Old-Fashioned Goulash

Ingredients

Tick each one off as you go.

• 1 lb (500 g) ground beef & 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped (traditional)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika & 1 tsp Italian herbs
• 2 tbsp tomato paste & 1 tbsp Worcestershire
• 3 ⅓ cups (800 g) canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 ⅔ cups (400 ml) passata
• 2 ⅛ cups (500 ml) beef stock & 2 bay leaves
• 2 ½ cups (250 g) elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1 cup (100 g) grated cheddar, to finish (optional)

Method

1. Brown. Brown the beef well in the oil, breaking it up. Add the onion and pepper for 5 minutes, then the garlic for one more.
2. Season. Stir in the paprika, herbs, purée and Worcestershire; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Simmer. Add tomatoes, passata, stock and bay. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes; season well.
4. Macaroni in the pot. Stir in the dry macaroni, cover, and simmer gently 12–15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until just tender.
5. Rest. Off the heat, bay leaves out, 5 minutes' rest — the sauce thickens to a perfect cling. Cheddar over the top if your granny was that kind of granny (ours was).