This easy American goulash recipe comes together quickly with pantry staples you likely have on hand. Just simmer ground beef and elbow macaroni in a rich tomato sauce for a cozy one-pot dinner.
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What is Goulash?
This American goulash is a quick, tomato-based one-pot meal with ground beef and macaroni, while Hungarian goulash is a beef stew seasoned heavily with paprika, and usually includes potatoes.
- Flavor: Rich and savory flavors from the tomato sauce and seasonings make it a nostalgic family favorite, just like Grandma’s.
- Skill Level: This recipe is perfect for first-time cooks looking for a no-fuss comfort food meal.
- Swaps: Use ground chicken or turkey instead of beef, or try different pasta shapes.
Ingredients for Grandma’s Goulash
- Ground Beef: Use lean ground beef; it’s okay if you use a little more or less than what is called for. It can be replaced with Italian sausage, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- Pasta: Use any small pasta; my preference is elbow macaroni. Try small shells, bowties, or ditalini.
- Tomato Sauce: Use jarred tomato sauce (or homemade marinara sauce). I like to add canned diced tomatoes for texture and to stretch the meal further.
- Seasoning: Onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and a bay leaf flavor the sauce. Use minced garlic from the jar and dehydrated or frozen diced onions to save time.
How to Make Goulash
This recipe is a simple one-pot dinner.
- Cook the ground beef. Drain fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the pasta is tender.
- Top with optional cheese and serve.
Pro Tips for Thick, Saucy Goulash
- Stir every couple of minutes after adding pasta to prevent sticking.
- If it looks thick before the pasta is tender, add broth or water in small splashes to loosen the sauce, taking care to simmer gently.
- Let it rest 5 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Fridge: Leftover goulash can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave, with a splash of broth and a little extra marinara, if needed.
Freezer: Freeze chilled portions in zippered bags for up to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Elbow macaroni is the classic since it cooks evenly and holds onto the sauce. Small shells, ditalini, rotini, or cavatappi also work well, just watch the cook time and add a splash more liquid if needed.
Keep it at a gentle simmer (not a hard boil), and be sure to stir a few times so the pasta doesn’t stick together.
Stir in beef broth or water a little at a time until it’s saucy again, then warm through.
Use a marinara or tomato-based pasta sauce you like the taste of, with a thicker texture for the sauciest result.
You can freeze goulash, but the pasta will soften a bit after thawing and reheating. For the best texture, cool completely, freeze in portions, and reheat gently with a splash of broth. If you’re making it specifically to freeze, cook the pasta just to barely tender so it doesn’t get too soft later.
What to Serve with Goulash
Did you enjoy this Goulash recipe? Leave a rating and comment below.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large skillet with lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups marinara sauce or tomato based pasta sauce
- 2 cups beef broth or water, more as needed
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 green bell pepper diced, optional
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf 2 if they are small
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni uncooked
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or a large skillet with a lid, cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Add the marinara sauce, broth, diced tomatoes with juices, tomato paste, bell pepper (if using), Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the elbow macaroni, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
- Remove & discard the bay leaf. Top with cheese if using, and replace the lid. Let rest for about 5 minutes or until the pasta has thickened and the cheese is melted.
Video
Notes
- Use 8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni noodles, approx 1½ cups.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd (serving sizes can be adjusted in the print screen).
- For heartier appetites, the meal can be stretched with additional pasta (and water/broth), canned beans, or chopped vegetables. (diced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, corn, or additional bell peppers). Any kind of ground meat can be substituted for beef.
- Start with the amount of broth/water as listed and add extra if needed (depending on pasta shape). The goulash will thicken as it cools and rests. Depending on the size and shape of your pan, you may need to add a little bit more liquid. Keep an eye on the dish as it cooks, and add more liquid as needed. The mixture will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Excellent. Family loves it. I added a can of stewed tomatoes undrained and fresh spinach.
I love that it’s easy and delicious.
When I make American Goulash, I typically throw “stuff” together. This time, I followed this recipe with the following additions. . . I added organic corn and spinach, and I tossed in tsp of paprika and sugar , and a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce. For the cheese, I used grated Parmesan cheese. This stuff is awesome.
Added a bit of yellow mustard, soy sauce and brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Really makes a huge difference! Great base recipe!
This is a great, hearty recipe, especially for cooler evenings. I’ve made it several times. As a fun variation, I sometimes make this recipe using stewed tomatoes. If you like stewed tomatoes, it adds a nice extra bit of flavor.
Prepared as directed. This is fabulous and I will be making this again. ♥ Thank you !
very good
I made this tonight exactly as written, other than using fresh tomatoes because I was out of canned. Very tasty and we are looking forward to the leftovers for lunch!
It’s a good recipe, but it’s not goulash unless you add paprika. The word goulash it’s so means meat, stew with vegetables, seasoned with paprika and other spices.
So I added a lot of Hungarian paprika, which this dish was good in itself but definitely stepped it up to a goulash flavor.
This is an American goulash which is a different recipe than Hungarian goulash. Hungarian goulash is more soup/stew like and has lots of paprika.
Although, paprika would be a great addition to this recipe as well. Thanks for sharing, Jackie!
This recipe is American Goulash & has no paprika in the traditional recipe. Paprika is a major spice ingredient in Hungarian Ghoulash which is perhaps what you have in mind. Hungarian Ghoulash & American Goulash are nothing alike but of course you can tweak your recipes anyway you like including this one.
This is now my go to recipe for goulash.
Love the flavors & one pot recipe. The goulash is delicious! Thank you!
hi look,s very good but i only have four to feed 4 servings please
Hi Patrick, this recipe has been tested as written but you can halve this recipe to feed four. Or it makes delicious leftovers!
Very good Goulash!! Thanks a bunch!
I’ve been making goulash off and on for many years. Far more frequently, I make a cook-it-all-day recipe for tomato sauce (Italian Grandma’s recipe) and we just love what the tomato paste does for that sauce. I cannot believe I never thought of using paste in goulash, so thanks for giving us that depth of flavor in this well-loved old-fashioned dish.
Never thought of fully cooking the macaroni in the goulash either… always half-cooked it, drained, then added it to the goulash pot to simmer a few more minutes. So again, from this old-ish cook, thanks a bunch for that idea and saving on the dirty dishes.
Lastly, we really love corn in our goulash. It’s great to just add some fresh corn right to the pot for a few minutes prior to it being done, but frozen or canned work too.
I love to hear different ways this recipe has been passed down. Thank you for sharing Melissa!
I made this goulash for us here I love goulash recipes.
I just haven’t made it in decades so I almost forgot about making some until I ran across this recipe that I enjoyed..
I also added frozen 1/2 cup spinach and 1 cup corn to go with my goulash.
Because the tomato was acidic I added teaspoon of sugar.
That actually made it less acidic for sensitively to tomatoes.
Several people in the house prefer corn.
I almost put in carrots I know would have been delicious.
I just was pressed for time that’s why I chose this recipe.
1can diced tomatoes with oregano and garlic.
1can of tomato sauce with also Italian seasoning and garlic.
1 clove fresh garlic chopped fine instead of using minced garlic in the jar.
I wanted full flavor so I added beef broth instead of water.
I added W Sauce sprinkling until I get the flavor along with lots of other seasonings.
2 cups of beef broth for the 2 cups of large elbow macaroni to cook inside the mixture.
I didn’t have medium elbow macaroni.
So went with what I had in the cabinet.
I added shredded cheddar cheese to my bowl.
I let everyone else decide what they wanted before I added it to the whole pot.
Some don’t like cheese which is okay because that’s what makes goulash special you can add anything to make it.
Once again thank you for sharing your awesome recipe
Your version sounds delicious Sylvia! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
For YEARS I have been searching for this that was what my mom made when I was a child. THIS is it! Thank you. Eager to make it for my family soon.
Yay!! Enjoy the recipe Cindy!
DELICIOUS!!! Made with plant based meat and will certainly make again!
yummy! I doubled the recipe and fed a crowd, everyone raved!
Very good, browned and drained meat first, then added fine chopped orange pepper, onions and garlic. Omitted tomato paste added 2 tbl Worcestershire and a 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Turned out great
it was wat my husband ordered. He loved it.
I make this a few times a month and absolutely love it as does my son. NO adjustments or substitutions needed at all because it is fantastic just as is. It reminds me of the goulash the nuns used to make when I was in grade school! Sometimes my mom would give me the 50 cents so I could buy the lunch when they made it. Thank you again Holly!!
I love when food brings back good memories. I am so glad you love this recipe Rachelle!
Really good, and easy! I made some adjustments. I always brown the green pepper with the onions and garlic. Added some Worcestershire sauce to the beef while browning. Instead of marinara sauce I used crushed tomatoes and added it a few mins before the other liquids. Instead of a can of diced tomatoes I chopped up a couple fresh tomatoes. I also added some red wine to the sauce.
Have made this three times. Terrific recipe and even better warmed up!