I can still remember hotdish night. My mom or dad would bring out the BIG ol' pot, a huge can of tomatoes, and a pound or so of hamburger. One part I would always recall is that they would always get whole canned tomatoes and crush them with their hand in the can, seems so random to recall that? There were a LOT of us to feed, I have 4 brothers and 1 sister and goulash was good, filling, and cheap. Pretty sure it was like a pound and a half of pasta or something wild like that!
I know there are some critics who will say, this is NOT goulash. I suppose you're right, it's not Hungarian goulash. I'm not really sure why my mom called it goulash, but it's what we called it, so that's what I am going with! My rendition is mostly based on olden days of when my parents would whip this up. My version is a little saucier, a lot more herby basil, and I like to mix it up and get a little wild...use cavatappi noodles 🙂 Oh yeah....we're serious party animals over here!
For real though, wherever I can, I like to use what I call "fun" pasta. I will for SURE refer to that a LOT in my posts. In my family, my daughter, Kayla and I each have a pasta we are absolutely not willing to ever use. I think Kayla has a better reason than I have for not wanting to use eLbOw....my nemesis. She says bowtie is the worst, but I love a good bowtie pasta salad! For me, elbow was ALL we had as kids and I wanted "fun" pasta so bad! Fairly petty, I know....sorry elbows!
By now, you've read the ingredients, I am sure and you might be wondering....wait a minute, butter? YES! Do NOT leave this step out. For years, I have made this and would omit the butter, mostly due to trying to be healthier, but it would always be missing something. I always use lean meat, I am just not a fan of fatty meat! Oh but butter?!?! I love it. It makes no sense to me, honestly I try to not think too much about it when making this dish. Trust me, it brings just the right amount of creaminess.
Whip up a pot of this beautifully saucy, basil-y, noodle hotdish and serve with a nice soft roll - good enough to pop some goulash in there and devour it all!
Try our version and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Goulash AKA Spaghetti Hotdish
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground hamburger we like it more lean, 90%
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 ribs celery slice in half, the long way, then diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz small shaped pasta cavatapi, mini penne, shells, etc
- 2 tablespoon dried, Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoon dried, basil if you want to use fresh, go up to 5 tbsp
- 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
- 23 oz tomato sauce I use a 15 oz and a 8 oz can
- 2 tablespoon butter salted or unsalted, doesn't matter
- - - salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta, cook pasta according to directions12 oz small shaped pasta
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery, and garlic. Cook for about 5 mins, until fragrant.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 ribs celery, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the hamburger and break it apart with a spoon (wooden or nylon/plastic works well). Continue to break it up and stir it until hamburger is no long pink.1 lb ground hamburger
- Stir in the basil and Italian seasonings, tomatoes, tomato sauce until well combined and it's nice and hot.2 tablespoon dried, Italian seasoning, 3 tablespoon dried, basil, 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, 23 oz tomato sauce
- Add the cooked pasta and the 2 tablespoon of butter, stir until well combined. Serve with parm on top if you like it! We like to have either garlic toast or soft rolls, smothered in butter and oh so tasty to soak up all the tomato-y goodness!2 tablespoon butter, - - salt and pepper to taste, 12 oz small shaped pasta
Comments
No Comments