Cookbook Realization + Italian Goulash
Good news friends! I can walk this morning! Hooray! It's a Friday miracle! :)
I'm exaggerating. Sort of.
I'm still having trouble walking.
I'm so happy that it's Friday and that the weekend is just a few hours away. Shaun and I don't have much planned aside from a 5K walk down the Jersey Shore on Sunday morning. I love having open weekends!
So today I want to share a new recipe that I tried earlier this week. I have a pretty large cookbook collection and admitedly, many of them do not get much love. Not because they aren't fabulous, but because there is only so much time for meal planning!
This is just a sampling of the cookbooks I received this past Christmas
So I often overlook a lot of them, knowing that someday I will have the time to go through them and pick out recipes to try. Then I realized that someday should be now! There may be my next favorite recipe just sitting untouched on my bookshelf. So my new plan is to make an effort to really make a go of it with all of my cookbooks. I'm not going to get overwhelmed and try to make a new recipe from each one every night, but instead, pick a new recipe from a different book each week. What do you think? How do you handle cookbook overload?
In the spirit of working with new cookbooks, I broke out a book that I got at my bridal shower: Jamie and Bobby Deen's Y'all Come Eat. My mom, sister and aunt had gone to their book signing and even got us a signed copy, which is so sweet! And I love all the Deen's, so I knew this one would be a winner. Some of the recipes even seem significantly lighter than Mama Deen's butter-filled ones (not that there's anything wrong with that).
I found Bobby's Goulash and knew I had to give it a try. It not only looked easy and delicious, but also...dare I say it...healthy? Or adaptable to be made healthy at least. This recipe made a big batch that we had all week. It was a perfect Sunday dinner...and weekday lunch, and post-gym dinner on Wednesday. I changed the name of the recipe along with a few tweaks because, well...there is nothing about this recipe that says traditional goulash (which is a heavenly beef stew-type dish). It's really more of an Italian pasta dish. I don't mind. It's fabulous regardless of what you call it.
Italian Goulash
*Adapted from Y'All Come Eat
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey breast
1 large onion, diced
1 29oz can diced tomatoes
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C uncooked (!) whole wheat elbow macaroni
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
In a large pot/stock pot, heat a bit of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, about 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Once cooked through, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, soy sauce, basil, oregano, and garlic. Stir together, reduce the heat to simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Stir in the uncooked elbows, recover and simmer for another 20 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes and serve.
This dish was seriously SO good and SO easy! Shaun has already asked me to make it again! The key to this entire recipe? The soy sauce. It just gives an extra depth of flavor that is unbeatable in this dish. I highly recommend giving it a try today! Oh and the best part is that you can absolutely add vegetables to this dish as well! Next time I plan to add some spinach or even asparagus.
So there you have it. A dish worthy of Sunday dinner, and I hope that you try it and like it as much as we did! So what are your plans for the weekend?
12 Comments | April 8, 2011 | Share Article | Email Article | tagged cookbooks | in Recipes Print Article | Permalink
Reader Comments (12)
I am so bad about using my cookbooks! I have a ton of bookmarked recipes that I just can't seem to get to. Yay for an open weekend, enjoy:-)
I've been trying to break into my cookbook collection for ages - I go through stages (like last week) where I do awesome job, and then I get too busy (or lazy) and fall into a cooking rut! That goulash looks delicious, and while I know it wouldn't technically be "goulash," I think I could make a pretty awesome vegetarian version using mushrooms!
Breaking out the cookbooks is hard! I've just now started making time for them every Sunday to plan my meals. Unfortunately some recipes are so tedious for a weeknight meal that I tend to just breeze right through them. I'm doing better though.
My weekend plans? I get to chaparone prom tonight! Gotta make sure no one busts a Donna Martin...Don't take a life, Dont make a life....that's the motto of the night! lol
I'm bad about using my cookbooks too. It's just easier to google a recipe!
My plans for the weekend include a very long hilly walk tomorrow, my fingers are crossed that the sunshine we have today will stick around!!
I love this goulash. Looks so hearty and warm and comforting. Daniel and I will eat it soon :)
No big plans for me, but in truth, I love it that way :)
The goulash looks awesome. I haven't had goulash in so long, probably a decade! I'm the same way with cookbooks---I love them, and have lots of them...but they don't get used as much as I wish they would!
This weekend I'm doing tons of work first, and then spending the second half with my nephew. It may even be warm here by Sunday too... :)
ooooh yummy!!! have a great weekend friend! i've been trying to be better about using my cookbook collection as well :)
This looks incredibly delicious and SUPER easy. I LOVE that the macaroni is uncooked. Enjoy your open weekend. It's supposed to be beautiful here in New Jersey this weekend. (I live in NJ!) A walk down the shore sounds like just the thing.
First of all, I love your website. I just stumbled onto it from another blog.
Second, that goulash looks amazing. I love how you made it with turkey. I will definitely give that recipe a try. I think my kids would love it.
I also have a large cookbook collection. Before I buy a new one, I make sure I absolutely need it and will use it a ton, that way it won't get neglected.
Thanks Lee! So happy you found us!
What made you use turkey? As opposed to say, beef.
▌Do Italians cook much with turkey?▐
just a personal preference in my attempt to be a little healthier! You can definitely make this with beef, though!