Gou-lash: A mixture of many different elements; a hodgepodge. Sometimes, I feel like my brain is Goulash! Do you ever feel that way? Too many things to think about and worry about, and sometimes it can feel like one big hodgepodge! And my life is pretty average compared to most. I guess we all have our different versions and levels of goulash in our lives. Having said all that, we are excited to be sharing this Cheesy Beef Goulash recipe with you today, which is a good kind of goulash. 🙂 It is filled with noodles, hamburger, tomatoes and cheese!!
I’m all about simple these days and this recipe is just that! Although it has a number of different seasonings, it is just simple enough to please all ages. The kids loved it, the husband loved it, Grandma and Papa loved it! EVERYONE loves it!! Try it out and tell us how much you and your family loved it too.
Look at that CHEESE!!
Such a cheesy, delicious dinner idea that everyone will enjoy!! We hope you enjoy this goulash as much as we do. 🙂
How To Make Goulash Video:
Here is the printable Hamburger Goulash recipe:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 3 cups water
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 TB soy sauce
- 1 TB seasoned salt
- 2 TB Italian seasoning
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Saute ground beef in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Drain. Add garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Add water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Cover and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to skillet, stir well, return the lid and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off heat, remove the bay leaves, and add 1 cup of cheddar cheese right before serving.
TRIED & TRUE RATINGS:
- DIFFICULTY: Simple
- HOW MANY DOES IT FEED: 7ish, more if you’re feeding little mouths.
- ANY CHANGES MADE: We did not add any onions to this recipe. We typically use minced garlic and we omitted Paula Deans seasoning. We also added one cup of cheese.
- ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT TIME: Next time, I would love to try egg noodles, for more of a stroganoff feel.
Check out this delicious pasta recipe that is another favorite:
For more great, cheesy dinner ideas, check out:
- Cheesy Chicken & Asparagus Pasta
- Three Cheese Pasta Bake
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Mac n Cheese
ENJOY!
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About Lil' Luna
Yum – thank you
I make this a few times a month, I love it! So good!
DessertForTwo recently posted..Love Bark: Rose + Chocolate
I actually have never made goulash so I need to try this soon! It would go over well with my family!
Nancy | The Bitter Side of Sweet recently posted..Ratatouille Poutine
it seems to be a lovely and very delicious meal, however, this is not a goulash (or authentically spelt: gulyás) in any way or on any level. you should definitely give this recipe a try as it looks great, just make sure to call it something else.
This recipe is American-style goulash, which is very common and popular, especially in the Mid and Southwest. Its also known as American Chop-Suey in some places. Its one of those dishes that was during poor economic times to stretch food budgets and was given a familiar, Old World style name is all.
I myself learned to make authentic Hungarian Goulash from a Hungarian roommate I had in college, but grew up eating this style too and it is good in a totally different way. 🙂
Thanks for the sharing those pieces of knowledge! I’ll have to try it other ways!!
If u dont like that this is called goulash, dont make it….i guess u are the food queen on what dishes are called
I actually call this homemade beefaroni. Sometimes I use tomato soup instead of diced. Nice and creamier
That’s another great name and I’ll have to try that..sounds yum!
Sara,
How much soup did you substitute? My daughter is not big on seeing tomatoes in her food.
It’s GOULASH here in America!
That melty cheese…. wow it looks so good!!
Amanda | The Chunky Chef recently posted..Glazed Chocolate Cherry Cookies
When I hear the word goulash, I think of my mom’s version which always had chunks of tomatoes and chewy beef. It was horrible. If I had this instead, I would have gobbled it up!
tanya recently posted..Hummus Topped Irish Nachos
I’ve made a variation on goulash for years, but the addition of bay leaves and soy sauce is genius! Pinning!
It’s so hard to take great pictures of a cheesy casserole, but you nailed it! My stomach is growling!
Beth recently posted..18 Football Shaped Desserts
This looks so amazing, I love the flavors in this!
Megan Keno recently posted..Sausage and Apricot Brie Mac and Cheese
This looks amazing! The perfect cheesy comfort food. 🙂
Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama recently posted..Parmesan Chicken Corn Chowder
Easy to make crowd-pleasing really yummy thank you for the recipe
Hi, I came across your blog post while looking for new homemade hamburger helper recipe’s, can’t wait to try out this one. I also have my own secret homemade helper recipe, feel free to try it out yourself – you can find it here http://asouthernmess.com/?p=93 I can’t wait to try out yours, it looks delicious!”
Hugs~
Will check out your recipe – thanks!
Is there any disadvantage to cooking the pasta separately and adding it at the end? I was thinking it would save time to cook the pasta concurrently.
You can do that too – totally up to you. 😉
I think if you do that, you should probably reduce the amount of water, since it’s in there to counteract the cooking of the pasta.
I am on a restricted diet and want to make this using venison hamburger and without the cheese, as dairy is limited…. do you suggest a substitute….?
I’m not sure what you are restricted from eating, but you could always use less of something if it needs to be limited. Or, you don’t have to even add the cheese. It won’t be as creamy, but it will still taste good:) Some suggest tofu as a replacement for cheese? Hope that helps!
What is Italian seasoning?
Cindy you can find dry Italian seasoning in your local super markets near soup mixes and spices I believe. It’s good for making dressings, marinades, etc 🙂
It is a mixture of dried herbs such as, basil, oregano, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. We use it on so many recipes. You can find it in the baking isles with all the seasonings:)
I actually used my bruschetta seasoning (I had a big container from Costco) and it was beyond perfect!!! I used 3tbsp of it and didn’t need the season salt. Seriously amazing 😉
Do you simmer the sauce before adding the pasta, or do you allow it to keep cooking on medium-high?
You’ll simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes, before adding the uncooked pasta, then you’ll continue to simmer for 30 more minutes. Hope you enjoy it, as much as we do!
Made this today. Added curry to it as the weather is cold and windy and needed some warm food comfort. It was so tasty and flavourful. Will make it again for sure!!
What a good idea!! Curry is such a warm flavor. This is a great recipe to change up and add or take out spices, to fit any families taste! Thanks for sharing your changes!
Faer, I love curry, how much did you use. I am a little hesitant about the curry/soy sauce combo. Does it have a very strong spicy note? Or has anyone else used these 2 spices together?
Yum Kristyn. Thank you.
I hope you try and like this recipe!! We sure love it:) Thank you!
Thank you
You’re welcome! I hope you tried and liked this recipe!
This was fantastic and sooooo easy! I did add a chopped onion, sautéed with the meat, because we love that flavor, and I never got to add the cheese, because we were already tasting bowls of it and loved the flavors!! (I also used 1lb ground beef and 1lb ground turkey, and just 2T of Soy sauce, because I need to cut down on my sodium) My son’s pasta choice was Cavatappi (corkscrew), which was really fun. This is a keeper! Wow! I am so impressed. 🙂
Yay, I’m so happy that your family loved this recipe! I wish I liked onions, because I know how much flavor they add! I like the changes you made, a little healthier and still so tasty!! Come back soon and try more recipes:)
I made this tonight and we all loved it! I eat a vegetarian diet so we made this with veggie crumbles (ground beef sub). I also have celiac so we used gluten free noodles. Even with the change it was really great! Thank you for this great recipe!
Yay! I love the changes, thanks for sharing them for all other vegetarian eaters out there!
it looks delicious, i have a question 3 cups of wayer ?
how much is that 3/4 of a liter.?
i mean water
Yes, 3 cups of water which is a little less than 3/4 of a liter. Hope you give this recipe a try! We love it!!
i try this on saterday, i let you know.
Great, I’d love to hear how it turns out!! I hope everyone loves it, like we do!
I made this recipe last night as a surprise for my husband (he loves goulash, but I always forget about it and don’t make it often). I have another recipe, but lost it while trying to get organized (go figure lol). Anyway, this was delicious and it made a lot!! Definitely a wonderful comfort food for any time of the year (but especially on chilly/cold nights)! Thanks for a great recipe! #itsakeeper
Ha..funny how we loose things, as we organize! Did your hubby love it, too? We sure love it anytime, but especially those chilly nights!! Glad you liked it:)
today I made your recipe , and it was delicious.
next time I ‘ll try a different cheese .
Parmesan perhaps.?
Great! I’m glad you liked it. You could add whatever cheese you like, which makes this a great recipe. We love it!! Thanks for letting me know:)
We call this “Red Macaroni” when I was very little. 50 yrs later, still call it red macaroni!
Haha..love it!! Thanks for sharing!!
I’m in Australia where is says can of tomato sauce does that mean can of tomato soup here in Australia?
They are different. You can usually find tomato sauce, where canned tomatoes are in the store. I guess if you can’t find it, then you can make your own, by blending tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Hope that helps!!
Following on from previous question as I am also in Australia, is your tomato sauce like tomato juice then? (like what you would use in a Bloody Mary?) Tomato sauce here is what you call ketchup. Thanks
Never mind – looks like it is more like what we call tomato paste
Wanna make this but need to know which soy sauce do you use? Is it dark soy sauce? Light soy sauce? Or, sweet soy sauce?
Hey there,
I was thinking about adding extra veggies in; peppers, onion, and zucchini. Would I sauté these items with the ground beef initially, or just add them when adding the tomato sauce? and let them simmer?
Sounds delish!! I would maybe saute them first with salt & pepper, then add them in. I haven’t tried adding different veggies, but it could probably work both ways. Sauteing them would definitely make them soft.
Hi, Kristyn! I just made this for father’s day last Sunday and I thoroughly enjoyed this! Thank you so much for the recipe!
~Ashley
Thank you so much for letting me know!! So, glad that you liked it!! Hope everyone did, too:)
Have you tried using chicken broth instead of water?
I haven’t, but I’m sure that would just give it more flavor! Let me know what you think, if you try that! Thank you!!
Delicious and simple to make!
That makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks so much for letting me know!!
currently making it on the stove!!
we added 4 cups of salad macaroni (it was in on hand instead of going to the store) for the the 3C elbow mac.
added a squeeze of Italian dressing and ketchup for more of a vinegar flavor.
and he cook time for the noodles was 20-25 mins instead of 30 since they were smaller noodles.
I do whatever keeps me from going to the store, too! I hoped you liked it, as much as we do!
i also added 3 slices of american cheese and pepperjack in to the dish! it melted great and added another layer of flavor
Sounds delicious! Thanks for the added suggestions!! Glad you liked it 🙂
Made this following the recipe except for: I didn’t have any seasoned salt so I substituted Goya Sazòn. I included the onions with the garlic and cooked until translucent. It came out fantastic, if I do say so myself. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I love to hear that!! Thanks so much for letting me know!!
I had my mothers goulash as a kid and was nervous to try this but was looking for quick dinners since I’m in my 5th pregnancy and short on energy! I can’t believe how much flavor it has with as few ingredients! Thanks for a great recipe everyone likes!!
I know how that is!! I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for giving it a try and letting me know what you thought!
W……..who cares what this is called, if u dont like that its called goulash, dont fix it. This recipe sounds wonderful, I am making it right now
Can you halve this?
Of course 🙂 Let me know what you think!! We love it!
This sounds yummy,but I have to ask your viewers if they know of a goulash recipe that was on the back of a Skinners macaroni bag in the early 70’s. I remember it had ranch style beans and green peas along with most of the things in the above recipe. I think it had Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce and I don’t remember a bay leaf or Italian seasonings. Please email me if you are in your 60’s and over, and you have this recipe. It was a favorite among men of that time (and me). Thanks!
Wish I knew 🙂 You’ll have to give this one a try, it’s super yummy!
Found this on the Skinners website, but no peas. Could this be what you’re looking for? https://www.skinnerpasta.com/en-us/recipes/22003/CowboyChiliwithBeans.aspx
Thanks for the recipe!
I was really surprised when it coocked faster then you mentioned.
By the way it seems to me it’ll be great to add some mushrooms =)
Daria recently posted..Книжные покупки августа
You’re welcome!! Thanks so much for letting me know!!
made the cheesy beef goulash today. didn’t put in garlic and only used salt instead of seasoned salt. also mozzerella cheese instead of cheddar. everyone loved it!! Thanks.
Yay!! Like the changes!! Thanks for sharing!!
can this be done in a slow cooker instead of the stove top?
Yes. I haven’t personally made it in a crock pot, but this would be a perfect recipe for that!!
We (kids, hubby and I ) all loved this recipe! I love that you can cook in 1 pan. I wondered about the onions, then I read your “about me”. I may put onions in next time.. 🙂
Haha..yes, I don’t like onions, but you could definitely add them!! I’m glad everyone liked it! Thanks so much!
Trying this recipe out tonight, it’s on the stovetop now and smells so good. Added a few extra seasonings….chili powder & chopped onions. Also I added a chili starter and used Turkey burger. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
That all sounds delish!! Thanks for the new ideas! Hope you enjoy!!
This was a hit! My 16 year old daughter took a bite, closed her eyes and moaned “this is sooo good.” I had some leftover broccoli that I had cooked the night before so I threw that in during the last 6 min. Will definitely be making this again!
So glad you all liked it!! We love this recipe too! I’ll have to try adding broccoli!
Yummy!! Really enjoyed this recipe, thank you. Will be making again.
So happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for stopping by and giving this a try!
If you make the pasta separately do you still add all the water to the dish?
This might be a dumb question but when do you put the meat back in?
Right after you drain the meat, just add it back to the pan and add the other ingredients 🙂 Hope you give it a try and thanks for stopping by!
Both my mother and my husband’s mother made us dishes similar to this when we were growing up in the 60s & 70s. I made a half recipe of this tonight with small penne pasta, and we LOVED it! Like our mom’s versions, only better!
Oh, thank you!! It seems like a lot of people have had a version of this when they were younger! Thanks for trying it out!
I grew up in mid- Indiana and we had this at least once a month. A true comfort dish and a good way to stretch a meal!
It sure is comfort food!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
I just made this tonight. Very good! But next time I would cut back on the salt. I used less than what it called for but still found it pretty salty. Will definitely make this again!
You can add as little or as much salt as you like 🙂 Thank you so much for giving it a try and I’m so glad you liked it!
We completely loved this!!!!!! I used 3 tablespoons of garlic instead of teaspoons since I use preminced from a jar but made no other substitutions. I will cook it for 20 minutes on the final cook next time, I made a double batch since it looks perfect for reheating and the noodles continued to absorb liquid and soften in the hot juices as they sat. Wonderful recipe!!!!
SO glad you liked it! Thanks so much for giving it a try and letting me know!
I don’t like tomatoes what can I substitute for the canned tomatoes? Or do i just leave them out ?
You could just leave them out. Not sure what I would replace them with. Hope you like it!! Thanks!
My family LOVED IT !!!!
End of story will be making again I added onions green peppers and used beef broth instead of water….
Yay!! Sounds wonderful. Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Made this for dinnner tonight and everyone one loved it! It was so easy to 👍🏻Thanks
I made this tonight and everyone loved it! So easy to make 👍🏻
Yay!!! Thank you for letting me know! Thank you for also giving it a try!
Made this easy goulash for dinner tonight….it is AMAZING, we all enjoyed it. Thanks for this super tasty recipe, will be made many more times in this household.
Yay!! Thank you so much for letting me know! We love it too! Thanks again!
Very good! While family loves it… definitely will be making it again. Big hit
Happy to hear 🙂 Thank you so much for making it and for letting me know!! We love it, too!
Loved the cheesy beef goulash. It was delicious.
Thanks so much for letting me know!! Thank you also for giving it a try!
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit with the family! Almost followed the recipe to a “T” except I added 1 11/2 tablespoons of sugar to bring out the sweetness in the tomatoes. I would highly recommend this dish, with or without the added sugar. Thank you!
So glad it was a hit!! We love it! Thank you for making it and for letting me know!
Add 1/2 a block of cream cheese or more before the cheddar cheese it will change your life! Trust me
Haha…I’ll have to try 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
I made this today,my son and I loved it,thanks.
That makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks so much!!
Could you freeze this after you make it? Put it in a freezer bag? Reheat on the stove top? Would that work or would it get watery or anything?
That should work!! I haven’t put it in the freezer yet, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t turn out. Let me know how it comes out 🙂 Thanks so much!
Great recipe! Omit the salt and add a little chili powder
I’ll have to try!! Thank you!
To me the soy sauce ruins the taste of this, I liked everything else about it. I’d maybe leave it out or reduce it next time.
You for sure could. Thank you for giving it a try!!
Yum, the cheesy beef goulash was so good! I made this tonight for my husband. He loved it. It was easy peasy to make and oh so tasty. :o)
Yay!!! I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know and thank you for trying this recipe!
Yummy, made this tonight for dinner & I’m so glad I did! It was gooey, cheesy, beefy goodness! Thanks for a wonderful & quick recipe!
Yay 🙂 Thanks so much for trying it!! I’m, so glad you liked it 🙂
Excellent dinner!!! Defiantly going to make agai.
Great!! 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m so glad you liked it!
How can I make with 1 pound of meat only 2 people
You can half all the ingredients in the recipe, if you don’t want to make as much or just store all your leftovers and you can eat it throughout the week 🙂
How can I cut in half 1# meat for 2 people!!!
Instead of 2 lbs, just use 1 pound. You can buy 1 pound meat. Hope that helps!
I made this last night but I left out the tomatoes and it was fabulous my husband ate 4 servings and my daughter 2 I have to make it again so I can have some
Great!! 🙂 I’m so glad they liked it!! Thank you so much!
Good recipe. Great grammar. My kind of blog. 🙂
Thanks so much!!
Just made this tonight and it was a huge hit with my husband. I grew up with 2 versions of goulash and this was one of them. I had not this in years and so thank you for an awesome recipe. I did make changes as my husband and I are spicy lovers. I added only 1 can 540 ml itialian tomatoes whole, I 420ml jar of Guy Fieri’s 7 pepper salsa, 3 cups beef broth, and added franks seasoning, Mrs. Dash in replacement of some of the original seasonings you mentioned and omitted the bay leave as I am not a fan. How ever I used Casarecce noodles (can be found at Costco) I added at the end was Parmsen cheese, so omit adding salt to the cooking as it is salty. I love this dish and for me it’s a keeper and in my recipe box it went. Thank you
Yay! You are welcome! I’ll have to try your changes..they sound yum! Thank you for sharing!
This is one of my favorites!
Ours too! Thanks so much for letting me know!
If I want to omit the tomatoes, how much should I increase the amount of sauce I use? Thanks!
Hmm..I’m not quite sure. I haven’t made it without using the tomatoes. You could just make it without the cans of tomatoes & if you taste it & you feel it needs more, maybe add a small (8oz) can of tomato sauce? Just a guess. Let me know what you do! Thanks!
I thought it had to much Italian seasoning in it! Next time I will cut that in half. Otherwise it was good.
You totally can 🙂 Thank you so much for trying it and for letting me know!
I real find it funny that people feel the need to comment on such things as the name of the dish in a negative fashion. I think it is fantastic that people like Kristyn are willing to share their favourite recipes with others! It makes the world a happier place and I for one don’t care what it’s called. I am actually preparing it now as I type (just defrosting my ground beef!).
Thanks so much and I look forward to trying your others!
Thanks so much Lisa!! I appreciate your words! I hope you liked it!
It was amazing! Instead of cheddar I used a spicy nacho shredded cheese ( pre shredded) and then threw in some hot chunky nacho sauce ( about 1/4 cup). Made it super spicy, which we love.
Spicy is good 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!! So glad you liked it!
My mom made something like this as a quick meal. She called it goulash too. My husband likes it with zuccini & parmesan cheese. My sister likes it with corn. That’s something I noticed in the comments. It’s one of those recipes that everyone makes their own family favorite. Thanks for reminder. Think I will make it tonight.
It sure is! You can add whatever you like..that is what makes it such a great recipe. Thank you!
I sent the recipe to my hubby, who is the cook in our household (he’s a definite keeper). It was DELICIOUS! I am betting we will ad this to our go to list of meals when we need something simple and tasty. Thank you for sharing!
What a great hubby!! I am so glad it’s a hit! Thank you 🙂
I have to tell you that I’ve made this a few times before and it is absolutely delicious. We’ve been quite busy in the evenings lately and I like to prep as much as I can ahead of time for the next day’s dinner. I prepped this meal (doing everything except adding the pasta) and left it on the counter to cool before putting in the fridge. My husband came home late and thought it was soup for dinner. He said it was one of the best soups I’ve ever made. LOL!
LOL!! I am so glad you like it! That is funny about your hubby 🙂
I make something very similar which is an adaptation of something my Mom made. She always called it chop suey and I call it goulash, although I suspect American Chop Suey is closer to what I make. I don’t care what name you put on it, it’s good. I use tomato soup, onions, cheddar cheese, macaroni and ground beef. So simple and yet tasty.
Thanks so much!!
This was very good however, I made this with 1 lb venis on burg and 1 lb venison sausage. Added a quart of my homemade chunky salsa and 3 1/2 cups of noodles. Incredible! I love to take recipes and make them my very own. Thanks for sharing your’s to help make my family a great meal!
I’m glad you make them your own 🙂 That’s what’s great about cooking 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
I made this tonight and it is delicious. I had an extra 1 Lb ground beef so I included 1 1/2 of the ingredients. I think I added too much water for the extra macaroni. It wasn’t really waterery but not thick. I will add onion next time. Thank you for Sharing the recipe. Husband loved it also.
You are so welcome!! I’m glad you both liked it! Thank you for letting me know.
Very good recipe! I used whole grain elbows and added diced onions and green peppers. I also added some chopped spinach towards the end.
That sounds yum! Great additions! Thank you for sharing!