Weeks (and weeks) ago I asked on Twitter for some hamburger ideas. I was…fresh out and I had hamburger that had to be used. Someone suggested Goulash, which I just knew my family wouldn’t eat, but when I went searching for a recipe for it, I found one for Mexican Goulash on allrecipes.com. Right up our alley (with modifications, of course).

Mexican Goulash based on a recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 small can diced green chiles
• 1 can corn (drained)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 package taco seasoning (or a few Tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of cumin (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (or whatever pasta you like)
• 2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Brown hamburger in skillet.

2. Add onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes.

3. Add taco seasoning, chili powder, oregano, cumin and mix well

4. Stir in water, tomatoes, green chiles, corn and bring to a boil.

5. Add pasta, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until your pasta is tender.

6. Top with cheese, cover and cook for a few more minutes, only until cheese is melted.

Serve with cornbread!

For variations, you could use ground turkey, or add sausage for additional flavor. I found the original recipe (not posted here) way too bland so I added a lot of spices and seasonings. How you manage those to your family’s taste is the key to this recipe. You can make it spicier or blander by adding/removing spices or using less of them.