American Goulash Aka Calico Casserole Recipes

CHEESY AMERICAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional. And heat water and start cooking 1 pound of pasta.
• Start brown 1 pound of ground beef over medium-high heat.
• Chop one small or 1/2 medium onion. Add the onion to the ground beef about 5 minutes into cooking, and Add two cloves of minced or crushed garlic to the burger the last few minutes of cooking the ground beef. Drain when done cooking.
• Prep a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with PAM.
• To the baking dish, add one 15 oz can tomato sauce, 14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes, one teaspoon basil, two teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Lowery's), 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
• Add the ground beef along with the pasta and mix well.
• Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
• Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella.
• Bake until golden brown-about 30 minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S AMERICAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and ground beef. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Cook and stir until liquid is evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes more. Add garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves.
• Cook and stir until flavors come together, about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and marinara sauce. Rinse out the jar with 1 cup water and pour into the pot. Add soy sauce, stir, and bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer to let flavors intensify, about 30 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a simmer. Add macaroni; simmer, stirring occasionally, until just barely tender, about 12 minutes. Check for doneness after 10 minutes.
• Remove goulash from heat. Discard bay leaves; stir in parsley and Cheddar cheese. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Taste and season as desired.

AMERICAN GOULASH, AKA CALICO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
• Brown ground beef with celery, onion, and pepper. Drain accumulated grease.
• Add remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
• If serving this as American Goulash, stop here. You're done.
• For Calico Casserole, turn into a 3-quart casserole, and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
• Variation 1: Add 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in Step 3. You may also need to add another 1/4 cup of water.
• Variation 2: Substitute 2 cups mixed vegetables for the corn and peas. Or substitute any other vegetables you have on hand.

CLASSIC AMERICAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Cook the elbow macaroni pasta (or other small pasta) in salted water until tender. Drain.
• In a dutch oven or large soup pot, put the oil and diced onion. Cook the onion for about 4 minutes over medium heat.
• Add the bell pepper and cook until just tender.
• Add the garlic and cook one more minute.
• Add the ground meat and cook until browned.
• Drain off any fat.
• Add the soy sauce (or use Worcestershire sauce), dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper. (Instead of salt I usually use bouillon.) Stir to combine.
• Add the tomatoes. If you want a stronger tomato flavor, add some tomato paste also.
• Add the drained pasta and mix well.
• You will probably need to add more salt at this time. Serve hot with grated cheese for garnish. I also sometimes serve sour cream on the side. This dish is often better the next day.
• Variations: Some people like to add corn or a can of condensed mushroom soup to their American goulash. You could also add taco seasoning mix and give it a Mexican twist.

AMERICAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add beef and onion. Cook 7 to 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown; drain, and return to skillet. Add garlic; cook about 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika and pepper. Heat to simmering, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Stir in macaroni; cover and cook 16 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. Stir in cream cheese until completely melted, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese; top with crushed croutons.