This is the classic goulash made in the mid-west, USA, not Hungarian Goulash. I grew up on this in Iowa, but we used Worchestershire sauce instead of soy sauce, no bay leaf, and a green pepper if we had one.
This is not "classic" Hungarian Goulash but it is goulash or Chop Suey depending on what part of the country you grew up. For me it was western NY and we added canned corn. Made this tonight, exactly as written, for my very picky folks and we loved it; it was a taste of my childhood. Next time I'll add Jalapeno and bell peppers.
This one is classic AMERICAN style goulash. The picture depicts it. This is a dish that was mainstay for most of us and even served at school. @Pathunt: Nicely done! I made it just as the recipe states and enjoyed it but next time around I will add a diced green pepper to the meat as it's browning and probably a shake of garlic powder to remind me of school, and LOTS of fresh ground pepper.
I'm grateful for this recipe because it reminds me of a dish my mother made in the mid-1940's in Denmark after the war when we finally could get enough cheap meat with our ration coupons to do it. This recipe has nothing whatever to do with anything I think of as goulash, whether Hungarian, Austrian, German or even Danish, but it was a way to use ground meat for something other than meat balls. My mother's concoction was called Red Indian Hash because of the colors added by vegetables (nothing to do with Native Americans either!), and everybody loved it, served not with macaroni in it, but with mashed potatoes on the side to absorb the lovely gravy. She grated carrots and turnips and any other root vegetable she had and cooked them along with the chopped onions. She might add a few beans or peas as well. Any ground meat was fine - beef, veal, pork, mutton - whatever we were lucky enough to have. Canned tomatoes did not exist then, so she had to moisten the mix with stock (usually vegetable stock with an addition of yeast extract - no soy sauce then) and chop a tomato or two if she could spare them. With everything available to us now, just think what we could do with a pound of ground meat, matching veggie flavors and herbs and aromatics to the type of meat. Thanks for reminding me of what can be done! and of how rich we are now. . .
Because we're on a super tight budget this week, I used only one pound ground meat (half ground beef, half ground pork) and threw in chopped veggies for the rest of the meat (red pepper, zucchini, spinach). To make a more tomato-y sauce, I used V-8 instead of water. I'm out of soy sauce so I used worchestershire instead of soy sauce. I did not need the seasoning salt--we're watching our salt intake--and I also used organic canned tomato sauce, organic canned tomatoes and homemade italian seasoning. Very economical and a good way for me to bend the recipe to add more healthy ingredients for my family nevermind it filled the bellies of my three hungry men very well. There's plenty leftover for lunch tomorrow as well, which I appreciate.
This is delicious! It is near identical to a Paula Deen goulash recipe that I have been making for a few years. It is also easy to make as the noodles are added uncooked. The main difference it appears between this and that recipe of hers, that I use, is it looks like the ingredients here are doubled, so this recipe here will feed a lot! And, this recipe here uses tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and that one uses an equal amount of crushed tomatoes. Either way, Mid-western style goulash is a favorite in my home!
Being from Minnesota, I understood the term "goulash" as meaning "hot dish" as the two terms are more or less interchangable in this state! I realize there is a Hungarian goulash which is completely different, but this is a regional term that I understood to be exactly what it is! Kudos! Yummy
mrsjoedo mentioned something was missing, next time try adding chopped green pepper. To me it's not goulash unless you add it.
My wife talked about wanting this a few weeks ago. As the resident foody I was excited to make it, (not remenbering I have had it) I read at least 100 reviews for this recipe.... I made this "almost to the letter", I was moved by how passionate and nostalgic this was for many reviewers, I added a green bell pepper, and I added celery salt, (3 good dashes) a few dashes of onion and garlic powder, something seemed missing so I added 1 tsp of beef bouillon powder and whabam! A few grinds of fresh black pepper and it melted her heart.
Too soupy, too much bay. Was ok but wont make again.
