Goulash

I mentioned that I had made a goulash and that I would share my recipe soon, and here it is! What makes this a frugal meal for me is that I am generally using up food that is left over from other food prep days, so some of the cost has already been counted in other meals. I am re-developing the habit of saving all the small bits and pieces of foods (leftovers or not) so that I can use them in these types of meals.

I’m not sure what goulash is to you, I think there are a number of variations, but I made one of these and posted the ingredient list on my Facebook account and my people told me that goulash is what I had made. So, goulash is the name I am now using for these types of meals.

In order to make this, I bought three ingredients. Frozen corn right now is about .98, of which I am only using a little and the rest will be kept in the freezer for future meals. I wanted my grass-fed ground beef, but was on a tight budget so went with the cheaper ground beef that was almost $5.00 for the pound. They did not have the one that would have come in at just under $4.00. The organic parsley was $5.58, which seems to be the price for store-brand organic herbs and spices right now and makes me think I am going to be growing my most-used herbs on my windowsill again. Prices are ridiculous on some things these days. (As a side note, Walmart has small potted herb plants for, I believe, about $3.00 each. I am considering the parsley and mint.)

I ended up with 5 meals from this, so paid a about $2.31 per meal. The rest of the ingredients cost me nothing per my figuring them into the cost of previous meals. If I’d had to pay for everything it would not have been such a frugal recipe.

I like cooking this recipe in my cast iron skillet.

Below is the recipe for the meal I made, though the ingredients may change somewhat each time I make it. So, take this recipe and change it up using what you have on hand.

Goulash

Serves 5 (but could easily serve 7 or 8 if you had small servings with a side salad or some fruit with it.)

Ingredient:

3/4 to 1 cup dry pasta, depending on the size of your skillet (Macaroni, shells, or another small pasta)

water

coconut oil for melting in the skillet

1 pound ground beef

about 2 tbsp tomato paste

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp oregeno

1-2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 to 1 tbsp cumin

beef broth (I used all but 1/2 c cup from the carton)

1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomato

1/4 to 1/2 cup of corn

2 to 3 ounces mild cheddar cheese

8 small mozzarella balls

nutritional yeast (Optional)

1. Cook the pasta as directed on the box.
2. Heat the skillet on the stove,
3. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil and melt.
4. Add the ground beef and brown.
5. Add the tomato paste (Mine was frozen and I just put it right in the skillet like that.) and the seasonings. I add seasoning throughout the cooking process as needed. I don’t know exactly how much as I go by taste and smell. The amounts above are estimates.
6. Add about half of the broth and allow to simmer while the flavors come together, and the tomato paste is well combined with the beef.
7. Add the diced tomato with the liquid from the can, the pasta, and the corn, as well as a little more broth if needed. You don’t want things to be too dry.
8. Simmer, allowing the flavors from all the different ingredients to meld together.
9. Then you will want to add the cheeses. I cut mine up right over the skillet so I can distribute the pieces somewhat evenly over the top. Let simmer a few more minutes.
10. Mix the cheese into the food and add a little more beef broth at this point if you need to. The cheese should be somewhat melty.
11. Also at this time you will want to taste for flavor. If you feel you need to add more of any of the seasonings go ahead.
12. Turn the burner off and allow the goulash to just hang out on the burner while you clean things up. The heat still generating from the burner will keep the meal warm.
13. To serve, add some Nutrional yeast, and any more seasonings you may want, and mix it in with the food if you want.

Notes:

• I really do not measure for this recipe, as I have been playing with it for roughly a year. It changes according to what I have on hand. This is how I can keep the overall cost down.
• I had almost a quart of broth in the freezer that someone had given me. If I would have had to buy this, the overall price would have been more.
• Sometimes I have chicken or sausage rather than ground beef so I will use that instead. Once I had small amounts of different types of meat that had been cooked but not eaten right off so I’d thrown them in the freezer.
• I usually have some sort of leftover vegetables, often in the freezer. These might be perfect for this dish as well.
• My seasonings may not be your choice. Try different things to see what you like best, or use what you already have on hand.
• You can really use most any kind of pasta for this, even linguini or spaghetti. Use whatever you have on hand. Only have lasagna noodles? Break them up into bite-size pieces.

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve with a side salad of fresh vegetables you have on hand.
• If your body can tolerate a lot of carbs, the old bread-and-butter standby would be perfect!

Frugal Tips:

• Freeze all your leftovers! This is a great way to save money. I have these leftovers in my freezer right now: Beef broth, corn, American and sharp cheddar cheeses, various fruits, and spinach.
• Consider keeping potted herbs on your windowsill year-round. Keep the ones you know you will use the most.
• I am also planning to look into buying bigger quantities of seasonings I can’t grow to see if I can buy that cheaper than all these small jars every time I run out. Herbs and spices are getting too expensive.

Now, I just want to mention that this recipe has far more carbs than I usually eat. I try to control my intake most of the time, but once in a while I do have some pasta. It’s not a healthy food for me because I have diabetes. This is why I am so worried about food costs right now. I can’t regularly eat the foods that so many others are buying to make meals stretch. I won’t be able to keep my blood sugar under control if I do.

How do you make your goulash? How creative have you gotten with your goulash recipe when you are strapped for cash and/or trying to use things up? Inquiring minds want to know! Also, if you are diabetic as well, how are you keeping food costs down without getting totally bored with the fewer food options.

~ Shannon