Pasta Goulash

 

Before we get to the Pasta Goulash Recipe, let’s talk birthday. The 1^st birthday party was a success!

Will ate carrot cupcakes on his real birthday and then chocolate cake on Saturday at his party. Talk about sugar overload for that kid!! But you only turn 1 once, right? 🙂

We had such a great weekend with family and friends. It was supposed to rain in Chicago over Labor Day weekend but it ended up being clear the whole weekend which was perfect! We spent most of the time outside enjoying the last days of summer. One sure way to know it is the end of summer is when you go to Home Depot and there are rows and rows of mums.  My favorite fall flower..bright and beautiful.

After our busy weekend we didn’t want to cook a big, complicated meal last night.  My husband and I threw this pasta goulash together and it was delicious and easy.

It is a simple recipe that involves chopping and cooking vegetables…

Adding herbs, meat, mozzarella and sauce…

and then mixing it with cooked pasta.

Pretty easy, right!?  And we had enough for leftovers…perfect!

Pasta Goulash

Ingredients

½ cup of sweet white onion

½ cup of green onion

½ cup of red bell pepper

½ cup of green pepper

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons basil (or a handful of fresh basil)

1 pound of beef (typically I use 90/10 ground sirloin)

1 cup of mozzarella cheese

1 jar of pasta sauce

1 box of pasta

Serving size 4-5 people

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Preparation

1. Heat water for pasta in large pot.
2. Chop all vegetables and place in mixing bowl.

Directions

1. Place pasta in large pot of water and begin cooking. Stirring occasionally.
2. Warm skillet with a small amount of olive oil and add chopped vegetables and salt.  Sauté for five minutes.  Add beef and garlic.  Cook until beef is cooked through.
3. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and set aside.
4. Using the pot that the pasta cooked in add beef and vegetable mixture along with the jar of sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese. Stir on low heat for 2 minutes.
5. Add pasta into the large pot of sauce and continue stirring on low heat until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite Italian bread on the side.

I hope everyone has recovered from the holiday weekend and are enjoying their short week. I know I am!

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What is your quick and easy go-to recipe on a Sunday night? I would love to hear!