This easy goulash recipe is family-friendly comfort food at it’s best! It’s a one pot American classic made with beef and pasta simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce.
More one pot recipes that we love include homemade hamburger helper and easy hamburger casserole.
Table of Contents
Classic American-Style Goulash
This easy goulash recipe is a good old fashioned classic ground beef recipe that reminds me of my childhood favorite! My mom made this and salisbury steak on busy weeknights when we needed a quick 30-minute meal.
This American goulash is different than Hungarian goulash which is a hearty beef stew seasoned with paprika. It’s made with a tomato sauce, veggies, ground beef and elbow macaroni noodles. It’s quick, budget-friendly and filling. Kids love it!
I love that this easy recipe is a one-pot meal with no need to cook noodles separately like my spaghetti bolognese. It’s hearty like these one pot burrito bowls and a comforting nostalgic recipe like million dollar spaghetti casserole and tater tot casserole!
Easy Goulash Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Ground beef: I like to use 80/20 lean ground beef.
- Macaroni noodles: Other small noodles work like small shells or penne.
- Beef broth: Vegetable or chicken broth work if that is what you have on hand.
- Tomatoes: This recipes uses tomato sauce along with petite diced tomatoes.
- Vegetables: I like to add in onion, red bell pepper and corn. If you like green peppers that can be used.
- Seasonings: I use my homemade Italian seasoning but store-bought is fine.
- Cheddar cheese: While optional, I always melt sharp cheddar cheese on top before serving.
How to Make Goulash
Brown the beef, onion and peppers in large pot or large dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown. Drain any fat, then add in garlic, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce for flavor. Cook 1-2 more minutes.
Stir in diced tomatoes, corn, broth and tomato sauce and bring to light simmer. Then add in uncooked elbow macaroni to the meat sauce, stir and cover with lid.
Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking. Salt and pepper to taste then if desired, sprinkle with cheese and cover for about 1 minute, until cheese has melted. Garnish this American comfort food with fresh basil or parsley.
Tips and Variations
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the ground beef. Try Italian sausage for a different flavor!
- Additional vegetables like peas, green beans, shredded carrots, chopped celery or mushrooms can be added.
- For some extra creaminess, add up to a cup of sour cream at the end.
- If you like your American goulash recipe a little more of a soup consistency add an extra cup of broth, water, or tomato sauce.
- Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for some heat or some smoked paprika for a little smoky flavor.
- My Instant Pot goulash is an easier hands off way to make this dish.
Goulash Serving Suggestions
This traditional goulash recipe is rich and hearty so I love to serve it with a chopped salad and artisan bread or garlic bread to soak up all the delicious sauce.
For a seasonal easy weeknight meal that is warm and comforting, my whole family loves when I add roasted vegetables and sweet cornbread.
How to Store
- To store: Place any leftover goulash in an airtight container and store in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days.
- To reheat: I love to place the leftovers in a small baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Then bake at 350°F until hot and bubbly. You can also warm up in the microwave
- To freeze: Place in an 8×8″ metal tin and wrap with foil. Then place it inside a freezer bag and add a freezer meal label with the date. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then cook at 350°F for 30-45 minutes, or until hot. You could also top with more cheese before baking.
Need more comfort food dinners? Try this turkey sloppy joe recipe, beef stew or cabbage soup.
More Comforting One-Pot Meals
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Easy Goulash Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 bell pepper , chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt , such as Lawry’s
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning , plus more to taste
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce , plus more to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15-ounce) can beef or chicken broth , add an extra cup if desired (see note)
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cups dry elbow noodles
- Salt , plus more to taste
- Ground black pepper , plus more to taste
- Bay leaf , optional
For serving (optional): Shredded cheddar cheese and Fresh basil or parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook beef, onion, and pepper over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes, or until brown. Drain any grease, if needed. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Let cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf, if desired. Bring to a light simmer and add noodles. Stir and cover with a lid. Let cook 10 minutes, or until the noodles are tender, stirring halfway to prevent noodles from sticking.
- Season to taste. Sprinkle cheese over top, if desired, and cover 1 minute, or until the cheese has melted. Add fresh basil or parsley, if desired. Serve while hot!
Notes
- If you prefer more liquid, add an extra cup of broth, water, or tomato sauce.
- Also, this recipe is easy to add in extra veggies when cooking the onions. Sometimes I’ll add in chopped celery or mushrooms.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, 30 Minute Meals, American, Beef, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Freezer-Friendly, One Pot, One Pot, Pasta
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Made this recipe turned out great added a dash of soy sauce, didn’t have the required amount of tomato sauce only a small can so I added an of extra can of petite diced tomatoes recipe came great,the corn in it was good but next time I could leave it out and it would be just as good, my husband says maybe we would add celery instead.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
My family loves this
Cooked this last night. My husband loved it. He is very pickey eater. Thank you for putting your recipes on the web. I have been looking for 1 pot meals. We both work, so I will make some of the meals and freeze them. Makes dinner so easy when we get home.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! One pot recipes are my favorite!
Very yummy
This was so fast, easy and so good! I added just a little cayenne pepper & was amazing! Husband can be picky but he loved it! Will make it often!
this recipe is easy to cook and \ delicious
Loved this recipe. I’ve been wanting to snazz up my own recipe a bit and this fit the bill. I loved the peppers and the seasonings. It was a perfect family dinner on a Sunday night with green peas and some dinner rolls.
Delicious!
I’ll be cooking this for 9 big army soliders who can eat how can i double this recipe. Sorry I’m just learning to cook
Hi Rebecka! This recipe should double well. You will just need to use a really big pot and probably add some cooking time to the noodles!
Hi! Can’t wait to make this. But our family doesn’t like tomatoes. I think we can tolerate ths tomato sauce, but can omit the canned tomatoes? Love your website!
Definitely! If you need more liquid, you could always add a can of tomato juice! :)
I am so excited to have found this web site… Your recipes are the BEST!!!
Thank you.
Pat
Thank you so much! So glad you stopped by!
This says 277 calories, but what is the serving size?
There are 8 servings in this recipe!
I have a question regarding the tomato sauce- are we talking about marinara style sauce or pureed tomatoes here?
Not pasta sauce that you would put over pasta, but there are cans called “tomato sauce” that don’t have any seasoning in them. It’s in the canned tomato section at the grocery store.
I tried this recipe tonight and used ground venison instead of beef also green pepper. Used just one cup of macaroni and baked for 30 minutes before tossing in the cheese. My husband and I both liked it. I t made quite a large batch even with reducing the pasta. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Glad you enjoyed this goulash recipe! The ground venison would be great. :)
I made this 2 nights ago and we loved it! I happen to have everything needed for recipe.
I used bison meat which made it more flavorful!
Thanks for sharing
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Sounds like a delicious substitution with the bison meat. :)
Do you drain the corn?
You can keep the liquid in the corn since the noodles with cook in the mixture! :)
My whole family loves this meal. We make it all the time.
I’m so glad your family loves this recipe. It is such a comfort dish! :)
made it was delicious!!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment and review Kelley! :)