Goulash for a winter’s night

Somewhere between a soup and a stew, this is a hearty and warming bowl of comfort on a cold night. I love how satisfying this is and the fact that it has lots of veggies. Also, this is a one pot dish that you can easily make the day before and just warm up. You won’t believe how much flavor you get from the 2 different paprikas and the caraway—this is just great. If you really want to kick this up, serve it over True Grits. YUM!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon canola oil

½ cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

1 small onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large green pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1 pound ground beef

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid

2 cups water

1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms (optional, but I love mushrooms)

2 cups shredded cabbage (I cheat and use slaw mix)

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons ketchup (yes, really)

2 teaspoons beef base (like “Better than Bouillon”®)

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Green onions and sour cream for garnish

Directions: Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Toss in the carrots, celery and onion. Cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes or until the veggies are fragrant. Add in the garlic and green peppers and cook for another 3 minutes or so—just until you can smell the garlic, but it isn’t brown.

Crumble the ground beef into the pot and cook, stirring often, until the beef is browned. Drain off any excess fat if you like.

Next add in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cook, stirring occasionally for 1 hour (longer is even better). Note: I left mine uncovered to get it thicker, but you can certainly cover yours if you want.

Serve in bowls garnished with a spoonful of sour cream and some sliced green onions. Great with crusty bread or spooned over noodles.