Mom’s Classic American Goulash is an old American standby that only has the slightest resemblance to its namesake, Hungarian Goulash; both types of Goulash contain beef and both have noodles and that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The Classic American Goulash is a casserole of ground beef, noodles, tomatoes, and a few seasonings, sometimes topped with a little cheese. Simple, tasty, cheap and filling, Goulash is familiar to generations of Americans and is comfort food in many families.
Classic American Goulash sometimes called Macaroni Beef or Chili Mac.
According to Wikipedia American Goulash just recently celebrated it’s 100th birthday last year, being published in cookbooks as early as 1914. I’m guessing most people of my Mom’s generation never had a “recipe” for Goulash or looked it up in a cookbook; it was just a kind of back pocket recipe that people made. I learned how to make it by watching Mom, and when I was older, she watched me, lol! Of course, every family has their own little twists and for me, Mom’s version’s my fave, the “right” way to make it.
About Mom’s Classic American Goulash:
Now that I’m down at the folk’s helping out, we revisited this old recipe last week. We were right smack in the middle of holiday preparations, knee-deep in cookies, candies, decorations, and planning (with a lot of direction from Pat, my Stepmom and sporadic runs for batteries and lightbulbs) and it turned out that Goulash was the perfect dish for a busy weeknight.
I’m not sure if Pat ever made Goulash or not; I’m guessing she did; I think it was ubiquitous in the 60s and 70s and maybe even today, but it went over very well with both Dad and Pat. Heck, I don’t think I had made it since my kids were young and thought the simple flavors were a taste of home; almost a respite from anything “fancy.” It’s just plain cooking, down-home goodness and maybe even a little generic in flavor.
I’m guessing these days, a lot of people might find the taste of goulash a little bland. Some of the families I know cube up cheese & stir it throughout to melt into little pockets of cheesy goodness, or add Cheddar to the top and jazz it up in various ways, especially with more garlic salt and/or chili powder. If you go too far, you’ll be morphing this into another recipe, altogether, Chili Mac, which is almost a combo of goulash and Macaroni & Cheese with lots more chili flavor. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s how Chili Mac came about.
Easy Cheesy Chili Mac – Instant Pot or Not. Coming soon!
Making Mom’s Classic American Goulash:
It’s hard to go wrong with this simple recipe. A little trick I learned as an adult was to make this quickly without a lot of dilly-dallying (which I’m prone to do in the kitchen) and pop it in the oven when the noodles and ground beef are still hot. It doesn’t take as long to warm through and it comes out juicy, bubbly and delish.
I like to use the whole tomatoes (because that’s how Mom did it) and it gives the casserole just the right amount of moisture without being overly tomato saucy. I crush them by hand and always remove the hard, almost inedible stem pieces; maybe because when I was a kid, I particularly hated them, tried to push them around on my plate and inevitably and was forced to eat them?
We always topped the casserole with a little Parmesan (and yes, it really should be from a “can” – it’s all a part of the spirit of the dish) and that cooks into a bubbly little crust as the casserole bakes. It’s really the best part, that crispy “crust.”
Classic American Goulash sometimes called Macaroni Beef or Chili Mac.
Saving Money on Mom’s Classic American Goulash:
Most of the ingredients in this dish are simple pantry/freezer items and are items you should never pay full price on. Stock your pantry when pasta is at a low, taking advantage of the many sales throughout the year and using coupons if you use them. Freeze any item like pasta that contains flour for three days and you’ll avoid any possible future issues with “peskies.”
Ground beef goes on sale regularly and it pays to know the regular price, a good sales price, and the rock bottom price. Generally, it will reach a rock bottom price and that’s a great time to pick it up in quantity, break down in sizes your family needs (it will probably be in larger family packs) and stock the freezer. A pound is a great size for a lot of dishes and many, if you’re being frugal, can be made with 3/4’s of a pound. Since the ground beef is cooked and drained you won’t need to buy a premium ground beef.
Classic American Goulash sometimes called Macaroni Beef or Chili Mac.
Mom’s Classic American Goulash
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Casseroles
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of dry macaroni, small-sized, cooked al dente
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes with juice, crush tomatoes by hand
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Cheddar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a Dutch oven or large casserole, add hamburger, onion and green onion. Cook, breaking up the beef until cooked through, drain. Add garlic and stir together. Add tomatoes and chili powder, stir and heat through. Add in macaroni noodles and toss together. Taste – add salt if desired.
Sprinkle top with cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly and the top has begun to brown a bit.
Keywords: Bargain Meal of the Week, Beef, Bell Peppers, canned tomatoes, Casserole, Cheese, Family Recipe, Ground Beef, Heritage Recipe, macaroni, parmesan, Pasta, Tomatoes
Postings:
So how about you? Is this a recipe that sparks any family memories? It’s the antithesis of “gourmet” but think I’ll take it to both Throwback Thursday (I am so happy to be a co-host – yay!) and Fiesta Friday this week – FF is hosted by two of my favorite bloggers, Johanne@French Gardener Dishes and Liz@spades, spatulas & spoons.
Please stop by and check out ALL the postings! With the upcoming holidays there are bound to be many posts from many bloggers – and from all over the world, celebrating their own holidays with their own foods and traditions!
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