Goulash ... A Family Favorite!

Ahhhhh...GOULASH! Not only does the name sound great but the sound when you stir all the yummy ingredients together sounds amazing too! Goulash is a family favorite. I grew up on this version of "American Chop Suey." It has all the important food groups in one pot — meat/protein, carbs and veggies — what can get better than that? And this recipe is probably the easiest recipe I've posted (besides my cream cheese roll-up appetizer). It's also quite cheap, which makes for a great weekday meal on a tight budget. I make this when I know I won't have a lot of time. It's also great to make for friends that may have had a baby, are grieving from a death in the family, or a party, as it makes a large amount that can serve a crowd or makes enough for two or three nights for a small family. It also freezes very well! For each one of my pregnancies, I've made this meal three weeks ahead of my due date. After it cooled I spooned it into gallon-size freezer baggies and placed them in the freezer. The week after the baby was born I had two or three meals out of this for my family. Just be sure if you do this to take it out the night before and let it defrost in the fridge. Then you can reheat it in a pot or microwave. So give this recipe a try and enjoy every bite!

*This is by no means a gourmet meal, but it's soooo good. Makes for a great fall or winter night's meal.

* You can also make changes to make it super healthy! Try using whole wheat elbows and ground turkey. Or go all organic when you can.

*You can use another small-shaped pasta if that's all you have on hand, but elbows are so traditional!

Makes about 8 bowls (depending on their size)

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow macaroni

1 lb ground beef

1 8oz container sliced mushrooms, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red or green pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can of corn, drained

1 28 oz can tomato sauce

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

-3 TBS olive oil

parmesan cheese to top

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown beef until cooked all the way through in olive oil on medium heat.

2. To the browned beef add the mushrooms, onion, pepper, garlic, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Let this simmer on medium-low for 1 hour while stirring every 7 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, cook and drain elbows during the last 15 minutes of the above mixture's cooking time.

4.  After the elbows and sauce are finished mix the two together and serve with parmesan cheese.

5. Add salad and bread to the meal to make it even more filling!