Goulash for Recipe Friday

This is another of my favorite easy recipes. I always have the ingredients for this in the house, and my family loves it. There are a lot of recipes for goulash out there and this one probably doesn’t look like a lot of the others you will find, but it is, I learned several years ago, a family recipe.

About three years ago we took a 3-week driving vacation to Minnesota to visit my husband’s family. We stayed for a full week at his Grandma Hilda’s house. We had a wonderful visit, but the best memory for me is the last night. Throughout the week, Grandma had eaten her meals-on-wheels each day for lunch, and then eaten the leftovers from that lunch meal for dinner. But on the last night I decided I wanted to make a dinner that she could eat with my husband, my son, and me. I went to the grocery store in the morning and decided on making this simple goulash recipe.

Because Grandma was used to eating no later than 5:00, I had to get an early start on dinner. As I began frying the hamburger and onions, she commented to my husband that something smelled good. When we sat down to dinner she said, “This is my favorite dish. You used my recipe.” I actually learned to make this particular goulash from my mother-in-law and didn’t know it was Grandma’s recipe. It had been handed down from generation to generation without us even being aware. I truly believe God placed on my heart the idea to make this dish so that we could have this special last dinner with Grandma, because I had no idea this was her recipe or her favorite dish! The following spring Grandma went home to be with the Lord and we truly miss her, but I am thankful that I will always have the memory of this simple, but wonderful dinner with her.

Goulash

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 cups macaroni noodles
1 can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp summer savory
3 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Boil macaroni according to package directions. (Note: I sometimes use rotini noodles for a change of pace.) While the macaroni is boiling, fry ground beef in a medium skillet. Drain grease with a baster. Add onion and saute until onions are soft. Add garlic and other spices and stir. Drain macaroni noodles. Add tomato sauce. Rinse the sides of the tomato sauce can with about 1/4 can of water and add the water/tomato sauce to the macaroni, too. Stir in meat mixture. Add a dash or two more salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat through so the tomato sauce is hot. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top.

Note: I usually serve this with either corn or peas as a side dish. When we had it with Grandma we had peas. I also like it with string beans as a side dish, but since I only like fresh string beans and not canned or frozen, this only works in the summer time.