Quick and Easy Goulash

Hi Everyone,

Yah it’s Friday!  Big plans for the weekend?  Do you know what to make for dinner?  It’s the weekend  and you want it to begin with a quick and healthy dish that is a snap to put together.  Why waste your Friday over the stove cooking or worse yet be like me and not have a clue what to make.  Well I have the answer for you whether you’re a meat-eater, a pasta lover or are gluten-free, I have the perfect dish for you.  Let me introduce to you a childhood recipe that my Mom used to make all of the time and it was my sisters favorite, my healthy Quick and Easy Goulash.

This dish is really a snap to put together. I had dinner on the table in about 20 – 25 minutes. I originally was going to make homemade pasta sauce, but due to the fact I didn’t have any canned tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, I went for second best which is a jar of pasta sauce. For my sauce I used Whole Foods Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce. I love it and it’s only 35 calories for a 1/2 cup. Not to bad for sauce. For the pasta, I used Quinoa Elbow Noodles. I love quinoa and whenever I get a chance to use it, I do. My Husband on the other hand hates quinoa and won’t touch it with a 10′ pole, but he ate my dinner. He said it was really good and had no clue what so ever it was quinoa. ha ha I got him again. Score for me!! I used the brand Ancient Harvest. It’s 205 calories per serving and 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams pf protein. However you could use whole wheat or regular pasta if you like. Just go for a thick pasta noodle like elbow, spirals or penne pasta.

To make all I did was cook lean ground beef with onions and garlic for a little extra flavor and when the beef was done I added my sauce to it. Cooked it until the sauce became nice and warm.

I mixed my meat sauce with the pasta, gave it a nice mix and then added a 1/2 cup of lite mozzarella cheese. I carefully stirred it until the cheese was melted. Popped it on a plate and served. My Husband ate it so fast that I didn’t even finish photographing my dish.  I don’t blame him, it was so good!  Hot, cheesy, hearty and perfect for a chilly evening.

I hope you have enjoyed this quick and easy dish. It really is so good and so darn hearty. One heaping cup with a side salad filled me up! I love dishes like this. Sometimes I tend to go pretty light with my meals due to snacking, but this dish had me full and there was no nighttime snacking for me. Yah!!

Well my Friends, time to get rolling. I need to do some recipe planning so I know what I can make for you next week!

Have a great weekend! Hope you get out there and enjoy the Fall.

Toodles,

Jennifer