Goulash

I love goulash. But a good question would be...what is goulash? (and not the authentic Hungarian kind) Basically it's macaroni with tomato sauce and some veggies and ground beef. My mom used to make goulash a lot when we were kids, probably because it's dirt cheap to make a huge vaat of it and the four of us were complete pigs. And we loved it--so there's that. She never had a recipe for anything, she just dumped stuff together and it worked. So, I got some of that new baby ziti and I decided to make me some goulash.

I just dumped a bunch of stuff together and it worked out. Rob loved it--his comments were, "This is like Hamburger Helper on crack. And I mean that in a good way!" Which--PS I make hamburger helper maybe once a year when I get it for free on the Grocery Game and he loves it, which just solidifies the fact that he may not be the most reliable food critic because he will happily eat anything besides olives and couscous.

Anyway, this is super simple and feeds a crowd and the kids loved it. So--try it out if you're feeling adventurous in a midwestern kind-of way.

Goulash

1 lb macaroni or short cut pasta, cooked with plenty of bite left

1 lb ground beef, turkey or sausage

3 Tb italian seasoning

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

pinch of crushed red pepper

1 can tomato soup (10.5 oz)

1 can water (just fill up the soup can)

3 c. vegetable or tomato juice

1 Tb soy sauce

1 c. corn (defrosted frozen or canned)

seasoned salt & pepper to taste

4 slices Velveeta cheese

While the water boils and the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef with the onion and green pepper. (Make sure not to cook the past all the way because it will continue to cook in the sauce a bit.) Drain well and add in the garlic cloves, crushed red pepper, and italian seasoning. Cook a minute or two and then add in the tomato soup, water, vegetable juice, soy sauce. Stir well and simmer a few minutes. Add in the cooked noodles. Cook 10 minutes to let the noodles soak up the tomato sauce flavors. At the end stir in the corn and the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!