Lamb Meatball Goulash - Cook Once East Twice

Lamb meatballs in a goulasch sauce served with tagliatelle.

 Now that there are usually just two of us at home, our motto is, 'Cook Once. Eat Twice'.  This is mainly because I still cook enough for a family. My mother was the same, and it pays off.  I love the fact that I can find another meal in the freezer a couple of weeks later, particularly when making it in the first place takes time.










Goulash is a good supper dish, particularly when the weather gets colder. This one is based on a recipe by Delia Smith for Waitrose, using ready-made beef meatballs.  Normally I do just that, but this time I had some lamb mince in the freezer, bought by accident when I thought it was pork, but that's another story.  Anyway, lamb works beautifully in this recipe.  It gives a certain richness to the dish. Verdict:  Delicious.

All the ingredients for the meatballs.

Patties made up using a Tablespoon of meat mixture each.

Ingredients for the sauce.

Goulash, hot and ready to serve.

How to make the meatballs:

2 pounds of lamb mince

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 a yellow or red pepper, finely chopped

1 egg

Salt, pepper and 1/2 cup cracker crumbs

(To make the cracker crumbs, use crackers with some flavour, like Krakawheat. Use a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin to make fine crumbs.)

Mix all the ingredients together.

Scoop up a tablespoon at a time and roll into balls.  

Flatten like mini hamburgers for easier browning.

Fry in a little oil until brown on each side.

As you finish each batch, remove the meatballs from the pan and put to one side.

How to make the sauce:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large chopped onion

1 red or green pepper (I used green for mine)

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced

2 cans (400 grams each) chopped tomatoes

1 heaped Tablespoon flour

1 Tablespoon Hungarian paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

In the same frying pan that you browned the meatballs, soften the onion, pepper and garlic.

Add the flour and the paprika and stir for 1 minute.

Put this mixture in a large, oven proof casserole dish and then tip in the tomatoes and stir.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the meatballs into the tomato mixture and stir again.

Bring to simmering point.

Put a circle of damp grease proof paper on top of the goulash then cover with the lid to keep the moisture in.

Put in a pre-heated oven at 140 C or 275 F.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Serve with tagliatelle, potatoes or rice and a dollop of creme fraiche, Greek yoghurt or sour cream.