Lectin Free Goulash

Goulash is an easy family dish of Hungarian origin. Make it lectin free with sorghum macaroni and strained tomatoes and savory spices. Get the recipe!

There's nothing like curling up to a hot bowl of comforting goulash. Goulash may not be considered the most gourmet of cuisines, but it sure tastes good. Goulash is one of those dishes that excites the whole family – even the most finicky eaters. For the foundation, we use al dente sorghum macaroni. Add garlic, onions, savory spices, and pastured sweet Italian pork sausage. For the finishing touch, we'll top it with shave Italian cheese. Read on for the recipe.

Goulash originated in Hungary, but almost every European country has a similar version of this classic comfort food. The dish can be traced back to the 9th century to a practical one pot meal made by Magyar shepherds. Before setting out to herd sheep, they'd make a big pot of the savory, meaty stew, dehydrate it in the sun, and pack it to go in bags made of sheep stomachs. Then, out in the pastures, they'd reconstitute the dried stew at mealtime.

Unless you're a shepherd, ewe can skip the drying and reconstituting steps. Forgive my baaaaaaad humor.

Now, before we get on with the recipe, let's talk about a couple special ingredients. You may have noticed a few very large elephants in the room – tomatoes, pork sausage, and pasta. First, not just any tomato sauce will do. Only use a strained tomato product like Pomi strained tomatoes. Second, use pork sausage made from pastured pork. Just google pasture-raised pork and you'll likely find several companies in your area that will ship meat packed in dry ice directly to your door. And, likely they make their own Italian or breakfast sausage. You can either use ground or a large link (sliced) for this recipe.

If you can't find the pork sausage, just use 100% grassfed ground beef and make my fennel sausage recipe found here: Sausage Egg McHealthy (lectinfreegourmet.com)

Third, I use macaroni for this recipe. Obviously, most macaroni isn't lectin free. But I found a company that makes terrific pastas out of approved hull-free grains. Big Green Organic has the pastas we crave, without the lectins. Choose from organic 100% millet or sorghum varieties. The best news of all is that these pastas are getting easier and easier to find. They're now available on Amazon and Walmart sites.

Or just buy it directly from Big Green. Not everything they make is Plant Paradox compliant, so be sure to read ingredients. Choose the pastas that list one ingredient, millet or sorghum, on the label. Here's a direct link to the sorghum macaroni I used for this dish. Organic Sorghum Macaroni – Big Green Organic Food

Now, let's make GOULASH!

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The Recipe

LFG Goulash

1 Package BGO Organic 100% Sorghum Macaroni

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Garlic Clove (minced)

1 Small Yellow Onion (diced)

1 lb Pasture-Raised Pork Sausage or 100% Grassfed Beef LFG Sausage

1 Tbsp Italian Herbs

1 tsp Hungarian Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

(1) 26 oz Carton of Organic Pomi Strained Tomatoes*

Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano (for top)

*If you can't find organic strained tomatoes, simply dump a large can of whole peeled tomatoes into a pressure cooker with 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Pressure cook for 5 minutes to zap the lectins. Then, with your fingertips, push the cooked tomatoes through a strainer and into a bowl. The seeds will remain in the strainer.

Step 1: Boil Pasta

In a large saucepan, prepare pasta as directed. For al dente macaroni that won't fall apart when you fold it into the goulash, only boil 7 minutes. Strain and set aside.

Step 2: Cook Sausage

While the pasta is boiling, you'll have time to brown the meat. In a large skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat, add olive oil garlic and onions. Stir until well coated with oil. Add sausage, herbs and seasonings, and cook until browned.

Step 3: Add Strained Tomatoes

Dump the strained tomatoes into the browned sausage and bring to a slow bubble. Remove from heat.

Step 4: Fold in Macaroni

Gently fold in the strained macaroni until evenly coated with sauce.

Serve this dish in a soup or pasta bowl and garnish with shaved authentic Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. ENJOY!