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an everyday oven-safe skillet of red tomato-coated elbow macaroni, crumbled ground beef, small red pepper pieces and yellow corn beneath a melted orange cheddar top browned in scattered patches, with no garnish
Rachel Kim

American Goulash

American goulash wants elbow macaroni and a tomato sauce that gets into every bend, not a pot of Hungarian beef stew wearing the wrong name. This skillet version adds corn and finishes under a cheddar lid in the oven. Cook the pasta just short of tender before that final stage. The cheese should brown in patches while the sauce stays spoonable underneath, so don't wait for the skillet to look like a dry casserole before you add the topping. Use a broiler-safe pan and keep its handle turned away from you after it comes out; it stays hot long after the bubbling settles.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/4 lbs 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 can 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 10 oz dry elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup water reserved as needed
  • 4 oz medium cheddar grated

Method
 

  1. Heat a deep broiler-safe 12-inch 5-quart skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef, onion and pepper for 9 minutes, breaking up the meat and cooking it to 160°F. Drain excess fat.
  2. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, paprika and oregano for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, broth, macaroni, corn, salt and pepper.
  3. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook uncovered for 11 to 14 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until pasta is nearly tender. Add reserved water a little at a time if needed to keep the sauce loose.
  4. Heat the broiler and position a rack 6 inches below it. Spread cheddar over the moist pasta and broil for 2 to 4 minutes until the cheese melts and browns in small patches.
  5. Set the skillet on a heatproof surface and rest for 3 minutes, guarding the hot handle. Spoon into bowls while the tomato sauce remains soft beneath the cheese.