Classic Goulash made in ONE POT with ground beef, bell pepper, onions, and elbow macaroni in a seasoned tomato sauce, ready in under 45 minutes!
We’re always ready to make hearty comfort food, and if you like this goulash you’ll also love this Pot Roast, Slow Cooker Chili, Sloppy Joe, and Baked Million Dollar Spaghetti!
CLASSIC GOULASH
Classic Goulash is one of my favorite old fashioned recipes, made with ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and macaroni in a seasoned tomato sauce with diced tomatoes. It’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners because all it takes is one pot and less than 45 minutes!
You can also add more flavor to this dish with spices like paprika, or vegetables like mushrooms or spinach. This is also a great recipe to make if you have leftover marinara sauce, and it’s always crowd-pleasing, which is why I love making it for put-lucks!
CAN YOU MAKE CLASSIC GOULASH AHEAD?
If I’m making goulash ahead, I like to cook the pasta according to package directions and set aside. Then I make the ground beef according to the recipe, and store everything in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I also like to store some extra sauce on the side, just in case it needs it when you reheat it later.
When you’re ready, sauté the goulash with the pasta in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding any extra sauce as necessary. Stir as needed until heated through, then serve.
WHAT IS AMERICAN GOULASH?
American goulash is a traditional mid-west dish to serve for dinner or take to a potluck. It’s made with really easy and available ingredients like pasta, ground beef, tomato sauce, and onion. You can also add some minced garlic or paprika to your American goulash, even though paprika is not traditionally used in this version.
American goulash is different from Hungarian goulash because the Hungarian goulash version is more like a stew made with ground meat, paprika, and sometimes additional vegetables and potatoes. Hungarian goulash is also referred to as Gulyas. Gulyas basically translates to cowboy in Hungarian, which is the perfect candidate to eat goulash soup.
CAN YOU FREEZE CLASSIC GOULASH?
You can freeze this goulash recipe, but if you’re making it ahead to freeze I recommend undercooking the macaroni slightly, then immediately removing from heat and letting it cool. That way when you go to reheat, the pasta will finish cooking all the way instead of becoming mushy. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU ADD TO GOULASH?
Corn
Beans
Spinach
Peas
Zucchini
Carrot
MORE EASY DINNER RECIPES
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Easy Chicken Casserole
- Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Vegetable Soup
- Easy Bacon Carbonara Pasta
TIPS FOR MAKING CLASSIC GOULASH
- You can top goulash with shredded cheese at the table, or chopped parsley.
- This goulash recipe calls for macaroni but you can also use egg noodles for this dish if that’s what you have.
- You can add more flavor by replacing the water in this goulash recipe with beef broth, so the pasta absorbs the flavor of the beef broth as it cooks.
- Add a cup of sour cream to make this goulash with a cream sauce. You can also add 1/2 cup of cheese while the goulash is still cooking instead.
- I’m using a can of diced tomatoes in this recipe, but you can chop fresh tomatoes if you want to.
- This goulash recipe is already seasoned but if you want even more flavor try adding a dash of paprika or garlic, or deglaze the ground beef with 1/4 cup red wine.
- You can lighten this goulash up by using turkey instead of beef, and adding more vegetables in place of some of the pasta.
- You can make this recipe low sodium by omitting the salt, and using the low-sodium version of canned tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce.
- We’re not using any all purpose flour in this recipe, but if you want a thicken sauce then next time whisk 1-2 tablespoons of all purpose flour into the onions when they’re cooking, to make a roux. I wouldn’t add more than two tablespoons of flour, or the sauce may get too thick. If that happens, you can add a small amount of broth as well.
- You can replace the seasoning in this dish with simple Italian seasoning to save time.
- If your ground beef is sticking to the pan while browning, you can add a small amount of olive oil to the pan.
Recipe
Classic Goulash
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Course: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
- Author: Sabrina Snyder
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
- 2 yellow onions , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , chopped
- 3 cups water
- 29 ounces tomato sauce
- 29 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni , uncooked
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Add the ground beef, onions, bell peppers and garlic to a large dutch oven on medium-high heat and cook it breaking it apart until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Drain most of the fat then add in the remaining ingredients except the macaroni, bring to a boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer with a cover on for 15 minutes.
Add in the macaroni, mix well then cover and simmer an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally before serving
Nutrition Information
Yield: 8 servings, Amount per serving: 455 calories, Calories: 455g, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 965mg, Potassium: 1008mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 620g, Vitamin C: 31.8g, Calcium: 96g, Iron: 5.2g
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert.
Do you drain the tomatoes?
No need to drain them.
Sorry, Sabrina, but this is not goulash. This is a 1950s US concoction. Spend some time in Eastern Europe for the real thing.
I call this American Goulash “Classic” because it’s a classic midwestern American recipe. 🙂 I do have a Hungarian Goulash if you are looking for a more traditional European version here: https://dinnerthendessert.com/hungarian-goulash/
Enjoy!
I followed the recipe completely. I thought the Worcester sauce taste was SO strong. Too strong. I’d add a splash at best because it overwhelms the entire dish
It can be a bit much for some tastes. Definitely feel free to hold back next time you make it and adjust to your taste! 🙂
Absolutely scrumptious! It’s exactly what goulash is supposed to taste like ? I love using Cavatappi noodles for added entertainment in every bite!
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it and were able to make it even more fun to eat!
Cooked this goulash tonight and it was the best goulash I’ve had. Loved it.
So glad to hear! This is a family favorite in our house 🙂
do i cook the macaroni noodles before adding? or put in burger/tomato mix uncooked?
You put them in uncooked so they can cook up in the liquid 🙂
It has been a looooong time since i have had goulash. Mom was the goulash queen but i never got her recipe before she passed away. I have a question: since i like some zip in my meals, big bold flavors, do you suppose i could substitute one jar of salsa for an equal amount of the diced tomatoes?
That sounds like a great swap! I’m sorry you weren’t able to get her recipe, but here’s hoping this is a good base to getting the flavors how your mom used to make.
Quick question how much beef broth do I use instead of water
Sorry I just saw this – it’s going to be a 1:1 switch. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious, very easy to make. Thank you for sharing Sabrina.
This isn’t real goulash. I’m sure it may taste perfectly fine but it’s NOT goulash nor would it taste as such.
For one thing, macaroni isn’t in goulash. In my home country, this stuff would be passed over and laughed at if it were claimed to be “goulash.”
This isn’t your home country. This is what we’ve always called it. Comfort food. Why feel the need to make such a negative comment?
Well in the good ole’ USA this is definitely midwestern style goulash.
Rude.
Tweaked it a little for my taste. I added 3 cups of V8 instead of water and a teaspoon of fennel. It was delicious!
Yum! I’m glad you were able to adjust to your taste and enjoy!!
This recipe was just what I was looking for! I did substitute beef broth for the water and reduced the Worcestershire sauce- it was fabulous! Thank you!!
Sounds like even more beefy flavor! So glad you liked it!
This was DELICIOUS i didn’t change a thing. I did add corn to mine.
I add a can of kidney beans and some frozen or fresh corn.
super easy and delicious ! Better than my Mom’s recipe (sorry Mom!)
Haha, I won’t tell her!
Love this recipe! I added green beans to mine and omg it’s delish…
Sounds like a great addition!
So I doubled this recipe to have leftovers for my family of 5, but it made a very big batch! And it was very soupy, wondering what I can add to it now that it’s cooked to thicken it up, thanks!
So sorry I’m just now seeing this. If that happens again, you can add cornstarch to water and stir until smooth. SLOWLY stir cornstarch mixture into the goulash until reaching desired consistency. I hope you still enjoyed it!
This was DELICIOUS i didn’t change a thing. I did add corn to mine.
Sounds like a fantastic addition. Thanks for the 5 stars.
I used tomato soup instead of sauce, beef bouillon in the water and rotel tomatoes. Delicious!!! Great flavor! Highly recommend.
Thanks for the suggestions. So glad you enjoyed it.
If one does not have (or really even know about) a Dutch Oven, what is a useable substitute? Just to be more challenging, this one (does know about but…) does not have any cast iron. Thank you for great recipe.
You can use a skillet for the cast iron. Also as far as a dutch oven, you can use a big pot that you have. Hope this helps!
Best goulash recipe EVER
Thats not goulash. Goulash is never with minced meat. I must know it, Goulash is german food.
Gerd,
This is American Goulash, as stated.
Always someone trying to correct others?. This AMERICAN goulash is great and thank you so much for posting recipes for those of us whom need a lil help from time to time !!! Your amazing !
I 99% agree with you although I know it from my home in Czech.
As stated it’s an American goulash!
If you know it so well why did you google the recipe…
Actually many different cultures have different versions of what “ goulash” is.
Here in Newfoundland, Canada we used canned corned beef rather than ground…it was one of our family’s favorite meals! ??
Is there a substitute for tomato sauce? Don’t have any? Thanks
You can blend up canned or stewed tomatoes, mix tomato paste with water or use tomato juice in a pinch. Hope this helps!
I too noticed how close to American chop suey this recipe sounded – I grew up in Maine and that’s what we call it. The only difference for me is using a store-bought sauce (I know, I know, but it saves on time). Top with some grated Parmesan, serve with a salad and garlic bread – comfort food at its best!!
So glad you love it! No judgement on the store bought sauce at all. Sometimes we all need a little help in the kitchen.
If anyone had taken the time they would have found out that goulash actually originates in Hungary I see no reason for a bunch of grown ups to argue about where a dish comes from, if you enjoy it you enjoy it, and I’m pretty sure when your eating it your not sitting there wondering where this dish came from, be kind people life’s to short for silly disagreement’s. Have a blessed day?
Delicious! I cut the recipe in half and it fed our family of four, with some leftovers used for lunch the next day. Also used turkey burger instead of beef. So good, easy and cheap to make! Love the one-pot recipes!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
up in new england we call this chop souy . but it still a great week day meal.
Oh, interesting. Thanks for letting me know.
One of our weeknight favorites! So easy, comforting and delicious!
Perfect for that!
One of my favorite comfort foods of all time! Such a delicious recipe!
Thanks, Steph! So glad you enjoyed it!
Ik this might be an odd question but do you cook the noodles first or do they cook in the sauce mix. Thanks
You’ll add them uncooked into the pot. Enjoy!
This is the best!!! So would love a big bowl for lunch today. Love that you added bell peppers. YUM!!!
I hope you enjoy it!
Such an easy dinner and the kiddos love it!
So glad you all loved it, Kellie! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Yum! I love one pot meals for the weeknights and this is perfect!
Yep, a delicious meal AND easy clean up!
Love your page thank u!
I live alone and don’t need to make so much, so I cut the recipe in half. I added green chilies and it came out great. The recipe was so easy to follow. I will be making this again. Thanks for such a wonderful supper.
You’re welcome! Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Wouldn’t it be great if nutritional information was given for each recipe!? It’d be helpful for me.
The nutritional information is available for this recipe at the bottom of the recipe card. We are currently working through all of recipes to update to show them. We appreciate your patience.
I’m making this for our Sunday dinner. My house smells delicious! My family can’t wait to try it!
I hope you all enjoyed it!