If there is one recipe my kids will request I make time and time again, it’s this family friendly pasta. This Goulash Recipe is a hearty mix of ground beef, macaroni, and tomato sauce. I cook it all in one pot for a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love.
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This easy goulash has over 500 5-star reviews. I’m so proud that so many people around the world have made it and decided they loved it enough to let me know. I hope your family loves it as much as ours.
What’s in this Goulash Recipe?
I love that all you have to do to prepare this easy dinner is to throw all the ingredients in a pot and cook!
- Ground Beef: Ground beef or hamburger meat is the best option for a quick, one-pot recipe like this.
- Onion: I recommend using yellow onion for the best flavor. If you like red onions, use them as a topping instead.
- Broth: Beef broth tastes best, but you can substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth if you need to.
- Diced Tomatoes: Grab a can of regular diced tomatoes for convenience.
- Marinara Sauce: Helps thicken up the sauce and enhances the tomato flavor.
- Brown Sugar: This is optional but adds just a touch of sweetness!
- Soy Sauce: Enhances the umami flavor of this dish. You could also use Worcestershire sauce.
- Seasonings: This recipe uses paprika (a must for any goulash recipe!), Italian seasoning, garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and a bay leaf.
- Macaroni: Traditional elbow macaroni is my favorite, but you can use another short or tubular noodle. Penne works great too!
- Cheddar Cheese: This is optional, but I love to make our beef goulash cheesy by adding some on top at the end.
Pro Tip: Cook the goulash in a Dutch oven or heavy-based pot. This will distribute the heat more evenly and you are less likely to get hot spots that can burn the bottom.
Variations
When I want to add some vegetables to this dish, I mix in carrots, potatoes, and other hearty veggies. That’s one great way I mix in some hidden veggies that the kids want to scarf down. I always par-cook them to slightly tender, then add them in with the rest of the ingredients.
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How to Store and Reheat
I store leftover goulash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, I reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Let the goulash cool completely before transferring it to Ziplock bags or an airtight container. It will keep well for 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty American Chop Suey makes a great dinner by itself, but I find it also pairs well with cornbread, dinner rolls, or any kind of bread you like for a bit of scooping and dipping. My kids love it best when I serve it with a side of mashed potatoes or au gratin potatoes.
Easy Goulash Recipe (American Style)
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Ingredients
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 cup marinara sauce store-bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional, for a sweeter sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning store-bought or homemade
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- ½ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese optional
- Chopped fresh parsley optional, for garnish
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and onion together until the onion softens and the meat cooks through, about 3-5 minutes.¾ pound ground beef, ½ yellow onion
- Drain any grease.
- Add the beef broth, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, seasoned salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.2 cups low sodium beef broth, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, 1 cup marinara sauce, 1 bay leaf, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes, covered.
- Add the elbow macaroni and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Don’t overcook.1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- Remove the bay leaves and adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Add the shredded cheese, optional. If you are using a Dutch oven, you can pop it in the oven and melt and brown the cheese if desired.½ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Garnish the finished dish with chopped parsley, optional.Chopped fresh parsley
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- When the goulash is warm, it will resemble a soup, but it will thicken as it cools.
- Cook the goulash in a Dutch oven or heavy based pot. This will distribute the heat more evenly and you are less likely to get hot spots which can burn the bottom.
- Fell free to add in extra veggies. Bell peppers and mushrooms both work well.
- If making ahead of time, let it cool completely before storing.
Nutrition Information
Goulash is a stew made from meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices.
Hamburger Helper is similar to goulash, but it is creamier, cheesier, and less tomato-heavy.
American Goulash is made with ground beef, a tomato-based sauce, and elbow macaroni. Overall, it’s more like a casserole than a stew. Hungarian Goulash, on the other hand, is more of a traditional stew, made with stew meat (like chuck roast), and lots of vegetables. It’s a much thicker consistency and served over a bed of noodles or dumplings.
I like to use lean ground beef for this recipe, but you can easily make it with ground turkey, chicken or pork, or even try ground veal or bison.
No, the pasta will cook through perfectly in the pot along with the other ingredients.
If it’s watery or runny, just let it continue to simmer for a while longer and stir. This usually does the trick for me, Otherwise, you can mix in just a bit of cornstarch and continue cooking.
If you like, add plenty of shredded cheese on top after everything has finished cooking. Then pop it in the oven to broil for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Absolutely! It will keep well for up to 3 months.
I am sorry to hear it’s not up to your taste, Ruth! It’s our take on goulash but I definitely understand it won’t be everyone’s favorite. Thanks for letting me know.
Becky, I’m so sorry that people feel the need to be so rude. I’m cooking it right now and so far all the flavors are spot on. I’ll let you know when my husband and I are finished devouring the whole pot. 😋
Devouring the whole pot is completely acceptable!
Wow, what a sad troll, and a gracious reply to such a disgusting, rude, uncalled for comment. I love the recipe! Thankyou!
Thank you for sharing! Happy to hear you loved it!
Made this today with ground turkey and Tri-color Rotini. Had 2 servings. Yum!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
I agree it’s just hamburger helper. If it was any kind of goulash it would have a lot of peppers garlic and paprika in it. And elbow macaroni?? Please. It needs Hungarian egg noodles.
So go, just go. No one is asking you to stay here and no one is forcing you to try the recipe. We don’t need your lesson, we’re all very well aware of Hungarian Goulash, it’s NOT THE SAME, so scroll on by, rude people aren’t hard to find, you won’t be missed.
I would probably call this American goulash. I am sure Michael is referring to authentic Hungarian goulash, made without noodles, but plenty of paprika, onions, peppers and cubes of beef, veal and if tolerated, pork. Seasoned to taste with red wine, it’s plenty spicy, but relatively healthy.
It’s not your recipe, you don’t need to worry about the name of it. If you don’t care for the name/ingredients/whatever, move along, don’t make it, no one is forcing you and rude people aren’t a commodity. They’re a dime a dozen.
We always called this American chop suey.
I was actually going to add that I had just recently heard it called that. I was left scratching my head, I’ve never heard “Chop Suey” used to describe ANYTHING but Asian food, and it’s been years since I’ve really heard anyone mention it in reference to Asian food. It doesn’t seem like anyone really eats “Chop Suey” anymore (the Asian Chop Suey). Anyway, just within the last year or two I’ve heard Goulash referred to as “American Chop Suey” a number of times, and I found it odd as I’d never heard it before and I’ve been cooking over 35 years (I won’t admit to anymore than that! lol). You just never know what you might learn when you listen to others and stop rattling your own mouth…
It’s a New England thing…American Chop Suey.
Goulash is whatever u grew up with. Yes Hungarian Goulash is made with beef cubes not ground meat but this is American Goulash and this version is delicious! I actually make mine with tomato soup.
Thanks for sharing, Callie!
What if I don’t have a Dutch oven
Any heavy-bottom pot!
Beefaroni
Ignorance
This is beefaroni
Incredibly rude and disrespectful, not to mention a very ignorant comment.
This is not goulash. This is called American Chop Suey. Do a simple internet search!
I was brought up with this being goulash. I think it depends on where you live. Kinda like soda/pop, this can be called goulash/chop suey.
Your comment is incredibly rude and disrespectful, not to mention the fact that it’s ignorant. You can find just about anything you wish by doing an internet search, that most certainly doesn’t make it correct. Your comment was far from necessary, definitely not needed by anyone and left only to cause controversy. You can go do an internet search and find plenty of sites for people such as yourself who like to argue pointless information and make rude comments to one another, this doesn’t happen to be one of those sites, your rude opinion isn’t welcome here.