Goulash with Gnocchi
Gnocchi is one of my favorite “pastas”, although it’s not really a pasta. It’s a small dumpling usually made with potatoes. Gnocchi is cooked and served in the same way that pasta is, boiled gently in salted water and generally served with a tomato or butter sauce. They taste wonderful and are a unique alternative to traditional pasta.
This recipe for goulash called for ground chicken, but I needed to use up some ground beef, so I just omitted the oil and butter and substituted the beef for the chicken. I drained the browned meat before adding chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms, and garlic. After the veggies cooked for a few minutes, a seasoned everything with paprika, salt, and pepper, and then added stock and tomato sauce. Instead of canned tomato sauce, I used Prego. I think it made the sauce a little thicker and added a lot of flavor. I simmered everything for another couple of minutes before removing the pan from the heat and stirring in sour cream and parsley. The sour cream, although it sounds like an odd addition, adds a wonderful, rich flavor.
For the gnocchi, I boiled a large pot of water, salted it, and then added the frozen gnocchi (my grocery store doesn’t have fresh). The dumplings only cooked about 2 minutes before a couple floated to the top. As soon as the first few started floating, I drained them and added them to the goulash.
This makes a delicious, hearty meal. The sauce is thick and rich, and the gnocchi has a wonderful chewy texture. There are a lot of veggies that bring freshness to the dish. It’s quick, easy, and very filling. It would make a great meal to warm up in the middle of winter, or just when you want to try something that’s a little out of the ordinary.