Classic Goulash with ground beef, bell pepper, onions, and macaroni simmered in a seasoned tomato sauce, is ready in 45 minutes in one pot!
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 is one of my favorite old fashioned recipes. It’s made with ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and macaroni noodles 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. Goulash is always crowd-pleasing, which makes it a terrific option for potlucks!
Goulash is a hearty recipe the entire family will love. For a complete meal, serve Classic Goulash with a crisp, fresh Beet Salad and Garlic Bread to soak up all that extra delicious sauce.
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.
How to Make Classic Goulash
- Add ground beef, onions, bell peppers and garlic to a large dutch oven and cook until it is no longer pink.
- Drain most of the fat then add in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer.
- Add in the macaroni, mix well then cover and simmer an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
More Classic Dinner Recipes
Easy Chicken Casserole
Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Homemade Rotisserie Chicken
Breaded Pork Chops
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
Use a meatless crumble in place of ground beef for a delicious vegetarian take on Goulash. It will still taste beefy, hearty, and delicious. Or you can substitute the ground beef for cooked lentils for a hearty vegetarian meal that’s also high in protein and fiber.
Mix in your favorite veggies like corn, beans, spinach, peas, zucchini, carrots, or mushrooms. Cheese is also a flavorful add-in, which can be melted into the sauce or served as a topping. Top Goulash with sour cream, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped parsley, black olives, or Parmesan cheese.
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Key Ingredients in Classic Goulash
- Beef: Classic Goulash is traditionally made with ground beef. We recommend 85/15 for best flavor and texture in just about every recipe. If your ground beef is sticking to the pan while browning, you can add a small amount of olive oil to the pan.
- Macaroni Noodles: The macaroni pasta is added to the Goulash after it has simmered for about 15 minutes. When the noodles cook in the liquid, they absorb all the flavors of the tomatoes and seasonings, as well as help thicken the sauce with the starches released.
- Vegetables: Bell peppers and onions are a classic combination that goes perfectly with beef. They are also easily found year round, which makes Classic Goulash the perfect hearty winter recipe.
- Tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes and tomato sauce combine with the rest of the seasonings to create a savory base sauce that soaks into the meat and pasta and softens the vegetables.
Slow Cooker Classic Goulash
- Brown the ground beef, onions, bell peppers, and garlic in a skillet.
- Add beef mixture to slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except macaroni.
- Cook on high 2-3 hours, or on low 4-6 hours, adding the macaroni noodles to the slow cooker in the last 30-40 minutes of cooking.
Instant Pot Classic Goulash
- In sauté mode, brown the ground beef, onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Drain most of the fat.
- Add 1 cup water to deglaze, then add the rest of the water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir in macaroni.
- Seal lid and set to high pressure for 3 minutes, then quick release. Stir and serve immediately.
Can you Make Classic Goulash Ahead?
If you’re making goulash ahead, cook the pasta according to package directions and set aside. Then make the ground beef according to the recipe, and store everything in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may also want 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.
Variations on Classic Goulash
- Cheese: Make your Goulash extra creamy and cheesy by topping it with with shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, or Swiss cheese.
- Noodles: This goulash recipe calls for macaroni, but you can also use egg noodles for this dish if that’s what you have.
- Meat: You can lighten this goulash up by using ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, and adding more vegetables in place of some of the pasta.
- Broth: 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.
- Creamy Goulash: Add a cup of sour cream to make this goulash with a cream sauce. You can also add ½ cup of cheese while the goulash is still cooking instead.
- Seasonings: You can replace the seasoning in this dish with simple Italian seasoning to save time. This goulash recipe is already seasoned but if you want even more flavor try adding bay leaves, a dash of paprika or garlic, or deglaze the ground beef with ¼ cup red wine.
- Fresh Tomatoes: I’m using a can of diced tomatoes in this recipe, but you can chop fresh tomatoes if you want to.
- Fresh Herbs: You can replace the 1 teaspoon each of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon each of fresh herbs. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley for even more fresh flavor.
- Low Sodium: Make this recipe low sodium by omitting the salt, and using the low-sodium version of canned tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Cheesy Taco Pasta
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Easy Bacon Carbonara Pasta
How to Store Classic Goulash
- Serve: Do not leave Classic Goulash at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Store Goulash in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze Goulash in a freezer safe plastic bag for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef , (85/15)
- 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
- 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
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Photo used in a previous version of this post.
This is the closest recipe to what my Grandmother and Auntie taught me. And it was always goulash and served with white sliced bread and butter. Yum ?
Oh yes! I have to have bread and butter. So good! My mom used home canned tomatoes in hers and it was the best!
Shame on me for not commenting the first time I made this. Absolutely wonderful as written! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Definitely brought back memories of my childhood, and yes, we called it Goulash “way back when.” Love your recipes!
We enjoyed the Goulash; however, it was not what I expected from the picture. From the picture it looked like a casserole – not a soup. In the picture there must have been more than 8 oz. of pasta. Anyway, the flavor was good and we just ate it as a soup. I had made the recipe EXACTLY as directed with the exact amounts of ingredients – even weighed the pasta. Guess I should have doubled the pasta.
This was delicious and so easy to make!
Sabrina, this is the best goulash I have ever had or made!!! We just got done eating and it was a big hit! My fiancée kept making good comments all while we were eating!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Jan
Made this today, all loved it. Very easy. Added the sour cream at the end and this made it perfect! Will make this again for sure.
Wow- it turned out delicious, and my family loved it. Very similar to the goulash my mom made. I used lean ground beef and just added a little olive oil to cook the meat and veggies. I used fire roasted tomatoes for the diced tomatoes. And I doubled the macaroni and cooked for only 15 minutes. It was perfect. Thank you!
Wow- it turned out delicious, and my family loved it. Very similar to the ghoulish my mom made. I used lean ground beef and just added a little olive oil to cook the meat and veggies. I used fire roasted tomatoes for the diced tomatoes. And I doubled the macaroni and cooked for only 15 minutes. It was perfect. Thank you!
There is no proper goulash recipe that has ground beef and macaroni.
Good dish but a few tips from me.
– do not use lean ground beef. There will not me enough fat to cook the vegetables in.
-DO NOT use small elbow macaroni. It will get “lost” in the recipe (which is what I used). It also became mushy so maybe Rotini or Cavatappi will work better.
-Chop pepper and onion into small pieces unless you like chunks. Will remember this for next time.
-8 servings filled up my 4.5 quart bowl. It’s a LOT.
I decided to try a different version and picked yours…very yummy! My mom always called it slumgullion growing up. But her version didn’t have Worcestershire sauce. But here in Ohio a lot call this Johnny Marzetti and it varies on how it’s made depending on what part of Ohio you’re from!
Really loved this. So tasty & satisfying.
Love it!!! So tastey & satisfying. Great with salad & garlic knot roles.
Really enjoyed this!
Made the goulash last night. It was delicious! I cooked the pasta separately and cut down on the water. I am so looking forward to the leftovers. Thank you.
Really Loved this. Very tasty and satisfying. I served with green salad and garlic knot rolls for a healthy balanced meal.
Made the goulash and it was delicious! I ran out of elbow macaroni so I had to use penne and it still came out great. I’m looking forward to the leftovers. Thank you.
Sabrina, I LOVE your recipes!!! Awesome. Thank you.
Probably a stupid question. Do I precook the the elbows before adding them or will they get cooked by just following the instructions. Thanks Paaul
I do this all the time. That way when you reheat the next day it doesn’t turn to mush.
I made this this week. Is very good. Everyone liked it.
Do you drain the canned tomatoes?
Nope, you do not need to drain them
Are you in my brain for cooking? I have made this my whole life I cooked for my family I was 10 and would use what I thought would work together why I never shared my dinner’s idk I bet we have the same skills I use things U don’t but sometimes too much is TOOO MUCH OVER SALTING SUCKS. NO Kosher salt not in my baked dishes.
Sabrina – I have quite a few of your recipes saved. Made this one for dinner tonight – it’s just as delish as all of the others I have tried from your site and has also been saved. Thank you for sharing your talent with us!
Aww thank you Corinne!
I always struggle with measuring pasta in ounces. Is 8 oz just a measuring cup filled to the 8 oz mark with uncooked pasta? That sure doesn’t look like much.
8 oz. Is two cups dry measure.
I always measure my pasta by weight, on a kitchen scale.
I have not had goulash since my dad passed away almost 30 years ago. I made this and it brought me right back to my youth. I had small elbows so I used the whole box (16oz) and it was perfect! Thank you for their perfect comfort food recipe!
I give this a five-star it is so good this is the only one I make now thank you for the recipe
My “go to” recipe! Sabrina is the best . ???? All her recipes.
We love this recipe ??Great tasting & easy to make! Thank you!! My friend has made goulash for over 40 years. This is how she makes it too. The only thing she uses sometimes is sage sausage. With that, you don’t put in oregano & basil. She also puts in a little brown sugar!!
We love this recipe ??Great tasting & easy to make! Thank you!! My friend has made goulash for over 40 years. This is how she makes it too. The only thing she uses sometimes is sage sausage. With that, you don’t put in oregano & basil. She also puts in a little brown sugar!! Yummy ?
You bet Hungarian Goulash is a totally different dish than American Goulash. Thank you Sabrina for covering that in your intro. I started testing pasta at 15 minutes and removed from heat at “very” al dente. The pasta continued cooking in the sauce and was just right for my taste after resting.
My Mom made this with homemade bread for sopping. She called it GOULASH. Sorry you are offended by our roots. If we call it goulash then it is goulash–get over yourself.
You are 100 percent correct. It’s like eating a paste. Will never make this again..
***** Have made this several times. LOVE IT!
The recipe was great but the beginning instruction of putting everything in a dutch oven, browning the meat, then draining it and Then adding the other ingredients was a little bit confusing
I have nevere had Goulash Before I married my husband and he would periodically ask for it. I make this all the time in the winter and have been for years. Love it. I do change out the water for broth and use a little mor worchester sauce.
Thanks for sharing this! It tasted just like my mom’s!
Going to make this today
This was phenomenal, so simple for busy weeknights and just like mom used to make. Only criticism is that I actually can’t stop eating it (ha). Thank you so much! 🙂
This is about as much goulash, much less classic, as dry toast smeared with tomato puree is pizza.
I’m sure this is tasty…but goulash it isn’t.
Goulash contains paprika. It is a s made with beef chunks or cubes. It does NOT contain Worcestershire sauce, ground beef, or, most particularly, pasta.
Make your own dish, by all means, but don’t go calling it what it isn’t.
This recipe is most definitely the *American* goulash I grew up eating. If you read any of the post – she even explained that it’s not traditional Hungarian goulash, that it’s classic American goulash. You don’t have to be rude – you could just keep your negativity to yourself.
I’m going to make this. I have made something similar before. This is American Goulash. I have had Hungarian Goulash, that’s a whole different ball game. They are totally different. What’s wrong with some people.?
What a jerkoff thing to say. This Goulash is absolutely amazing! Thank you Sabrina!
Thank you!!
This recipe looks delicious I’ll be making it today I didn’t read anything that said you have to follow it exactly you can alter it to your own taste people should keep their rude comments to themselves
This definitely is American Goulash We had it as kids growing up Just like most large families on a small budget it is adjusted per household
The recipie is great but how much is a serving?
1 cup. and this recipe makes 8 servings.
This is so yummy. I also use the broth instead of water and for a yummy twist, add canned corn in with it, it gives us a lot of texture and really goes well with a goulash. My mom used to make something very similar to this and used the corn. Thank you for helping me find a recipe for Goulash again
I made the Classic Goulash for dinner the other night and it was fabulous ! My husband is a VERY picky eater and even he loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you Mary for your support. So happy you enjoyed it!
Just made this and it is terrific ! Thank you for the recipe !
Thank you for trying my recipe, so glad you enjoyed it.
Sabrina, can I add okra to the recipe?
Of course, you can!
Great recipe. But way too much unrelated advertising, I won’t visit your site again
I’m sorry to see you go, however, the unrelated advertising is how you get these recipes for free.
Excellent! I don’t eat red meat so I used fake ground beef and cooked it separately and used Italian seasoning & liquid smoke and a dash of Worcestershire sauce to flavor the “meat”, then added it to the rest of the recipe later so the “meat” wouldn’t be mushy. So so so good!
Karyssa, thank you for your comment. I’m so happy you made it work for you.
I’ve made this recipe a ton since I’ve found it and it’s delicious! Only thing I altered was doubled the macaroni. It’s one of our family favs.
Thank you Luke, so glad it was a hit!
I have been making a version of this for years. I probably never make it the same way twice. It’s my go-to when I want a one pot meal. Yummy!
Cathy, I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe, thank you for your support!
I made this tonight. It brought back memories of my Mom. She had the same recipe except she added chopped celery. The flavor is delicious ?. It came together beautifully. I made the noodles separate as my husband is Slovak and his family always separated the noodles from the main dish. That’s good because I a. Going to freeze individual servings so when my kids visit they will get to taste some nostalgia from my parents. Thank you for this wonderful recipe ?.
this is awesome! I’m so glad your kids will get to taste this dish, thank you for supporting me!
All I changed was beef broth instead of water. Very good. Very yummy. Perfect fit.
I made this and couldn’t stop eating it. It tasted like my mom used to make. I’ve been making it too much like a spaghetti sauce, so it never satisfied me. This was so good I ate it for several days. Thanks for sharing.
When you add the macaroni is it cooked already or does it cook in the tomato sauce?
It will cook in the sauce.
Sabrina this is delicious. As many said reminds me of what my mother mad when I was young and I made it for my kids. I recently made this and gave half to my son who owns a high end restaurant and he loved it. Thanks for sharing
Looks & Smells Amazing! I made this today & we will eat this for dinner the next few nights. I used 1.25 lb ground Turkey, 1 Vidalia Onion & 1 Bell Pepper in tbe 1st step. I added 1 Green Zucchini & 2 small yellow squash into the 2nd step + used beef broth not water & later added 2/3 of a pound elbows then once that cooked I added a pound of mushrooms. Mine is the perfect consistency not soupy at all. Hope everyone loves it ?
I was looking for a recipe that was from my past. Easy to make however 20 minutes and the macaroni was mushy (nasty) and it had no taste… It was not what we made in the South so a bit disappointing. I did notice from past that you do not publish negative comments or low ratings or even a learning experience. However I will post on facebook for you. Try to learn from the negative comments. I want taste that explode in my mouth and not mushy macaroni….
Hi L.A. I actually do take note and post the negative comments. If you didn’t like the macaroni mushy, you can take it off the stove a bit sooner than the 20 minutes, some stoves/ovens cook at slightly different temperatures and I can’t adjust every recipe ion that fact. Hope you try again to your liking.
Also high altitude needs longer cooking time because water boils at a lower temperature.
If you overcooked your pasta, that’s on you. Not the person that posted the recipe.
Super easy to make and soooo good. I use 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning instead of the individual herbs, and a teaspoon of garlic salt instead if garlic cloves, because I’m lazy, but other than that, this recipe is flawless. I use Worcestershire sauce in a lot more stuff now, too. It lends a nice depth to the flavor of lots of beef dishes.
Thanks Mary!