Italian Goulash

$6.68 total / $0.84 per serving

Nothing beats a hearty meal on the first chilly nights of fall. I love this recipe because it is so heart-warming and easily fills up the man of the house. This recipe is originally a soup, less pasta, but I'm a sucker for goulash. The more noodles the better, I say!

Nutritional Highlight: Carrots. Beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to Vitamin A during digestion, is one of the main nutritional highlights of this root vegetable. Carrots also contain some Vitamin C as well. Carrots can be juiced to expel all of the valuable carotenoids in large quantities to help stave off cancer and keep vision intact. 

Italian Goulash  (serves 6-8)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled & chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 lb hot ground Italian sausage

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 -2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 can cannellini beans

1 1/2 cups ditalini (or other small pasta)

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the sausage to the pot, crumbling as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in Italian seasoning and red pepper. Stir in tomatoes and stock.

Stir in the beans and ditalini.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Nutritional Analysis:

Per Serving: 434 calories, 15.7g fat (7g saturated, 2.8g polyunsaturated, 10.1g monounsaturated), 54.5g carbohydrate, 21.1g protein. Extremely high in Vitamins A, B-6, C, Folate, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Selenium, and Thiamin. Very high in Calcium and Copper, Also good source of Vitamin B-12, Magnesium, and Manganese.