Crockpot Goulash

If I could have it my way, I’d spend the day cooking. I often envision a perfect scenario where my morning begins with coffee and breakfast, followed by a leisurely stroll to the grocery store. There, I gather delicious ingredients to bring home to create an incredible meal for my family to enjoy. Yes, this happens occasionally on the weekend, but my weeknights are anything but leisurely. There’s barely time to even think about dinner, let alone romanticize the process.

That’s why I rely on recipes that are delicious and efficient, think one-pan, one-pot, or slow cooker. I’ve got recipes like these tabbed everywhere. One of my family’s new favorites is crockpot coulash. It’s a cozy dish made with pantry and fridge staples like canned tomatoes, ground beef, and elbow macaroni.

• It’s mostly hands-off. Aside from browning some ground beef and softening up some onions in a skillet, there’s not much cooking. Just add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot, set it to low, and let it do its thing.
• You can customize it. I’ve always considered recipes suggestions. You know your palate (and your family’s palate) best, so have fun and customize! Add your own spices and herbs, finish with a big glug of balsamic vinegar, or add a Parmesan cheese rind to season and flavor the dish as it cooks low and slow.

• Ground beef: Opt for 80% or 85%, which adds fat and also stands up well to the long cook time.
• Canned fire-roasted tomatoes: Brings in more flavor than just regular canned diced tomatoes.
• Garlic: I like the flavor of two minced cloves, but you can add more and even omit altogether based on your preference. I recommend skipping the pre-minced jarred versions; they’re convenient, but their flavor doesn’t compare to freshly minced.
• Onion: Usually I cook onion first to soften it a bit before adding my ground meat for browning. But for this recipe, I speed things up by cooking them together.
• Macaroni: Elbow macaroni is the most used pasta shape for goulash, and I agree it’s a good choice. If you’d like a different shape, go for it, but stick with something small so that it cooks evenly.

1. Prep the sauce. Add diced tomatoes along with tomato sauce and paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the crockpot. This will be the base of the goulash sauce.
2. Brown the beef and soften the onion. Since most crockpots don’t have a “saute” feature, you’ll need to brown the beef and cook the onion separately on the stove. It only takes about 6 minutes, and then it’s ready for the slow cooker.
3. Cook it low and slow. Set the crockpot to “low,” and you can go and get other things done.
4. Add the pasta. The final step is adding the elbow macaroni about 45 minutes before you plan on eating the dish. If you’re not around, you can also cook the pasta separately and add it just before serving.