Cooking with Beer - One Pot Beer Goulash

Beef Goulash - or American Chop Suey - is a comfort food from my youth. It was a filling meal I could look forward to my mom serving up when the weather turned chilly. It was one of my favorites.

This isn't my Mom's recipe but one I've adapted from one similar to what she used to make.

I think beer makes just about everything better. That and cheese. So, my recipe includes both. And, damn, it's awfully good!

My mom liked to put black olives in her goulash and I like it like that, as well. But hubby has a thing against black olives so I omitted them from the recipe. But feel free to add them in. Mushrooms and green peppers are good too.

This recipe is made in one pot. You don't need to pre-cook the macaroni, so it saves time and effort.  It also makes a huge pot that's great for a large meal or for leftovers. It's awfully good left over, too!

I used a bottle of my husband's home brewed nut brown ale, but you can used what you like. A heartier beer would work best in this recipe to stand up to the other ingredients.

We like our food spicy so I use hot sausage, hot Hungarian paprika, and Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning. You can tone it down by using regular sausage and regular paprika and whatever seasoned salt you like.








One Pot Beer Goulash

1 Lb Ground Beef
1 Lb Bulk Hot Pork Sausage
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 12-Oz Lager Or Brown Ale
2 1/2 Cups Water
1 Can (28 Oz.) Chopped Tomatoes, Undrained
2 Can Kidney Beans, Undrained
2 Tbsp. Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
1 Tbsp Hot Hungarian Paprika
1 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Sm. Can Tomato Paste
1 Lb (4 Cups) Uncooked Elbow Macaroni
3 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Heat olive oil in in a 5 qt. pan over medium heat. Cook until soft and somewhat translucent. Add the ground beef and sausage. Cook and crumble beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink.

Add the garlic, beer, water, tomatoes, kidney beans,
seasoning, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes.

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add the elbow macaroni and stir well. Cover with lid and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until the noodles are done.

Allow to sit covered for 5-10 minutes. Stir in two cups of the cheddar cheese. Mix well.

Serve with a garnish of additional cheddar cheese, if desired. The more cheese the merrier, as far as I'm concerned.