American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, has been popular in the United States since at least 1914 when it was first mentioned in a cookbook. Most mothers, when I was growing, had their own variation on the basic theme of noodle (elbow macaroni or curly egg noodle) with ground meat in a tomato based sauce.
It is not the least bit related to Hungarian goulash. My mother, being of Italian descent, used a bulk mild Italian sausage for the meat, while my best friend's mother used ground beef. Others used a combination of ground beef and pork. Diced and/or crushed tomatoes, onions and garlic were standard among versions and some also used chopped green peppers, as I do here. No one really used a recipe and you won't either after you've made it a time or two.
I make mine all in one pot, but you can also cook the noodles separately. I think they have more flavor cooked in the base ingredients.
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1 small bell pepper
1 1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage (or beef)
1/2 - 1 cup red wine (or chicken stock)
2 - 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup water
1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheese of your choice
Instructions
In a medium Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Dice the onion and bell pepper to a small dice. Mince the garlic. Add the onion to heated oil and stir occasionally until tender and translucent, but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Add the diced peppers to the onions, stirring to combine. A pinch of salt will help them soften. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
Add the sausage or ground beef to the pot with the vegetables and stir to break it into smaller bite sized pieces. Let it sit in one spot once broken up to brown on that side, then stir and let it continue to brown on other sides. When the meat is cooked through, stir in the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the red wine to the pot and stir scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
When most of the wine is evaporated, add the diced tomatoes, soy sauce, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and sugar. Stir to combine and until simmering (just below a boil). Reduce heat to medium-low and let the sauce cook covered for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
Add the water to the pot along with the uncooked macaroni. Let the macaroni simmer in the sauce, with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender (about 10-12 minutes). Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with grated cheese of your choice.
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