Mom's Goulash

My family loves goulash and it is really simple to make. Each summer my mom would can jars of tomato juice and jars of tomatoes with green peppers. Home canned tomatoes taste so much better than store bought. I have only canned tomatoes once. I freeze my garden tomatoes.

Mom's Goulash

These are estimated measurements.

3 cups of uncooked macaroni- elbow or shells

1 pound of ground beef

1 medium size onion-chopped

1 (15 oz.) can of whole tomatoes- chopped

(Or, if you have them,1 pint of home canned tomatoes or "stewed" tomatoes (as my mom calls them) with onion and green pepper, are even better. During the summer when tomatoes are vine ripened, I will use fresh tomatoes and chopped green peppers that have been cooked down in a sauce pan with a little salt and pepper.)

tomato juice (around 2 cups)

salt and pepper to taste

Brown chopped onions in skillet with a tablespoon of oil. Brown well with brown/black on the edges. Mom said it's where it gets it's flavor and it's true. Add the ground beef to the browned onions, salt and pepper.

When beef is browned, drain if needed then add a pint or a can of tomatoes. Simmer.

Cook macaroni to al dente (save about a cup of pasta water then drain the rest)

Add macaroni and pasta water to tomatoes and hamburger. Add tomato juice to get it however juicy( soupy) that you prefer. We like it juicy. Simmer a bit more.

That's it. Just don't add too much tomato juice because it will dilute the flavor of the onions and hamburger. Also, if it sits and cooks too long, the macaroni soaks up the juice.

I like it with garlic bread, cottage cheese, green beans or creamed peas. It took me a few times to get it to taste like mom’s, but now I think mine is as good as hers!