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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 15-20 minutes.
- CHEESE. Once the 15-20 minutes are 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
More Easy Pasta Dinners
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50 mins
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30 mins
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30 mins
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15 mins
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Easy Goulash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, 80 percent lean/20 percent fat
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 cups water, or beef broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, or penne or shell pasta
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional topping
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté ground beef until cooked, 8-10 minutes, then drain off exxcess fat.
- Add garlic and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Add water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt and bay leaves. Stir, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Add macaroni to the skillet, stir well and cover. SImmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and 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.
What is a serving siZe?
I’m making this to ToNight…. it says to use 3 cups of water, could you use beef brOth instead??? Thanks.
So, sorry, I did not get back to you in time. I don’t usually work on weekends. You could totally use beef broth. Is that what you did?
This is an amazing recipe, Turns out great everytime I make it & The noodles are always just right! Thanks for this amazing recipe! Do you happen to know how to make it in the instant pot? I’ve been using it a lot & would love to make it! Thanks!1
I am glad to hear 🙂 Makes me happy! I have yet to make it in the instant pot. I will have to experiment with it. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
I have to say that I’m 59 yrs old, & never ,tho I always wondered what the difference is between goulash & just sauce with hamburger & seasonings. Oooh my first I’m gonna make this goulash as soon as I’m done here.im gonna u see my Dutch oven oven & make this on top of my stove. & My girlfriend that lives one floor below me. Lol. Almost sounds like a song from Tony Orlando. Anyways she made this last week. & It was absolutely delicious. She then asked me if if eat leftovers. I wish I did, I’m not big on eating anything left over.. she asked me to try the next day, take some butter melt in frying pan & fru some goulash for a few minutes. And I never never thought I would like fried goulash or any kind of pasta. To my surprise I absolutely absolutely loved it. Try it everyone. Throw a little more seasoning on it. You’ll love it.
I followed the instructions exactly as the recipe was written and found that it was lacking in flavor. I ended up having to make alot of adjustments in regards to seasoning as it was bland. The 2nd time that I made it, I added in 2 small diced onions, 3 jalapeños (seeds included), 1 green bell pepper, red pepper flakes and 2 times the amount of Italian seasoning that the recipe called for and it came out great. I would definitely wait until the beef stock has reduced before adjusting for seasoning as the concentration tends to make it saltier. This recipe is a nice starting point for me but following it to a T just didn’t have enough flavor for me.
Thanks for sharing what you did & for trying this recipe 😉
Would have been really good….just way too salty for my family. I’ll definitely try it again but with half the soy sauce and half the salt ?
Thank you for trying this recipe!
So easy and so good!
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know!
Love it we even make it when we are camping
Great for camping!! Thanks!
it was yummy however very salty and a wee bit runny.
Thank you for trying it 🙂
This is delicious & a huge hit with my family! I added some chopped onion just because we like it & used Rigatoni noodles since that what we had on hand. We will make this often!!
That sounds perfect!! Glad you liked it, as much as we do!! Thank you!