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This old-fashioned easy goulash recipe is a one-pot family favorite! It’s the perfect go-to dinner recipe for any night of the week.
What is Goulash?
This easy goulash recipe is a soup or stew of meat, usually seasoned with paprika and other spices. The recipe originated in Hungary and we’ve added our American twist.
Ours is tomato-based and full of macaroni, ground beef, and seasonings like basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. It’s a one-pot family favorite that we’ve made my entire life! It’s not only hearty, but it’s comfort food at it’s finest and so delicious!
Serve this American goulash recipe with some Garlic Bread or Garlic Knots and some Roasted Vegetables for a great Sunday dinner idea.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- A simple dinner. This one-pot meal is very easy and is one of our go-to beef dinner ideas.
- Easy to change up. Add the cheese, leave out the cheese, add extra veggies, or even change the noodles. This recipe is very versatile.
- Can be made in the slow cooker too! Just follow the directions below to make it in the crockpot.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
- 2 pounds ground beef – Use lean ground beef or one with higher fat content. Drain any excess grease that is produced. Replace half the ground beef with 1 pound of Italian sausage or completely substitute the beef for ground turkey or chicken.
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic – see How to Mince Garlic
- 3 cups water – Beef broth can be used instead of water for extra flavor. Increase the amount of broth to make this dish more “soupy” like the Hungarian goulash.
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt – Add red pepper flakes for spice.
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups elbow macaroni noodles – Macaroni noodles are a classic, but any similarly sized pasta will work such as shell pasta, penne, ditalini, or fusilli.
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese – or shredded mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, or omit
- optional veggies – peas, red bell peppers, spinach, onion, green beans, or carrots (add more tender vegetables toward the end)
How to Make Goulash
- MEAT. Sauté 2 pounds of ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked, then drain. Add 3 teaspoons garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- SAUCE. Add 3 cups water, 2 cans tomato sauce, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 3 bay leaves, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt.
- Stir this well; cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- PASTA. Add 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni to the skillet, stir well, then return the lid and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- CHEESE. Once 30 minutes is up and the noodles are all cooked, turn off the heat, and remove the bay leaves. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese right before serving, making this easy goulash recipe even more irresistible.
Make Goulash in a Crock Pot
- Sauté the ground beef in a skillet until cooked.
- Drain excess fat and add garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Put the sautéed meat in the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients. Save noodles to add during the last 1 hour of cooking.
- Cook on HIGH heat for 3-4 hours or on LOW heat for 7-8 hours.
Complete The Meal
Sides
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Easy Goulash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 cups water
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Sauté ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Drain. Add garlic and sauté 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 the skillet, stir well, return the lid, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and add 1 cup of cheddar cheese right before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Brown the ground beef, drain, and cool. Add the ground beef and other ingredients to a freezer Ziploc and freeze for 3-4 months. (Save the noodles and cheese to add later). Thaw and heat on the stove adding the noodles during the last 30 minutes. Top with cheese.
Place leftovers in an airtight container(s) in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
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!
Is the whole recipe 722 calories ? Or just a serving ? And if so how much is a serving ?
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!
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:)
Thank you
You’re welcome! I hope you tried and liked this recipe!
Yum Kristyn. Thank you.
I hope you try and like this recipe!! We sure love it:) Thank you!
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?
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!
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 ????
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!
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.
Hi Kate, I wouldn’t cook the pasta separately because the starch from the pasta is what’s going to help thicken the sauce and give it that heavier consistency. Adding it separately will give you soupier results.