Chef John's American Goulash

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 pounds ground beef

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large bay leaves

2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 quart chicken broth or water

1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 cups elbow macaroni

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

1 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese (Optional)

Directions

Gather all ingredients.

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion; cook and stir until beef is browned and crumbly and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaves, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors come together, about 3 minutes. Pour in broth, marinara sauce, and diced tomatoes. Pour water into the sauce jar, swirl, and pour into the pot. Stir in soy sauce; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until flavors intensify, about 30 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid simmer. Stir in macaroni; cook, stirring occasionally, until just barely tender, about 12 minutes. Check for doneness after 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and discard bay leaves. Stir in Cheddar and parsley. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Taste and season as desired.

Notes

Make your own Italian herb mix with a blend of oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, and basil.

You can use sweet Spanish paprika if you can't find Hungarian paprika. You can also add beans to turn this into an excellent pasta fazool.

Nutrition

• Calories: 303 kcal
• Total Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 70 mg
• Sodium: 1065 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 15 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 24 g