by HollyEasy Crockpot Goulash is the perfect make ahead meal for busy families! It is hearty, delicious and the perfect comfort food served alongside Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits!
American Goulash (not to be confused with Hungarian Goulash) is made with ground beef, onions, mushrooms and pasta smothered in a tomato based broth. This easy Crockpot Goulash is easy to make ahead of time and everyone absolutely loves it!
Easy Crockpot Goulash
Old fashioned goulash is a complete meal in one bowl that will keep your family satisfied and their bellies happy. Serve it with fresh rolls and a side salad if you like. Your family will absolutely love the taste and you will love the simplicity!
What is Goulash?
While Hungarian Goulash is a paprika seasoned meat stew/soup, an American Goulash is a completely different dish.
A beef goulash recipe in North America is more commonly a tomato based ground beef and macaroni dish. Other vegetables are added such as onion and green peppers for flavor. This dish goes by many other names as well (like American Chop Suey) but our family has always just called it beef goulash!
Can you make Goulash in a Crockpot?
While most Goulash recipes are made on the stovetop, allowing this dish to simmer in the slow cooker is a perfect make ahead meal. Not only can it be made ahead of time, the flavors are so much better when it cooks in the slow cooker all day long! The perfect dish to come home to.
- Convenient: Just put the ingredients in and let the slow cooker do all of the work.
- Flavorful: As the meat sauce cooks all day for this goulash recipe, it has tons of flavor.
- Make Ahead: This can be made ahead of time meaning you come home to a meal ready to enjoy.
How to Make Old Fashioned Goulash in the Crockpot
Making Crockpot Goulash is super simple!
- Brown ground beef, onions and garlic.
- Add all the ingredients (except noodles), stir, cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4-5 hours.
- Prepare your noodles (this also can be done ahead of time and placed in a refrigerator), then add to the slow cooker for about 5-10 minutes to heat through.
While you can add raw noodles to the crockpot for the last 30-40 minutes, for the best results, I highly recommend cooking the noodles on the side and stirring them in for serving. I have found that, depending on the brand, adding raw noodles can become gummy in texture. The best and most consistent results were achieved by cooking the pasta separately.
As the temperature drops, stews, chilis and soups are a welcome change from summer barbecued dishes. Crockpot Goulash is the perfect comfort food meal that will warm you to your core this fall. So simple to make and equally as delicious, you just have to give it a try!
More Crockpot Recipes You’ll Love!
-
- Crockpot Chicken and Rice – Perfect weeknight meal!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- CrockPot Lasagna Soup – Will warm you up this fall!
- Easy Crock Pot Chili Recipe
Crockpot Goulash
Prep Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Course Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine AmericanIngredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 ½ medium onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- 24 ounces pasta sauce jarred or canned
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes canned, do not drain
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 8 ounces mushrooms canned, do not drain
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt or to taste
- 3 cups pasta shells uncooked
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, onions and garlic until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add ground beef mixture to CrockPot. Add all remaining ingredients except the uncooked shells.
- Cook on High for 2 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- Prepare shells al dente according to package directions. Drain well and stir into meat sauce. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes to heat through.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
I have made this before and it was a hit with my picky family! Making it again tonight. I have to say I LOVE your recipes. Whenever I am searching for a new dinner recipe or idea, if I see its from your site, I know it’s a trustworthy one. I have used many of your recipes. Wanted to say thank you for making this SAHM’s life a little easier
Thank you so much Tiffany! So happy to hear that you love this goulash!
Can you use elbow macaroni in this recipe? I don’t have shells. If so, how many cups of elbows should I suse? TIA
Sure you can! You’ll want to use about 1/2 cup of elbows.
I love this website
I grew up eating what I thought was good goulash, I was very wrong! This was amazing! Followed the recipe as written and we loved it.
golos sounds goon
Can I add pasta into the crockpot oppose to cooking it ahead of time?
I have tried it with several brands/shapes of pasta and find it comes out gummy in texture most of the time. The pasta can be cooked up to 48 hours ahead of time, drained and kept in the fridge until you add to the slow cooker. I hope that helps!
Updating my previous review…made this in an electric pressure cooker. 6 mins under medium pressure. Let the pressure release on its own. Added the salsa and cheese once all the pressure had released. Turned out perfect!
My kids loved this dish. Added a little sugar to neutralize the acidity and omitted the Worcestershire sauce as I didn’t have any. Thx for sharing a great recipe. Your recipes are a hit in my household !
I am making this for about the 10th time. My sister gave me the recipe when you first came out with it Holly, almost 2yrs ago Made for our 90yr old parents WHO ARE VERY PICKY!! They loved it too. I also make it for our stamping group that gets together once a month. Not just for winter great when you don’t want to cook in 100° weather I give it six stars
So glad you enjoy it Marilynn!
I made this for dinner it was very good it made so much I feed six people they also loved it .
What quart size crock pot would be needed? I am cooking this tomorrow
Hi Trent, you will want to use a 6 qt crockpot to give you room to stir comfortably, but it can be made in a 4 qt as well.
Why do all recipes say to brown the meat first? The whole point of the crock pot is to use one pot . . . and you don’t have to brown it first unless you buy cheap meat . . .
You can skip it if you’d like. The reason meats are browned is to add flavor (especially with large pieces of meat) and in the case of ground beef it helps keep the texture crumbly (otherwise it will clump) and allows for fat to be drained so the final dish is not oily.
Came out amazing thank you for the recipe! Kids loved it as well!
Love to try them.
Wonderful taste!! Mine wasn’t as moist as yours. I even bought another 15 oz can of diced tomatoes as I already had one. Added more water and it was great!!
Can I use fresh mushrooms instead of canned in the goulash?
You sure can!
Looks very good.
Would like to see all recipes
Hi Margaret, you can view all recipes here! Have fun cooking!
Recipes look amazing
Recipes look so Delicious !
How can I sign up for the newsletter?
Hi Jeff, To receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a green signup box.
Fab
Thanks Lizzi!
yummmmmmm yummmm
So happy you enjoyed it Terry.
Thanks
You are very welcome Ricky!
Please call this recipe something else. It is not Goulash!… I am Hungarian… and it saddens me to see how the recipe has been twisted! Sorry … but I am a purist at heart! Bolognaise is Bolognaise…so Goulash is Goulash!… This is more of a Veg/noodle/mince stew thing!… Which Goulash is not!
I agree, this is definitely not Hungarian Goulash (nor is it intended to be a version of Hungarian Goulash). This is version of American Goulash which is a different dish.
Why the anger? Look on pinterest if you’re looking for authentic Hungarian goulash recipes. This recipe is delicious!
Great!!
Thanks Laura
Love this!
Thanks Robert!
I made some tonight for dinner
I hope you loved it Lyn!
Love crock pot recipes
I totally agree Lisa!
I would love to receive your recipes. I am going you try American Goulash Recipe. I love to cook in the Crock pot
Hi Joanne, to receive our newsletters, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a green signup box.
Omg just made it tonight and my 3 year old son devoured it! It’s so good. Thank you for the recipe!! So glad I made it!
You made my day Cecily! So glad your little one enjoyed the Goulash!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Sounds like a great Autumn meal. Any idea how much a serving is? A cup? I ask because I’m following Weight Watchers and need to figure the points to count.
One cup is a serving. I hope you love the goulash Cheri!
How many bowlfuls will this make, it serves 8, But would that make 1 cup a serving? 1.5 cups?
Yes that is right Todd, it makes about 8 1 cup servings. I hope you love it if you try it!
The wife and I made this last night and it turned out really well. Very tasty. We only used half a box of the small shells and glad we did as it was more than enough. Next time we will make half this recipe because this one made a lot, LOL. One question: Can you freeze this for later?
Thanks
Wallace
Hi Wallace,
If you know you are going to freeze, I would suggest under cooking the pasta so it doesn’t get mushy during the reheating process.
I am so glad you enjoyed the goulash!
I love good recipes
You have come to the right place Wanda! Enjoy!
I would love to have recipes that can be printed.
Hey Paulette! All of our recipes can be printed by headed down to the recipe section at the bottom of the page (or selecting the jump to recipe button at the top) and selecting the print button.
Stunning dish. I’ve made this a few times and is so popular my daughter invites friends round to sample it. Everyone thinks I’m the best cook ever!
I’ve experimented with a few twists and can recommend a teaspoon of chipotle paste to give a slightly different, smokier flavour.
Thanks Holly!
That is great Mark! Have fun experimenting.
Easy to make . I added a little more garlic and pepper turned out get.
I am so glad you enjoyed the goulash Carol!
I made exactly as per recipe and both myself and my wife thought this was very flavorless.
Will not be making this one again.
Sorry to hear that Rick, many of our readers have had great success with this recipe. Some readers have added a bouillon cube, used Rotel tomatoes, or even a spicy pasta sauce to enhance the flavor.
Hi Holly, Hey I am looking for your in put for an 82+ man that is trying to cook some dishs for my self. Lost the wife last Nov.and now its just me . I love your recipes but how do you make it for 1 person. If you have the time , get back to me . Thanks Jim Strong
Hi Jim,
Maybe casseroles would be a good place to start. You could freeze your leftovers to enjoy later in the month.
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/how-to-freeze-a-casserole/
Here are some of my favorite casserole recipes:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/?s=casserole
I am sorry for your loss Jim!
Most of these dishes serve 4, so you could always just use half of the ingredients to make a smaller dish. I hope this helps!
Can’t wait to try receipts
I hope you love them all Laurie!
I made this last night exactly like it says to and OMG! This was so delicious! I have tried several other goulash recipes and they never worked but this one is a keeper! My whole family loved it! Super easy to make. This will now be my go to goulash recipe! I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks for sharing
I am so glad your family enjoyed this recipe Amy!
I have also tried this recipe minus the mushroom but have to use turkey due to beef messing up stomach it was delicious, I use the rotel diced tomatoes and tomato sauce instead of the pasta sauce that have garlic in them and then also throw in a package of frozen okra it is delicious with that and cornbread.!
These sound like yummy alterations Twila! I love the idea of okra in this dish!
For this recipe I reduced the liquid. Eliminated the tomato paste and water. Changed to 14oz of diced italian tomatoes added 14oz can on crushed tomatoes. I used 4 cups of pasta. After these changes the pasta and sauce was balanced. The flavor had more spice blend taste. The flavor was kinda bland with more liquid.
Hi David, I am sorry that the flavor was bland after making your adjustments. Thanks for sharing!
I tried this recipe for the first time back in December, and it was such a hit here that I’ve made it two more times since.
My wife and daughter don’t like mushrooms, so I substituted a can of whole kernel sweet corn, and they loved it! I’m making it again tomorrow, and think I’ll try a jar of spicy marinara sauce. Thank you for the recipe!
I am so glad you love it John! Sweet corn sounds like a delicious addition!
I never new you could cook pasta ahead.
I thought they would dry out.
Do you put cook pasta in covered bowl or does it matter.
Thank you for this tip, so much easier.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Misty! I recommend covering the pasta after cooking to keep it from drying out.
I’ve made it twice. The second time I replaced the plain pasta sauce with cheese flavored. That added a lot of flavor to the goulash.
I also tried using some tortellini instead of the pasta. A 19oz bag of tortellini was an excellent replacement for the pasta.
I like juicier goulash, so I added 8oz of tomato sauce (instead of added water).
It’s easiest if you have a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. I tried a 3.5 quart slow cooker the first time; everything fit except the pasta. If your slow cooker is a 3.5 quart slow cooker, you could merge the slow cooker results and the pasta in a stockpot at the end.
Thank you for sharing all of your tips Gerald!
Can’t wait to try this minus the mushrooms and need to substitute the Worcestershire sauce. Any suggestions? Thanks.
I have only made the recipe as written. You can leave out the mushrooms and perhaps you may substitute with soy sauce? Enjoy Judy!
This was really delicious with minimal effort! I added extra water and tossed in a beef buillon cube for flavor. Would make it again.
Happy to hear you love this goulash recipe Michelle!
cooking over stove in large pot verse crock pot, sure hope this still works, stay tuned… i did cook pasta separate as I agree with you regarding slime mush…. :)
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out Katrina!
I made this recipe a month ago!!! and my family love it!! very very good… it will be one of our “comfort food” of the week-end. :)
So glad you loved it Nathalie!
Silly question, but what do you call the utensil that you used to brown the ground beef? I need one of those!
I call it a meat chopper (I don’t know if that’s the ‘real’ name) and you can find them here on Amazon or at Walmart!
It’s a mix n chop from pampered chef. I love mine! I was wondering what the chopper is tjeubised for the inions. All onions make me a reset mess no matter how I cut them lol
Well, I made this last night and just like I said in the first comment. Yumo was so good I had some for lunch today as well, I am going to make it again ty very much my family loved it. Can’t wait to try another recipe
You’re welcome Debbie! I’m glad it was such a big hit!
I will be trying this recipe tonight,however I am going to use the left over Italian meatloaf I made yesterday lol seems I made to much so I am ready to see how this turns out . Ty so much I love all these recipes wonderful inexpensive ideas so ty kindly
Rating this 5 stars cause I know it will be delish
That sounds delicious Debbie, can’t wait to hear how it turned out!
How’d it turn out with the meatloaf?
What kind of seasoning
Italian seasoning and seasoned salt.
Can you substitute potato chunks instead of pasta?
Thanks,
Laurie
I have only tried this recipe as written, but if you make the change let me know how it turns out!
Do you leave the garlic cloves whole? Or chop them up?
They are minced.
Getting ready to make this right now and I had the exact same question – it might be a good idea to update the recipe to specify that for anyone else who takes recipes as gospel (at least the first time through). I imagine cooking this with whole garlic cloves would lead to an entirely different experience.
Thank you for the feedback Matt, I’ve updated the recipe. Enjoy!!
if my crockpot is 4 quart, should i half the recipe or 3/4 it? Don’t want it to overflow
This recipe should work in a 4 quart Crock Pot.
Je l’aie fait aujourd’hui c’est très bon je vous le conseil
Je suis heureuse de l’entendre!
I made this one night when we were looking for something a little different for dinner and I had most of the ingredients in the recipe on hand. It was a winner and we will be making this again. This next time, I am going to try using ground turkey instead of beef.
So glad you loved it!
I’m sorry if this is posted somewhere. How many people does this feed?
No problem! You can see the number of servings right above the name on the recipe card :). This makes 8 servings. Enjoy Lauren!
So, has anyone tried (or can you) make this by putting everything in the crock-pot un-cooked, and just slow cooking it all day?? I mean, i don’t understand pre-cooking the meat & shells then crocking only for two hours …. could be more of a “set it and forget it” in the morning dish?
The beef is cooked so you can drain grease from it and as for the shells, there are some notes in the recipe. You can add them raw but I have found that some brands become gummy in texture so cooking them separately (even the day before and keeping them in the fridge) and adding at the end produces the best results.
Ah ok gotcha– depending on the % of lean/fat in the burger, i don’t mind a bit of fat , especially if i can emulsify for some texture — see what you mean on the possible gummy shells …. well i think i will give this a go starting uncooked, maybe 8hrs slow! Thanks!
Enjoy and please let us know how it works out for you! :)
I forgot to rate it 5 stars in my previous post!
Thank you so much for coming back to leave a rating!
I made this yesterday for my parents, 2 sisters and my husband and me since I knew I had a busy day. Everyone loved it especially my 89 year old dad who is quite picky!
I’m so glad your family loved it Lori!
I found this to be a little to acid so I added a little sugar.
I did too .To much tomatoe flavor. And kinda bland. Needs something havent figured out what
When you say three cups of pasta do you mean 24 oz of pasta or do you mean 3 cups measured out once it’s cooked?? Maybe a silly question but I just don’t want to overdo it and put too much pasta or too little.
Good question. 3 cups dry in a measuring cup. This does not convert to ounces as it is a dry measure. 1 cup of dry shells weighs about 2.8oz on my kitchen scale.
This was fantastic…the only change I made was to leave out the green pepper ,I don’t like them. Will make this again for sure..
Happy to hear you enjoyed the Goulash Joan!
I’d like to make a couple substitutions for weight Watchers like ground turkey snd cabbage. I see it says eight servings. How many cups is that per serving! Like 1 1/3? Thanks
If you’re adding cabbage as well (or even in place of noodles) this may change the volume. As written it’s approximately 1 1/2 cups.
What size crock pot is that? Brand too if you can say.
It’s a 6 1/2 quart slow cooker, but for this recipe, any size bigger than 5 quarts should work!
This recipe looks delicious! Any suggestions to make this in the Instant Pot?
I haven’t tried this in the instant pot but if you were to follow the directions of a meaty pasta sauce it should work just fine. I’d suggest cooking the pasta separately.
My mom just used tomato juice for the liquid and no other tomato products. I sweat my onion in butter then add the mushrooms, Juice, browned hamburger and cooked pasta. Yummy!
That sounds amazing Sheila!
I do exactly the same using V-8 juice. Try adding cabbage as well. Wonderful taste
Looks delicious! . Can’t wait to try these!
Thank you Linda!! Enjoy!
Looking forward to trying your recipes
Thank you Jean!
Have you ever used beef broth instead of water?
You can certainly use broth in place of water.
Oh my God, what an appetizing photo! And what a simple recipe! I will definitely cook this delicacy for my family at the weekend! Thank you for your site and your work! Your site is inspired by culinary masterpieces!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it!