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.
Hi Holly……
I’m not rating the recipe because I haven’t tried it yet, but I wanted to share a cute story related to your recipe.
Several months ago, I was in WalMart rather late at night. While picking up a couple of cans of tomatoes, I noticed an older man struggling with his phone and trying to make sense of the wide selection of canned tomato products. He finally said, “Can you help me find the tomatoes I need?” He started calling out the tomato products he needed but was confused about the difference between them and was questioning if the recipe was even written correctly. He explained that he is an inexperienced cook, but was making the recipe as a surprise for someone special. So I asked him if I could look at the recipe on his phone. He handed over his phone, and lo and behold, he was on your website and had your American Goulash recipe on his screen. I quickly told him, “This is Holly’s recipe…it’ll be just fine! C’mon, let’s get the things you need so you can get home and get cooking!” He seemed surprised and said, “Oh? You know her?” I laughed and told him though I didn’t know you, I had made many recipes from your website, all of which had turned out perfectly. So I took him around the store to gather all of his ingredients and advised him to read the recipe thoroughly before getting started and that your instructions are easy to understand. I smile thinking how proud he must have felt serving your American Goulash to his someone special that night.
This story warmed my heart and made my whole week. ♥️ Thank you for sharing it, that was so sweet of you to help him find the ingredients he needed and I hope his meal was amazing.
I’m wanting to make this recipe tonight, however I don’t have ground beef. I do however have leftover beef roast, what are your thoughts on this substitution?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but if you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Amanda!
Just made it… phenomenal… my green pepper is a jalapeño… but that’s Kevin…
I made this and it was wonderful. I added a green bell pepper as well as red bell pepper. It looked very inviting with peppers and parsley and I used Parmesan Regianno cheese since it was that or feta!
Thank you for a great recipe
Followed recipe exactly – very easy recipe, hearty and delicious! Haven’t had goulash in many years, brought back memories.
Love this recipe. It almost exactly as I’ve grown up with. The only difference is I add frozen corn to the dish. The sweetness of the corn goes beautifully with the tangy tomato and Italian herb flavors.
Do you still have the old recipe for American Goulash that used to be on this page? I liked it better. I think it used a whole can of tomato paste.
The ratio of the original recipe is almost the same as this one with the exception of the tomato paste. The current recipe is half the size as feedback was that the recipe size was too large.
Here is the original:
2 onions chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic minced
1 jar tomato based pasta sauce approx. 26 oz.
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can 6 oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
3 cups water
1 green bell pepper optional
salt & black pepper to taste
2 cups macaroni noodles uncooked
1 cup cheddar cheese
Thank you so much!
Enjoy!
I cooked my pasta separately and added it al dente to the finished goulash, then simmered for just a few more minutes. I realize the dish loses its one-pot convenience done this way, but I like the consistency. I also added a splash of worcestershire sauce. I’m wondering if I wanted to make this Keto friendly if I could replace the pasta with cauliflower rice?!
We have never tried replacing the pasta with cauliflower rice but it sounds delicious, Betty! If you made the cauliflower rice separate like you did the pasta then you shouldn’t run into any issues. Let us know how it turns out!
A couple of reviewers mention “gluten” and wanting to replace pasta with rice or cauliflower rice. I wanted to mention that there are now many very good low carb and gluten free pasta options. I suggest looking at Low Carb Grocery and/or Low Carb Canada for options. There are some very good alternatives that allow gluten free and low carb folks to enjoy pasta. I also put in more of all the veggies and reduce the amount of pasta to keep the carb count low.
This is such an easy, nourishing, and fairly frugal one pot dish. Even my non-pasta eating toddler loves this meal! I have made several variations of Goulash, but this is always the one I come back to. Occasionally I will swap out the beef for Italian Turkey sausage, and that’s always a hit too.
This was delicious! Easy to make and just a great meal. I feel it needed some salt so I just added it after it was cooked, I may add it while cooking next time I make it.
I have a question. Is it more thick or more soupy consistency? I would prefer the thicker consistency, but I couldn’t tell from the 1 photo.
This has a thicker consistency.
Yes, we love this recipe!
This is great! Love the recipe!
Can I simmer it like a bolognese sauce? For a couple of hours?
Hi Petra, if simmering without the pasta noodles you may need to add additional broth to ensure the pasta is able to fully cook. I wouldn’t recommend simmering with the pasta in the sauce though, it will cause the pasta to overcook and break down.
I’ve made this twice and both times halved the recipe with no detriment to flavour. The last time I used ground turkey and also a few sauteed mushrooms, which was delicious. Highly recommended and VERY EASY! Although I cook complicated recipes regularly, it’s nice to have something up your sleeve that is so easy and fast.
I made the recipe exactly as stated except I did add more garlic and cheese (Mozzarella and a shaved Parmesan/Romano blend.) My husband and I both loved it! It’s going into our keep binder of recipes. The only thing I’d do differently is where it says to add the pasta and cook for 20 minutes I’d cut that back to 10 to 15 minutes. The 20 minutes made the pasta overdone to me and a bit on the mushy side. I did add the optional salt and pepper and will do so again. For the people saying to add a bunch of beans that isn’t goulash. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi, I am going to make your American goulash later in the week. What size Dutch oven should I use??
Hi Cheryl, You’ll need a fairly large pan to make this recipe and you’ll want to ensure it has a lid. Ours was about 12″ but it has deep walls (about 3″ deep). Hope that helps!
WOW! I did not think this would turn out good honestly as I wasn’t really going off of measurements just throwing everything together. Let me tell ya, so so good! Definitely going into our list of favorites. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
You’re very welcome Jenna! It’s definitely a forgiving recipe!
My elbow mac Pasta didn’t cook right. Some are over done and others are under done and some just right. How can I avoid that next time?
Once the pasta has been added to the Goulash you want to make sure you are stirring occasionally to help it cook consistently through.
made it loved it
Wow this dish is amazing !!!! Made it and will make it again with a bit of Polish twist :)
So good! I have a 3 yr old son who is extremely picky. He loved this so much. He had 3 servings! First time I’ve ever made goulosh. I used fire roasted tomatoes and fire roasted my red bell pepper. This meal was delicious and inexpensive.
We love to hear that, Raquel! It is the highest praise when we are a hit with picky toddlers!!