Hoosier Goulash

Hoosier goulash is Indiana’s answer to “what’s for dinner on a Tuesday." It’s American goulash, not Hungarian, which means ground beef, elbow macaroni, and a triple hit of tomato: canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. What makes this version unusual is that the entire thing cooks in the microwave, start to finish, in about 20 minutes.

The microwave technique actually makes sense here. The ground beef browns in a colander set over a bowl, which drains the fat as it cooks. Smart and mess-free. No greasy skillet to scrub. The meat, onion, and all the tomato components go into a casserole with dry, uncooked macaroni, and 10 minutes on full power cooks the pasta right in the sauce.

A teaspoon of sugar in the tomato sauce takes the edge off the acidity from all three tomato products. It’s a common Italian-American trick: just enough to round out the flavor without making anything taste sweet.

Kitchen Tips

• Stir twice during the 10-minute cook. The macaroni on top won’t cook evenly if it’s not rotated into the sauce. Unstirred pasta stays crunchy.
• Use a large casserole dish. The sauce bubbles up during microwaving and a too-small dish means tomato splatters all over the inside of your microwave.
• Let it stand 5 minutes before serving. The macaroni continues absorbing sauce and the whole dish thickens as it rests.
• Crumble the beef well after the first microwave step. Large chunks don’t distribute evenly through the pasta.

Variations

• Stovetop method: Brown the beef in a Dutch oven, add everything else, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until the macaroni is tender.
• Cheesy goulash: Stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar after cooking and let it melt into the hot goulash before serving.