Have you ever opened the fridge on a Saturday night without a real plan, just wanting something delicious without spending two hours on it? This homemade goulash is exactly that dish. Hearty, simple, and frankly much better than its somewhat ordinary name suggests.

In the pot, the sauce is thick. Almost orange, with light brown glints where the beef caramelized against the sides. The macaroni has soaked up all the sauce during cooking—they aren’t floating in it; they are part of it. It smells of garlic, oregano, something warm and deep that makes you want to sit down and never move.