Goulash aka American chop suey is by far, one of the most inexpensive, filling, tasty meals that the whole family enjoys. It’s comfort food if you will, and while it’s delicious the first day, like most pasta recipes, it’s even better as leftovers!
I was reading through some older posts in the dinners under $2.50 section of the forums and when I created that forum, I didn’t mean that the dinners were under $2.50 per Serving, I meant that the entire meal (for the entire family!) was under $2.50! It’s fairly easy to make a decent dinner for $10 ($2.50 per Serving), but sometimes it’s a little more difficult to keep the meals dirt cheap.
When I first shared this recipe on our site, it was less than two dollars to prepare for the entire family. This entire meal is still under five dollars, without even trying. It could obviously be made more frugally by using home-canned tomatoes, homemade pasta, and ground venison.
Goulash aka Chop Suey
Budget101 Chop Suey Price Breakdown
The prices listed were taken directly off Walmart’s website and are current as of February 29, 2020.
Elbow Macaroni (1 Box ) $0.78
Diced Tomatoes (1 Can ) $0.46 (generic is fine)
Ground Turkey- 1 lb Italian $2.58 (Walmart frozen section)
minced garlic (2 tsp )$0.09
onion (one-half) $0.32
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$4.23 serves 4-6 people (plus leftovers)
Goulash- American Chop Suey Recipe
You’ll Need:
1 Box Elbow Macaroni
1 lb Ground Turkey- Italian
1 Can (undrained) Diced Tomatoes
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 finely chopped onion
Boil the macaroni until tender, in the meantime, brown the ground turkey, add the onions, cooking until the translucent. Add 1 can diced tomatoes (un-drained), minced garlic and a sprinkle of garlic salt, Italian seasoning, chopped fresh basil (basically whatever you have on hand that you like).
Drain macaroni, add the seasoned burger/tomato mix. Stir, and serve hot.
I don’t know the origin of the recipe, I have heard people refer to it as goulash, chop suey, etc, but what I do know, is that is is a super simple, dirt-cheap meal that I was raised eating on a fairly regular basis.
To switch it up, transfer it to a casserole dish, and top with a couple of handfuls of your favorite shredded cheese. Bake at 350°F until the cheese melts about 15 minutes.
©Canstock Photo fanfo
In my experience I prefer to use 2 cans of tomatoes so it is not so dry. Or sometimes I will add some tomato juice.
I’ve done that too. I find that home-canned tomatoes offer the best flavor and that’s usually what we used when the kids were still home. A little diced green pepper or even a finely minced jalapeno offer a kick of flavor too. Thanks for visiting our page Donna!