Goulash – cavatappi combined with pasta sauce, ground beef, and cheese in this comforting & quick dish

5 days til Christmas! You know those scenes in Christmas Vacation where they show the Advent calendar opening each day, ticking down the days? That’s what I’m seeing in my head every morning.
I’m going to take a break from the Christmas baking and show you a dinner I made recently. I’m calling it goulash but as I was making it, I was thinking “this is very close to spaghetti…”. So, I think goulash is supposed to be more of a stew and paprika is involved. Is that right? School me. Regardless, I really liked this dish. The flavors came together really well and it was even better warmed up as leftovers with a little cheese sprinkled on top.


Goulash…kinda, sorta
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sirloin
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 Tablespoons oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 30 oz tomato sauce Two 15 oz cans
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- ½ pound macaroni
- olive oil
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring a pot of salted water to boil (if you cover the pot, it will boil faster) and cook your macaroni noodles until soft.1/2 pound macaroni
- Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, add a turn of olive oil and let heat up. Add in your diced onion and minced garlic. Stirring frequently, cook until the onions start to get translucent.1 small onion, olive oil, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Add in the ground sirloin. Season with garlic salt, oregano, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Break up the meat and brown until no longer pink.1 lb ground sirloin, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 2 Tablespoons oregano, 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Add in the two cans of tomato sauce and turn heat to low and let simmer.30 oz tomato sauce
- By now, the noodles should be cooked. Drain them and return them to the pot.
- Pour the sauce into the noodle pan and stir to combine. Add in the sour cream and stir to distribute.1 Tablespoon sour cream
- That’s it. I let it sit for about 15 minutes to let the flavors come together and let the sauce soak into the noodles.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
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Your “kinda sorta” goulash is making my mouth water! 😉
Hi, going to make this tonight. Where is the cheese in this recipe? Thanks!
Just sprinkled on top at the end. It’s optional. 🙂
Thanks! Thought I was missing an important step.
Made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was a huge hit with my family! My picky 6 year old ate 3 bowls! Will definitely make again. I love that it was quick and easy for a weeknight meal- exactly what I look for in a recipe. Thanks so much!
You’re in the archives! I’m glad you liked this one & reminded me to make it again soon 🙂