a Hungarian dish and contains paprika. No doubt that is the origin of the recipe here in the hill country – but my tastes more like home. And that’s why I make recipes like this.

2 lbs ground beef

2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 15 oz. cans of tomatoes, chopped

2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce

1 1/2 TBS Chicken Seasoning (see link above)

1 TBS chicken base (see note above)

3 TBS soy sauce

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 to 3 TBS Italian or Greek Seasoning blend

2 bay leaves

2 cups elbow macaroni noodles

Brown the ground beef and then completely drain off the excess grease and reserve the meat. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until soft. Add the remaining ingredients except the macaroni noodles and simmer covered gently for 30 minutes stirring frequently.

Stir the mixture well and add in the macaroni noodles and return the lid and simmer for another 30 minutes. Watch closely during the last 10 minutes in case the mixture starts to stick. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and allow to sit for 45 minutes. It will improve by standing.

##goulash #macaroni #noodles #chickenbase