Tasty Tuesday: Slow Cooker Goulash – Make Ahead

I love Pinterest. Especially when I find something that looks doable and then I do it! I’ve been able to mark a few things completed. I cleaned out my sink-drains with baking soda and vinegar. We have turned an old dresser into storage shelves in our basement. Most recently I made Freezer-Ready Crock Pot Goulash, a great recipe for my family and also to give as a gift to a family with a new baby.

This is a super easy recipe for goulash and I made three two-gallon freezer bags of it, each with 5 cups of prepared, but not cooked, goulash in it. I put it together this afternoon and then can cook it in our slow-cooker a day in the next month or two.

Make Ahead Slow Cooker Goulash
3 cups chopped onions (2 large onions)2.5 cups coarsely chopped green sweet peppers (2 green peppers)
3 cups of carrots (I chopped 4 large carrots)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into one inch cubes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
4 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper2 bay leaves

Needed for the day of the meal:
4 cups hot cooked noodles1/2 cup sour cream

Wash, peel, cut, chop and mix all of the ingredients. It took me about 15 minutes to do it all.

After your food is all mixed place in gallon-bags and squeeze out any air. Plop in your freezer. When you are ready cook this meal in your slow cooker put your frozen mixture in your cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. Pour over noodles and top with sour cream. YUM!

By the way, I made this particular batch for my brother, sister-in-law and their brand new baby. When the time comes it will be an easy meal for them to pull out and prepare. What are some of your favorite meals to give to a new-family?
– Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com

PS: The secret to some awesome cooking? A glass of wine (and I don’t mean in the recipe) 🙂

1/24/2012 – We cooked up our delicious Goulash yesterday and thought I’d share a picture of the cooked meal. It smelled good all day. I put it in the cooker frozen at 11am and it was ready by 4pm but we didn’t eat till 5:30. The extra hour and a half didn’t hurt a thing.. It tasted good, very tender and the right amount of spice. It was truly very good!