As a child my mom made something very similar to this but she called it Goulash. I think I like calling it the Poverty Meal instead as that is exactly what it was.
We grew up poor and my mom did her best to provide for us. I could always tell how broke we were by the ingredients she used, no kidding.
If times were good the recipe included vegetables, ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and cheese. If we were broke it became a simple tomato sauce and noodle dinner.
I have made this a few times for my family and I need to include it in my menu planning more often as my kids actually like it and eat it well.
It’s one of those quick dinner recipes that definitely fits well within my $5 dinner meals and depending on the ingredients you use it could actually be less than $2 to prepare. So here is my version of a Poverty Meal or as my mom calls it her Goulash recipe.
My Mom’s Goulash Recipe – My Poverty Meal
Goulash Recipe
Inspiration from Recipezaar, family recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Meal Preparation Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef (ground turkey works well too)
- 2 small cans of tomato sauce
- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
- 1 pkg. elbow macaroni
- 1 can of mixed vegetables (optional)
- 1 cup of cheese (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Meal Preparation Directions:
- Prepare elbow macaroni according to directions on package, drain and put back in pot
- Cook ground beef or turkey until done, drain grease
- Add tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup and mixed vegetable to pot of macaroni, mix well
- Add ground beef or turkey and salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with cheese if desired.
Meal Assembly:
Serves 4-6. Add a dinner salad and sliced french bread for a nutritious cheap family meal.
TIP: Double the batch for a make ahead freezer meal next week. Need tips to begin make ahead meal planning? Here is a great article: Quick Tips For Make Ahead Meals
Looking for something different? Try this Quick Dinner Recipe: Easy Tuna-Fish Casserole
Or better yet try this kid approved meal: Easy Meatloaf Recipe
[...] Goulash Recipe - yes, living in poverty can be delicious! [...]
The recipe above is not good enough as it is,need some additional stuff to make it edible,unless you have a bland taste bud.I added 1 T.dried onion flakes,1 can sweet green peas instead of mix veg,1 cup spaghetti sauce,3 T sugar ,italian seasoning,oregano. I also use ground turkey,,,good enough and still Cheap !
Thanks for the suggestions Mom Jo…I am always looking for new ways to add flavor to any dish.
My mom always made “poverty meals”, too. We grew up so poor. But none of the poverty meals she made are worth repeating. ;)
How many does this serve? I want to try it. Thanks
Our money situation is very tight rigtht now, and making healthy meals for my family has been a concern. This is one my boys (10, 7 and 4) just love. Thanks!
How long do you cook this? Have you made as a freeze-ahead meal? If so, do you have directions for how to cook after frozen? Thanks!
We make this a lot, but in our version there are no veggies or canned soups. We add Italian seasoning and sometimes ricotta cheese mixed in, put the cheese on top and bake it. Depending on sales, I can often do a double batch too feed my family of 8 for under 5 or 6 dollars.
My mom made Goulash as well – however she called it Hungarian Goulash. There is no trace of Hungary in family – just plain Hungry! Her recipe had no noodles – in fact, it consisted of anything that was left over from the meals before – potatoes, all sorts of meats (yes, chicken, beef, sausage – it all went in), any of the veggies left over (pre-cooked veggies), she added onion and margarine. Fried it all up (probably not very good for you). We ate it like crazy… I think today, a healthier version could be made by baking it. Yum
Using boxes of kd in a recipes me this is actually good n then no need for a lot of extra seasoning. Believe it or not 2 boxes kd with ketchup n ground beef is quite tasty n inexpensive;)