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One of our favorite movies is Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows. There’s this scene where Holmes and Watson are eating hedgehog goulash in the gypsy camp. The scene is absolutely wonderful! We immediately searched for a recipe to make at home. It’s always fun to try and trick my son by telling him we are eating hedgehogs instead of beef. He still thinks we are serious, I hope it lasts for a while longer. This is by far my favorite ground beef dish that I’ve tried yet!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Cheesy Beef Goulash
I’ve modified this a bit since the first time I started cooking it even from the original modification. It’s just as yummy as it was the first time! Feel free to modify it to suit your needs!
Brown the Ground Beef
First, set your pan/skillet to medium heat. Break up the ground beef and cook until browned. This will take a couple of minutes. Then you have to drain out the fat. I suppose you could skip this step if you wanted to but I’ve always drained the fat to make the dish a little healthier.
Next, add in the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes. You can mince up the garlic, press, crush, or grate, however, you want it. I use a zester grater for my garlic. It’s WAY easier to clean than a garlic press but whatever floats your boat. (Since writing this post we have started cooking without garlic since my fiance is allergic to it. Onion is a decent substitute for garlic and you don’t miss the flavor is most things)
Next, add in your tomatoes, seasonings, soy sauce, and water. Give it a good stir then you can cover the pan, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Then, add the pasta, stir well again, cover, and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes. After the pasta is cooked through to your desired tenderness remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.
A Note about the Pasta
The recipe below shows elbow macaroni for the pasta but I’ve made it with other small shapes like penne and rotini. I’ve used regular pasta, whole wheat, and gluten-free. Try out different shapes and pick your favorite.
Try it out and let me know what you think!
Cheesy Beef Goulash
Notes
I've made this a few different ways. The last time I used a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 6 oz can of tomato paste and it was delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz size
- 1-2 cans water as needed, use the tomato can
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 1 tbsp seasoned salt
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated 8 oz size block
Instructions
- Saute ground beef in a skillet on medium heat until cooked.
- Add garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.
- Add 1 can water, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, and seasoned salt. Stir, cover and cook an additional 15 minutes.
- Add the pasta, stir and recover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves and slowly stir in the cheese until well combined.
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Adapted from Lil Luna.
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ooh… looks so tasty, I need a new ground beef idea. Thank you!
Vanessa, you are welcome! And it is super tasty! Try it and let me know what you think!
My mom makes this all the time! This is such an amazing comfort dish!
It’s a real bonus that it’s healthy as well!
Oh yummy thanks for these lovelt foodie recipes xx
I’ll be posting more soon!
I always love the simplicity of make ground meat dishes. It doesn’t take long and the kids usually love it! Thanks for sharing. I’ll Pin it for later 😊
I do as well! It’s one of the few ways I can my son to consistently eat meat and he won’t complain!
thanks for this recipe , i love pasta .
Glad you like it!
My kids would love this I think! What a great idea.
My 8-year-old LOVES it!!! He’s super picky about eating so this one is a win!
delicious! I love recipes like this that include ingredients that I almost always have in my pantry!
That’s how this one first got started in my house!
This looks good. I love that it’s a simple and quick meal. We’ll have to try it.
Darcey, it takes a bit to cook but it’s super simple to put together!
This looks so tasty and easy for a family weeknight meal!
Anyone that’s ever tried it has loved it!
We’ve been having a lot of cold, wet days and I think this goulash would be perfect to brighten up our moods. I like that it is simple and no fuss, too.
It’s a PERFECT rainy day meal. It’s super simple and very warming!
This is pretty similar to something my mom used to make growing up. We add diced green peppers and it is one of my favorite meals ever!
The diced peppers sound like a great idea, I will give that a try when I make this next!
Thanks for the detailed recipe
Suha, You’re welcome!
I’m doing low carb so I’m going to try this and sub noodles with cabbage! Can’t wait to try!
Amanda, you can try zucchini noodles also!
Oh looks so yummy! I love meals with ground beef. So quick and easy! Will definitely try out this one.
Eva, this one is super simple and super delicious!
I absolutely adore that your goulash recipe was inspired by a family movie experience. We watch a family movie on Sundays and I think it’s an awesome idea to make it a themed family movie night moving forward. We’ll have to make your goulash and watch Game of Shadows.
The best when we told our son that it was “hedgehog” goulash. He was like “Wait, what?”. The look on his face was priceless!
This looks like something my kids would love. Thanks!
Kelly, it’s a dish the whole family will love!