I have to admit that I love Food Network…. a lot. On a rainy day you can find me curled up on the couch watching that channel all day long. Oh…. and there’s also the new channel from the people who created Food Network… the Food Channel. I love watching all the great food that they create and often rush off to my computer to look up all the great recipes so I can make them.

Paula Deen is one of my favorites! I think I’ve finally found the one person who loves butter more than me! The following recipe is one of my families favorites from her show. It’s one that she makes with her son Bobby… hence the name Bobby’s Goulash.

Bobby’s Goulash

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups water
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I’ve used Worcestershire sauce instead)
1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows (I’ve never made this but used garlic powder, pepper, onion powder)
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked (I’ve always used cavatapi)

Directions

In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Spoon off any grease (I drain it in a colander). Add the onions and garlic to the pot and saute until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, House Seasoning, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes (I’ve missed this step and just added the macaroni here & it was fine).  Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes more before serving (I’ve skipped this step too on occasion and it’s been fine).

Like I said my family loves this and it makes great leftovers! You can use ground turkey if you prefer or a mix of turkey & beef or even leave out the meat if you’d like a vegetarian version of it (but why?).

Try this and let me know what you & your family think!