Our easy Goulash recipe is one of those yummy, budget-friendly dinners that saves the day on busy weeknights (time and time again).
It is packed with seasoned ground beef, macaroni, and a rich tomato sauce that tastes like it simmered all day, even though it comes together fast. Although the recipe originated in Hungary, we’ve added our American twist, and have been making this since we were kids.
What we love most about this soup or stew recipe is how simple it is while still being totally comforting. Everything cooks in one skillet, the flavors are kid-friendly, and it makes a big batch that is perfect for leftovers.
Serve this American goulash recipe with some Garlic Bread or Garlic Knots and some Roasted Vegetables for a great Sunday dinner idea.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- A simple dinner. This one pot meal is very easy and is one of our go-to beef dinner ideas. One pot makes for easy clean up!
- 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.
Goulash Ingredients
- Ground beef (2 pounds, 80/20): Provides rich, hearty flavor. 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.
- Minced garlic (3 teaspoons): Adds savory depth. See How to Mince Garlic.
- Water or beef broth (3 cups): Creates the cooking liquid and sauce base. 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.
- Tomato sauce (2 cans, 15 ounce): Forms the rich tomato base.
- Diced tomatoes (2 cans, 14.5 ounce): Adds texture and extra tomato flavor.
- Soy sauce (3 tablespoons): Boosts savory depth and umami.
- Italian seasoning (2 tablespoons): Adds herb flavor.
- Seasoned salt (1 teaspoon): Enhances and balances the flavors. Add red pepper flakes for spice.
- Bay leaves (3): Adds subtle aromatic flavor while simmering.
- Elbow macaroni or other pasta (2 cups): Cooks directly in the sauce and makes the dish hearty. Macaroni noodles are a classic, but any similarly sized pasta will work such as shell pasta, penne, ditalini, or fusilli.
- Shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup, optional): Adds creamy, melty goodness on top. 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. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked, then drain. Add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
SAUCE. Add water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, and seasoned salt.
Stir this well; cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
PASTA. Add uncooked elbow macaroni to the skillet, stir well, then replace 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.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Drain excess grease to avoid a heavy, greasy sauce.
- Stir occasionally while simmering so the pasta does not stick or burn.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving.
- Add a splash of broth if the pasta absorbs too much liquid.
- When serving, we love to top our individual bowls with a little extra cheddar cheese (each to our liking), for a little extra cheesy goodness.
- Crock pot directions: 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.
Best Goulash Recipe
Video
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 excess 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.
Notes
- Drain excess grease to avoid a heavy, greasy sauce.
- Stir occasionally while simmering so the pasta does not stick or burn.
- Remove the bay leaves before serving.
- Add a splash of broth if the pasta absorbs too much liquid.
- When serving, we love to top our individual bowls with a little extra cheddar cheese (each to our liking), for a little extra cheesy goodness.
- Crock pot directions: 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.
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.
More Like This
Sides
More Easy Pasta Dinners
Collections
This recipe was first shared April, 2017.
I made this for dinner and doubles the recipe (don’t recommend, it makes ALOT). I ended up having to throw it all out because the noodles were mushy. Looks good, I wish it was what I was having instead of pizza. changes I would make would be to not include soy sauce.
Thanks for giving it a try!!
This recipe is fantastic! So delicious! I added some green beans and corn to it. Amazing!!!
Perfect!! Thank you for giving it a try! Glad you liked it!
Really good! Everyone loved it! Used stewed tomatoes instead of diced as thats what my mom always used. Really hit the spot ???? and reminded me of home.
I’m glad you liked it!! Stewed tomatoes would be great! I’ll have to try that 🙂
I’ve made this several times and it’s a hit. I don’t use water but beef broth for a richer flavor and we do use onions. Really simple and delish. Rolls and salad. Bam
LOL..love it! Thank you so much for letting me know!
This is a great dish but gulash (gulyas) as I know is a Hungarian soup with potatoes, diced meat, and carrots and That looks and tastes nothing like this.
This recipe is very similar to what my mom taught me to make that she learned from my grandma. I’ve always called it Hamburger Macaroni. It’s basically a mexican style version of this recipe made to feed a crowd of 8. 1LB ground beef/turkey, 4 cups elbow macaroni, 8-10 cups water, 2T chicken bouillon, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can el pato tomato sauce (mexican hot style), 2T crushed garlic, 1T cumin, 1/2t chili powder (ancho or california). Brown the meat in a skillet. in a 6qt pot, toast the elbow macaroni in some olive oil, then add the meat & remaining ingredients. bring to a boil & simmer for 20-30mins. Top it off with some shredded cheese. Very easy to make this recipe stretch by adding more water and making it “soupy”
Thanks so much for sharing!! Sounds good!!
Made this GOULASH, have my own recipe as well I always use which everyone likes, BUT this was a real homerun, I did add onion, bell pepper, as well as a can of rotel instead of 2 cans of tomatoes, and next time I will use only 1 bay leaf…..Very very good though!!
Thanks so much!!! I’m glad you liked it! Your changes sound great!
I LOVE IT the came out better than I thought and this is my first time I made Goulash
Yay!! Great job and I’m so glad you liked it! You can do anything 🙂 Thank you!
This will get eaten up, no doubt, but I found it to be too salty. I think I would use 1/2 tbspn of seasoned salt next time. I also would have liked a warning as to the size pot to use…. I used one that just barely worked. Also a “stir occasionally” needs to be added for those 30 minutes. I had to give my son a bath and when I came back the bottom was burnt, didnt affect the taste but clean up is going to be a bother. Thanks for the recipe, it is a great one to give little tweaks to.
A new firm favorite in this house. I make the full rmam out and am able to feed 4 with it and still freeze half of it for another day. Perfect when you need to atock up the freezer with a bulk batch for the times when your unable to cook or in a hurry.
I am so glad!! Thank you for letting me know! Yes, it is perfect for freezing!