Grandma's Goulash

Growing up, a staple meal that we had at our house was "macaroni and tomatoes with hamburger and mushroom." And that's what we called it. It wasn't until my adulthood that I discovered there is actually another name for this - goulash! I remember hearing about this mysterious dinner called "goulash" but it never sounded very tasty. Come to find out, it is one of my comfort foods! Simple, quick, easy and delicious! The other day, I tried a recipe I found via Pinterest called "Grandma's Goulash." You can check it out here.

Photo from Pinterest

I tweaked this recipe ever-so-slightly to add in veggies that my family would enjoy eating without noticing. This is a technique I've picked up from the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. Which is an incredible book for getting your family to eat healthy, tasty meals without them necessarily knowing that's what you are doing. Sneaky, sneaky! :)

Anyway, in my goulash, I added mushrooms, red pepper and - wait for it - pureed sweet potato! Crazy, right? Crazy-good, that is! I did not have any shell pasta, so I ended up making mine with bow-tie pasta, so don't feel confined to using a certain pasta - use whatever your little heart desires. This tasted way good and the sweet potato was so mild it was hardly noticeable. My son, the picky eater who pretty much just loves sweet stuff, really liked this too. I also made vegetables for a side, but this was great on its own because of all the good stuff that was in it! Protein, veggies, grains, fruit (tomatoes) and dairy (parmesan cheese). This was the whole, delightfully tasty package!

So, there you have it. A new recipe to try, if you'd like. It's so yummy. My picture doesn't do it justice, but it still works.