Lunch Lady Texas Goulash

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Full of delicious grown-up flavor but reminiscent of school lunch days, this favorite goulash will bring back childhood memories.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup tomato paste
2 cups water
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package dry elbow macaroni

Directions

1 Cook and stir ground beef, bell pepper, and onion in a large pot over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbly and vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
2 Pour pinto beans into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
3 Combine 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, chili powder, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; stir into the beef mixture. Add pinto bean mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4 While goulash cooks, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
5 Mix cooked macaroni into the goulash, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.