American goulash is comfort food that the whole family will love. It's warm and hearty with a rich, savory sauce.
Best of all, it's one of the most affordable meals you can make in a single pot!
What I love most about this recipe is just how simple it is. As much as I enjoy cooking, I still don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen.
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This is a meal that I can prep on Sunday and feed the family for multiple meals. It's also great for potlucks.
American goulash is made with a tomato baste, ground beef, and elbow macaroni. Topped with a variety of seasoning to give it that rich, savory flavor.
What Is Goulash?
Goulash means something different, depending on where you're enjoying it. For this recipe, we'll talk about American goulash.
American goulash is a quick, comforting, one-pot meal popular in southern and midwestern US states.
It typically contains ground beef, a tomato-based sauce, pasta, onions, and peppers.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need for this goulash recipe:
- Ground beef. Good, old-fashioned ground beef provides the protein for this recipe. It's flavorful, juicy, and absolutely delicious. Don't get it too lean; you want a little fat for extra flavor.
- Onions, peppers, and garlic. Yellow onions, green bell peppers, and fresh garlic work best. These ingredients provide loads of earthy, umami flavor and a bit of crunch.
- A liquid base. You can use three cups of water or two cans of beef broth for the base. The beef broth makes the recipe richer, but it also adds more calories.
- Tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. These ingredients combine to make a rich, zesty sauce.
- Seasonings. You'll add Italian herb seasoning and seasoned salt to the goulash. Together, they add a ton of great Italian flavor.
- Elbow macaroni. You can also use bowtie pasta, shells, or something else. I don't suggest using long noodles, though. Add the pasta to the recipe uncooked. It'll cook along with everything else.
How to Make American Goulash
Here are the basic steps for preparing goulash:
1. Cook the meat. Use a large saucepan or a Dutch oven. Cook the meat for about 10 minutes, draining the grease when it's done.
2. Add the veggies, tomatoes, and seasonings. Next, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the onions are fragrant and translucent.
Then, add the water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and seasonings. Mix well.
Reduce the heat to low, and put the lid on the pot. Simmer the dish for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the pasta. Pour in the pasta and stir well. Return the lid to the pot and let the goulash simmer for another 30 minutes.
4. Garnish and serve! Transfer the goulash to individual serving bowls. Then, top them with shredded cheese (if desired), and enjoy!
Tips & Variations
Before you start cooking, check out these tips and tricks.
- Cook the noodles separately if you prefer. Cooking this dish in one pot is super simple. However, some people like to cook the noodles separately. If you go that route, don't add water to the recipe.
- Add extra flavor. Feel free to add a shake of garlic powder and freshly ground pepper.
- Make it spicy. Add a dash of chili powder or cayenne. Or swap 2 tablespoons of chili powder for the Italian seasoning. Either way, it'll taste delicious.
- Add a little sweetness. Two tablespoons of sugar can be your own secret ingredient for this recipe. If you don't mind the extra calories, sugar adds a bit of magic to the dish.
What's the Difference Between Hungarian Goulash and American Goulash?
Despite having the same name, these two dishes are as different as night and day. The primary difference between the two lies in their ingredients.
- Hungarian goulash. This recipe is a slow-cooked stew recipe. It includes three main ingredients: beef stew meat, tomato broth, and paprika. It's also a much older recipe that dates back to the 9th century AD.
- American goulash. This recipe is a newer, quicker goulash recipe. It uses ground beef (instead of stew meat) and doesn't usually contain paprika. It also traditionally has some type of pasta in it.
How to Store Leftovers
This goulash makes delicious leftovers! For proper storage, follow these tips.
Store in the Fridge: Allow your goulash to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and put it in the fridge. Leftover goulash will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: For a quick and easy meal, pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. You can also warm it up on the stovetop. Cook on medium until it's warmed through.
Can You Freeze Goulash?
You sure can! You can freeze leftover goulash or make it ahead of time for future meals.
Freeze: Allow goulash to cool completely. Freeze in an airtight container or ziploc bag. For best results, use within a month. When you freeze goulash, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, making them softer over time.
Of course, that's the great thing about comfort food, a little mushiness doesn't hurt. It still tastes delicous!
Reheat: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Warm on stovetop over medium heat or microwave until heated through.
What To Serve with Goulash
There are so many options for what you can serve with goulash.
However, when it comes to savory dishes like this, I always love a side of garlic bread to dip in the sauce. It's probably my favorite part.
Use my favorite recipe for garlic butter to make your bread extra delicious.
Here are some other suggestions:
Let me know in the comments if you've made this before. I'd also love to hear any tasty variations you've come up with 🙂
Easy Goulash Recipe
American Goulash is the perfect comfort food on a budget! It's warm, hearty, and super easy to make in a single pot.
8
servings15
minutes50
minutes385
kcalIngredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
3 cups water (or two 14.5-ounce cans of beef broth)
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp dried Italian herb seasoning
1 tbsp seasoned salt
2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)
Instructions
- Cook 2 pounds of ground beef in a Dutch oven or large, heavy saucepan until the meat is no longer pink. It usually takes about 10 minutes. Afterwards, drain the grease from the pan.
- Add the onion, garlic, and green bell pepper. Cook until onions are translucent.
- Add the water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt. Mix well. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Add the uncooked elbow macaroni. Stir well. Cover once again and allow everything to simmer until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Enjoy! Top with shredded cheese right before serving.
89 Comments
if this can be made in a crockpot, could you list the instructions? this looks delicious
Very good recipe. I’ve been trying to find a recipe like my mom’s. Cost effective meal for 8 hungry people. Very easy. Today, if I would use a crock pot, I would cook the noodles separately then add them about 30 min before serving. Otherwise they would get too mushy. We didn’t have a crock pot in the 1950’s
Haven’t tried it yet. I will comment after I try it. 🤠🇺🇲
magnificent;
Easy recipe to make
This is a great recipe. I’m doing make it tonight. It would be nice if the adds didn’t pop up in they way. They make it extremely difficult to read. After I give you my information I’ll be flooded with stupid adds. I guess that’s the price I pay for wanting your recipe. Please do something about the adds.
I love recipes that can be made all in one pot! I used my Instant Pot for this, and it was fantastically easy!! What a nice, tasty comfort food!!
Can I use a crock pot?
So yummy! I made this for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved it. I did my usual thing which involves me adding a few ingredients that weren’t in the recipe but which were as excellent additional level of flavors. I added some Worcesteshire sauce, umami seasoning, 1-1/2 teaspoons of chili powder & the 21 flavor seasoning that is so popular. It can be bought on Amazon. This was very delicious. We will have it again because it makes a LOT for 2 people & I’ll probably freeze some. I can’t imagine anyone complaining about this wonderful recipe. It’s just quick, easy & delicious. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us.
Love golash
This recipe is not difficult to make and it is so good everyone that had some came back for 2nds & 3rds and I am not excluding myself.
I will be making this again soon only extra
I added was more elbow macaroni I used these Curly macaroni noodles.
So much like what my mom used to make when I was a kid growing up in Iowa. I used fire roasted canned tomatoes and added an extra can because I love the tomatoes in Goulash. Thank you for sharing,
Tom
First time I had goulash was 70 years ago at a friend’s house. Her Mom made it on the stove. So yummy with garlic bread. I even asked her for the recipe to take home to my Mom. My own kids loved it too. A really good lunch on cold winter days. ❤️
Yes
Have to try this. I have had it before when others make it, but I’m not trying to make it myself yet.
I’ve made similar goulash , we ate alot of one pot meals growing up with 7 of us and Mom and Daddy. Good Food 👍 👍
A childhood favorite. Now I call it comfort food.
Amazing !
I did add one little sauce to it and that was Worcestershire sauce !! About 1 tbs.
Thank you for sharing your recipe, it was easy breezy !
Made a lot unfortunately because I hate to throw good ingredients away. Definitely won’t make it again.
Mine looks just like the picture of yours. Taste took me back 6 years to my mother’s goulash..