Don't walk away! I know what you're thinking.

And I know it for two reasons. One was my own reaction as a kid when I first heard my grandma was making goulash, and two was Jon's reaction a week ago when he heard I was making goulash.

But just trust me - it's one of my favorite comfort foods, and Jon was a very quick convert, too. It somehow achieves all the depth of flavor of, say, chili or stew, but in about a quarter or eighth of the time. I also love how tomato-heavy it is, giving it a much more Italian flavor profile than other one-pot meat dishes (especially with my addition of hot Italian sausage in conjunction with the usual ground beef). And my version has a secret ingredient: Pastabilities' Spicy Hot Tom sauce, my love for which I've discussed over and over and over again. I love to eat goulash with nothing but good buttered bread on the side for dipping, but you could also add some fresh herbs like Parsley or some grated Parmesan.

American goulash with Italian sausage

Yields about 8 servings
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
3 links hot italian sausage, casings removed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 T garlic powder
½ T onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp ground oregano
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2½ tsp salt, or more to taste
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
Two 15 oz cans tomato sauce
Two 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
15 oz water (I just refill one of the tomato cans)
½ cup Pastabilities Spicy Hot Tom (available at Wegmans and online)
Few dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2½ cups raw elbow macaroni
A couple pinches of sugar to offset the acidity
More salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the ground beef and sausage, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When it’s cooked through, add in onion along with garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Pour in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, Spicy Hot Tom (spoon the tomato sauce from bottom of jar, leaving behind the oil), and Worcestershire, as well as bay leaves. Cover Dutch oven with lid and cook for 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times (mixture should be simmering or boiling very gently - lower the heat if boiling rapidly). After 20 minutes, add elbow macaroni, cover with lid again, and lower heat to medium-low/low for 20 minutes, stirring often to make sure noodles aren’t sticking to bottom of pan. Stir in sugar, and additional salt and pepper if you’d like. Off the heat, and serve right away if you’d like alongside buttered bread. However, I prefer to let it cool completely, refrigerate it, and then reheat on the stove over medium-low, adding a bit of water to the pan for consistency (it’s always better the next day!)