Meat Goulash with Macaroni

[Leonard]

:D This recipe is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is from Rachel Ray's Everyday Food website! An absolute repeater!


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b323/BooKittyMaggie/meatgoulash.jpg


Meat Goulash with Macaroni
Rachael Ray


From Every Day with Rachael Ray
October 2006

FOUR SERVINGS

Salt
1 pound short pasta, such as macaroni, ziti rigate
or gemelli
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 slices lean bacon, chopped
1 pound ground meat (a mixture of beef, pork
and veal)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
Freshly ground pepper
3 large jarred roasted red peppers, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (a generous handful)
Fresh dill, chopped (a generous handful)


1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat the EVOO, 1/2 turn of the pan, in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, then move the bacon to the side of the pan and add the ground meat, crumbling it. Brown the meat for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the garlic and onion; season with the paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
3. In a food processor, puree the peppers until smooth and stir into the meat. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the beef broth and simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the sour cream and cooked pasta. Top with the parsley and dill.

[Mamasue]

Looks good Leonard.....kinda reminds me of Bolognaise sauce minus the red peppers.;) My DH would be a happy camper if I made this.:D

[LakeMartinGal]

That does look good, and a little different than one of her other goulashes -- the one with caraway seed! I always reduce the amount of pasta in her recipes by half -- we like things saucier!:)

[jjsooner73]

That does look good! I may try and make it one night this week.

[RebelsLGB]

and i JUST put a package of meatloaf mix ground meat in the freezer..darn.

I think i'll make this next week though, I have everything on hand!

Kristen

[HealthyinMN]

We made this back in June (http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2008/06/meat-goulash-with-macaroni.html). It was quite tasty! I used a combination of pork and sirloin for the meat - below is how we ended up doing it.

Meat Goulash with Macaroni (http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2008/06/meat-goulash-with-macaroni.html) (Adapted from Rachael Ray)

http://bp3.blogger.com/_J-s7w5-Rv84/SF6odxsM56I/AAAAAAAAFRU/dxt8O2Rdmvs/s400/Goulash-2.jpg

14.5 to 16 ounces dry macaroni or any short pasta
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 bacon slices, chopped
8 ounces ground sirloin
8 ounces ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 large jarred roasted red peppers, drained
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley

In a large pot of boiling salted water, add pasta and cook according to package directions - drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bacon - cook until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add ground sirloin and pork - cook, stirring to crumble, until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, onion, paprika along with the salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 more minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.

In a food processor, puree the peppers until smooth - add to the skillet. Stir in the beef broth and let heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and cooked pasta. Top with the parsley to serve.

Makes about 6 servings.

[katygirl]

I made this last night and thought it was great! I have a feeling that leftovers are going to be even better. My two little ones loved it as well, I made the recipe as is, but added probably 3/4 of a box of pasta instead of the whole pound. The combo of bacon and paprika gave it such a rich smokey taste. Also because we like things on the spicer side my DH and I added some half-sharp paprika to our own portions! A keeper! Thanks!

[Leonard]

SO glad you liked it! I thought it was one of the best dinners I've made. I do have a question for everyone? I am having another couple over for dinner tomorrow. My Husband's best friend & his wife. Hubby's friend is fixing a fireplace in our house, then we will eat. Can I make this and just keep in on the stove shut off for maybe an hour?? I did microwave the leftovers the first time I made it and it turned out great. Needless to say I'm not going to microwave the whole recipe so should I just keep in on the stovetop shut off and then rewarm over a low flame?? Will it get a skin type covering on it if I let it undercovered? I don't want it to steam and get watery so I shouldn't cover it right?? Anyway, I don't have a lid that big?? HELP!:eek:

[SDMomChef]

I haven't tried the recipe, but I am going to put it into the rotation - it looks like simple, tasty comfort food.

I'm not sure about the oven....is there anyway you could put it in a crockpot on warm?

On a somewhat related note - does anybody else have trouble finding meatloaf mix at the grocery store? Ground veal is available only from specialty meat markets here, so I usually just do a combination of ground pork and beef.

[Chocolate Rose]

I made this last night for dinner and we LOVED it! Great flavors.
I subbed ground turkey for the meat mix and chicken broth for the beef broth. It made a TON!
Next time I will cut back on the amount of pasta. I used 14 oz. and felt like that was too much.

[RebelsLGB]

I also made this last night for dinner. We liked it alot but thought it was kind of bland? Maybe beause i don't have "smoked sweet paprika" i just have normal paprika, is there a difference?

anyway, we did like it..but thought it was missing something...it must be that I have the wrong paprika. We will be making it again though it was so easy, and leftovers we felt were better today for lunch.

kristen

[Chocolate Rose]

I also made this last night for dinner. We liked it alot but thought it was kind of bland? Maybe beause i don't have "smoked sweet paprika" i just have normal paprika, is there a difference?

Yes, there is a difference. The smoked paprika really makes this dish. I bought mine at Costco.

[Middydd]

I made this last week and we really liked it. I doubled the garlic, onion and peppers, used less pasta and agree the smoked paprika is what makes it tasty. Otherwise it could be bland.

[AndreaU]

I also made this last night for dinner. We liked it alot but thought it was kind of bland? Maybe beause i don't have "smoked sweet paprika" i just have normal paprika, is there a difference?

anyway, we did like it..but thought it was missing something...it must be that I have the wrong paprika. We will be making it again though it was so easy, and leftovers we felt were better today for lunch.

kristen

I don't have smoked sweet paprika, so when I made it I thought it was missing something... as you said, it was a bit bland. However, we always kick things up with a little Frank's Red Hot sauce!

[RebelsLGB]

I'll have to keep an eye out for the smoked paprika. Like I said, we liked it, but not enough to give it rave reviews, but it was easy and we'llbe making it again..as soon as I find the right paprika. I don't have a costco membership, so i'll have to find it elsewhere.

kristen

[Andrea_2]

I made this recently, and I thought it was pretty good, although not something I'd make again. DH didn't like it at all, so I ended up eating it for several days.

[SueK]

I had everything on hand, so I made this tonight.

I followed the recipe to the T, with the exception of cheese. :) Being a cheese freak, I boiled the pasta al dente in my Dutch oven, then drained it, mixed it with the sauce and put it back in the pan. Then I put mozz and parm cheese on top and put it in the oven for about 15 minutes to finish the pasta and melt the cheese.

We really liked this, and loved the taste that the paprika gave to the dish. As with many pasta dishes, I imagine the leftovers will be even better and I think this will most likely be a repeater for us.

[sneezles]

I made this Monday and we loved it. I did brown the onions after the bacon and before the meat. I used 2 pounds of ground beef because it's what I have in the freezer. Since I doubled the recipe, pkgs of beef are 2 pounds, I used 4 slices of bacon poured off most of the fat and didn't use the olive oil...plenty of fat from the bacon. I also used chicken broth since sodium is a factor for me (stuff I use is only 70mg per cup) but it did not detract from the dish. Very, very tasty!

Though the true test was last night when DS#3 was home from school (he is still the local president of his Picky Eaters) and he had a bowl and said it was really good! He had asked what was in it and I named off everything but the roasted peppers.:p

[SDMomChef]

Thanks for posting the recipe and the review! I like to have these types of noodle recipes around to try when I am trying to come up with dinner plans.

So...I tried this recipe last week. It was O.K. - the kids ate it without complaining. For me, I love the idea of using pureed roasted red peppers, but the smoked paprika was too overwhelming.

[sneezles]

Sherri,
I halved the paprika when I made it but you could always use sweet without a problem or maybe add a bit of cumin.

[jjsooner73]

I just got some Hungarian Paprika in a gift package from a friend (she was recently in Hungary) that smells heavenly. I really need to get this on the menu soon.

[fldivegirl]

I made this last night and used 1/2 ground chuck and 1/2 ground pork. DH loved it and ate seconds. I will make this again for sure. Thanks for posting it.

[mcgee]

I was thinking of making this tonight for a potluck tomorrow. Does it hold up well overnight and reheat nicely in a microwave? It sounds like it would. Thanks.

[sneezles]

I was thinking of making this tonight for a potluck tomorrow. Does it hold up well overnight and reheat nicely in a microwave? It sounds like it would. Thanks.

It's one of those "better the next day" recipes!

[mcgee]

It's one of those "better the next day" recipes!

Cool - thanks. This will be my contribution to the department holiday party then.

[Cookin4Love]

I wasn't sure how this would take to being "vegetarianized," but I tried it anyway. I used Boca crumbles and Penzey's vegetable base for broth. I can see how a meat-based version would be richer, but we both still really like the flavor. The roasted red peppers and smoked paprika compliment each other very nicely. I didn't add dill, as we don't usually care for it, but the parsley added a nice, bright flavor.

I definitely think this will absorb the flavor and deepen with time. A good, quick, makes-plenty recipe. Thanks for posting.