Description
One of my all-time favorite comfort food meals growing up was the beef goulash they served in my school cafeteria alongside a slice of buttered white bread and a carton of milk. Little did I know that it wasn’t really goulash, but an Americanized version, invented to stretch a small amount of beef into enough food for a not-so-small family. This is one of those very simple dishes that does not taste simple–perfect for your weeknight dinner rotation.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese (Optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and ground beef. Cook
- breaking the meat into small pieces
- until browned
- about 5 minutes. Cook and stir until liquid is evaporated
- 3 to 5 minutes more. Add garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- cayenne
- paprika
- Italian seasoning
- and bay leaves.
- Cook and stir until flavors come together
- about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth
- diced tomatoes
- and marinara sauce. Rinse out the jar with 1 cup water and pour into the pot. Add soy sauce
- stir
- and bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer to let flavors intensify
- about 30 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a simmer. Add macaroni; simmer
- stirring occasionally
- until just barely tender
- about 12 minutes. Check for doneness after 10 minutes.
- Remove goulash from heat. Discard bay leaves; stir in parsley and Cheddar cheese. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Taste and season as desired.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 12