My first goulash

For years, the dear husband mentioned "goulash" to me as a food he likes.  I had no idea what goulash was, and an internet search yielded so many differing results that I couldn't be sure.  The Joy of Cooking seemed to pose no help either, because that version of goulash was not what he meant either.  I finally settled on asking him what the heck was in it, and if it didn't sound too bad, I'd try to make it.  He described it as some kind of pasta dish with tomatoes (canned), peppers and onions, and ground beef with a thin sauce.  He was completely vague on spices.  So I took those ingredients, performed a kitchen experiment, and the results were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

To make this version of goulash, which is neither authentic nor Hungarian, you need:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3 small onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (I used my garlic press)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I used the onion and garlic flavored ones at Wegman's)
• 1 pound pasta
• about a quart of warm water
• seasoned salt and black pepper, to taste

The process:

Start browning the ground beef.  Once it has started to brown and get crumbly, stir in the bell pepper and onion and cook until the onion is almost translucent.  Add the garlic and stir.  Pour in the can of tomatoes without draining them, and simmer for about 20 more minutes.  Season with seasoned salt and black pepper.  I used a lot more seasoned salt than I thought I would.

About 20 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta and pour in enough warm water to cover everything.  Bring to a boil, cover, and cook the pasta.  Once the pasta is cooked, uncover the pot to boil down the "sauce."  My sauce thickened by some miraculous act of foodie voodoo, and I hope yours does too.

Serve with parmesan cheese, if you like.  That's all husband.  I ate mine plain and was happy as a clam.