Goulash

bearthehairless

6 days ago

2 min read

One pot, a pound of meat, a box of pasta, and dinner for under $6.

This is the kind of dinner that feeds a crowd and doesn't wreck the grocery budget. I made this batch entirely from Aldi ingredients for under six bucks, and it made a big pot. It's just as good the next day, and you can stretch it by adding more pasta and sauce.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 35 min · Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta, any shape (I used cavatappi)
1 pound ground meat: Italian sausage, beef, turkey, whatever you like
1/2 onion, chopped
16 ounces tomato sauce (two 8-ounce cans works)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan or mozzarella, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Cook the pasta in a large pot or Dutch oven according to the package directions. Before draining, scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and set it aside in a bowl.
In the same pot, brown the ground meat with the chopped onion over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until there's no pink left and the onion is soft.
Stir in the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Add the cooked pasta and stir until everything's coated.
Add pasta water a splash at a time until all the pasta is coated in sauce but it isn't soupy.
Simmer about 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan or mozzarella if you like.

Notes

One pot, fewer dishes. Boil the pasta first, set it aside, then use the same pot for everything else.
Using sausage or fatty beef? Drain off the grease after browning, before you add the sauce. Lean turkey won't need it.
Stretch it. Feeding more people? Add more pasta and more sauce.
Leftovers reheat really well the next day.