Healthy Goulash

A number of dishes that I serve are reworked versions of childhood classics that are made to include more vegetables and healthy ingredients, and a lot more flavor.  As a kid, I remember a dish served in the cafeteria known as goulash, which seemed to be like ground meat, tomatoes and probably some sort of elbow macaroni. I don’t recall if I liked it or not, and certainly didn’t associate it with anything Hungarian, but the name stuck.  These days, I frequently make a very different version of this when I have leftover ground meat, either beef or turkey (works with pork too), or leftover burgers or meatloaf.  Rather than using lots of pasta (since I’m cooking gluten free), I use thinly sliced cabbage.  Bacon, allspice, and paprika liven up the dish.  I serve this in big soup bowls with a green salad made with fruit on the side.

Healthy Goulash

2 slices bacon, slivered
1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 t allspice
1 t sweet paprika (or half sweet, half smoked)
red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1/2 head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 T red wine vinegar

In a large deep pan or stockpot, render the fat from the bacon, then brown the ground meat in the pan.  Add onion, garlic, and carrot and continue to cook until meat is cooked through and onion is tender.  Add tomatoes, spices, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add cabbage and stir to incorporate thoroughly (this will be a relatively large volume), add the red wine vinegar.  Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat and simmer until cabbage is just tender, about 8 minutes.  Stir well, and serve immediately.

shared at $5 Dinners, Pennywise Platter, Food Renegade, Grocery Cart Challenge, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday