This vegetable-loaded American goulash packs in added nutrition

Nutrition can seem overwhelmingly complicated at times, but one of the most impactful things you can do to improve your health and well-being is quite simple: Eat more vegetables.

Vegetables are packed with the nutrients our bodies rely on to fight disease and help us feel and look our best. The fiber in them supports gut health and makes us feel more full with fewer calories, and the color they add to the plate makes the eating experience all the more pleasurable.

There’s no need to overhaul your life to get more vegetables — you can simply add them to the foods you already enjoy. It can be as easy as layering sandwiches with sliced cucumber and radishes along with the usual lettuce and tomato; folding diced tomatoes or leftover chopped roasted vegetables into your scrambled egg; or topping your spaghetti and meatballs (or penne with shrimp) with a mound of fresh arugula.

This recipe runs with that idea by packing a medley of colorful vegetables in the comfort-food-favorite American goulash. Like the homey classic, this recipe starts with a pound of ground beef (or turkey), which is browned with onion and garlic, then simmered in a tomato-y sauce with elbow macaroni. But here, mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli are added to the mix. Along with the extra vegetable goodness they bring to this affordable, one-pot meal, the addition of these ingredients makes the dish more healthfully balanced, more nutrient-dense, and more fulfilling.

A single spoonful of this goulash will convince you that eating well doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite foods.

This goulash is meaty, saucy, and packed with macaroni, as you’d expect from the comfort food classic. The added benefit of colorful vegetables — zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, and broccoli — makes it a complete, more-healthful meal than its traditional cousin.

Active time: 40 mins. Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 4-6 (makes 9 cups)

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. As the noodles sit, they’ll continue to absorb water and may turn mushy.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef, preferably 93% lean (see Substitutions)

1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), diced

4 ounces white button mushrooms (about 8 small), trimmed and sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

1 small zucchini (6 to 8 ounces), trimmed and diced

2 cups (5 ounces) bite-size broccoli florets (fresh or frozen; if frozen, no need to defrost)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste (optional)

3 cups low-sodium or no-salt-added beef broth (see Substitutions)

One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

One (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices

2 cups (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni, preferably whole-grain

Directions

In a medium (4-quart) pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the ground beef and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink and the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their water and it evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 1 minute more.

Add the zucchini, broccoli, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened slightly, about 3 minutes.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes, with their juices, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the macaroni, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is just tender, about 8 minutes. Taste, and season with additional salt and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve family-style or divide among individual shallow bowls.

Substitutions:

Ground beef >> 93% lean ground turkey or chicken. Beef broth >> chicken broth. Dried herbs >> 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped fresh basil and oregano.

Vegetarian? Use a plant-based ground meat substitute or crumbled tempeh, and vegetable broth. Gluten-free? Use gluten-free pasta

Nutritional Facts per serving (1 1/2 cups), based on 6 | Calories: 342; Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 39 g; Sodium: 281 mg; Cholesterol: 48 mg; Protein: 26 g; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 8 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger.