Ground Beef and Elbow Macaroni Dinner American Goulash
My mom would make this easy ground beef dinner a few times a month for us. Back when I was a kid, we just called ground beef plain old hamburger meat. Now you can get 80% Lean, 85% Lean, 90% Lean, Ground Chicken, Ground Turkey, or Turkeyburger. Use whatever you like. I use whatever's on sale, as my husband and since I've switched to the Mediterranean Diet for healthy eating, we now use Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken.
Of course, everything homemade tastes better, because you can control the ingredients and seasonings. I won't use the box mixes similar to Goulash (or sometimes called American Chop Suey). It's just too easy to make your own.
To make supper come together even faster, I prepare Freezer Meal packets of ground beef ahead, that already have diced tomatoes and onions in it. I freeze in quart bags, about 2 cups each.
You might want to try my frugal casserole or skillet recipes for
Beef and Cabbage Casserole (Deconstructed Polish Golumpki)
Easy cleanup with Handmade Kitchen Dish Cloths from Moomettes Crochet !
I like to make a big batch in my skillet that was part of my Cuisinart Pots and Pans Set and then freeze some in my Food Saver Vaccum sealer for when I'm short on time.
American Goulash Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Oregano, to taste
28 ounces diced tomatoes
15 ounces tomato sauce
1 lb elbow macaroni or 1 lb medium pasta shells
1 cup cheddar cheese or 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Brown ground beef, onion and pepper in a large skillet
Season with garlic salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Simmer 10 minutes while macaroni is cooking.
Boil macaroni al dente, drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Then rinse.
Return macaroni to pot, add beef mixture along with the reserved pasta water.
Serve in dinner bowls with shredded cheese.
Goulash is even better left over and reheated (add a little tomato juice when reheating, if too dry).
