This American Goulash is a hearty mix of ground beef, macaroni, and tomato sauce. It’s all cooked in one pot for a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love. Whip up this American Chop Suey any night of the week, and prepare for that delicious comfort food coma!
What’s in this Goulash Recipe?
What makes this American goulash recipe so easy? All you have to do is throw these simple ingredients into a pot and let it cook!
- Ground Beef: Ground beef or hamburger meat is the best option for a quick, one-pot recipe like this.
- Onion: I recommend using yellow onion for the best flavor. If you like red onions, use them as a topping instead.
- Broth: Beef broth tastes best, but you can substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth if you need to.
- Diced Tomatoes: Grab a can of regular diced tomatoes for convenience.
- Marinara Sauce: Helps thicken up the sauce and enhances the tomato flavor.
- Brown Sugar: This is optional but adds just a touch of sweetness!
- Soy Sauce: Enhances the umami flavor of this dish. You could also use Worcestershire sauce.
- Seasonings: This recipe uses paprika (a must for any goulash recipe!), Italian seasoning, garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper, and a bay leaf.
- Macaroni: Traditional elbow macaroni is my favorite, but you can use another short or tubular noodle. Penne works great too!
- Cheddar Cheese: This is optional, but I love to make our beef goulash cheesy by adding some on top at the end.
Pro Tip: Cook the goulash in a Dutch oven or heavy-based pot. This will distribute the heat more evenly and you are less likely to get hot spots that can burn the bottom.
Variations on American Goulash
If you want to add some vegetables to this dish, you can mix in carrots, potatoes, and other hearty veggies. But you will need to either par-cook them, then add them in with the rest of the ingredients. Or fully cook them separately, and mix them in for the last couple of minutes.
Goulash is a stew made from meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices.
Hamburger Helper is similar to goulash, but it is creamier, cheesier, and less tomato-heavy.
American Goulash is made with ground beef, a tomato-based sauce, and elbow macaroni. Overall, it’s more like a casserole than a stew. Hungarian Goulash, on the other hand, is more of a traditional stew, made with stew meat (like chuck roast), and lots of vegetables. It’s a much thicker consistency and served over a bed of noodles or dumplings.
I like to use lean ground beef for this recipe, but you can easily make it with ground turkey, chicken or pork, or even try ground veal or bison.
No, the pasta will cook through perfectly in the pot along with the other ingredients.
If it’s watery or runny, just let it continue to simmer for a while longer and stir. This usually does the trick for me, Otherwise, you can mix in just a bit of cornstarch and continue cooking.
If you like, add plenty of shredded cheese on top after everything has finished cooking. Then pop it in the oven to broil for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Absolutely! It will keep well for up to 3 months.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover goulash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Let the goulash cool completely before transferring it to Ziplock bags or an airtight container. It will keep well for 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty American Chop Suey makes a great dinner by itself, but also pairs well with cornbread, dinner rolls, or any kind of bread you like for a bit of scooping and dipping. You could also serve it with a side of mashed potatoes or au gratin potatoes.
Goulash Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ pound ground beef
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 cup marinara sauce store-bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional, for a sweeter sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning store-bought or homemade
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- ½ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese optional
- Chopped fresh parsley optional, for garnish
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef and onion together until the onion softens and the meat cooks through, about 3-5 minutes.¾ pound ground beef, ½ yellow onion
- Drain any grease.
- Add the beef broth, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, seasoned salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.2 cups low sodium beef broth, 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, 1 cup marinara sauce, 1 bay leaf, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes, covered.
- Add the elbow macaroni and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Don’t overcook.1 cup dry elbow macaroni
- Remove the bay leaves and adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Add the shredded cheese, optional. If you are using a Dutch oven, you can pop it in the oven and melt and brown the cheese if desired.½ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Garnish the finished dish with chopped parsley, optional.Chopped fresh parsley
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- When the goulash is warm, it will resemble a soup, but it will thicken as it cools.
- Cook the goulash in a Dutch oven or heavy based pot. This will distribute the heat more evenly and you are less likely to get hot spots which can burn the bottom.
- Fell free to add in extra veggies. Bell peppers and mushrooms both work well.
- If making ahead of time, let it cool completely before storing.
Nutrition Information
I wanted to chime in. My mom was always a very simple cook and she didn’t ever really try new things very often. She was very picky so growing up we called it the same name but she put 1lb hamburger• cooked elbow noodles in water separately • then added them together once finished and added 1.5 cans of tomato sauce a bit of ketchup oregano and let it simmer for a bit and that was it. Once I got older I couldn’t do red sauce very well so I add quite a bit of sugar which I personally like but most people do not. I am excited to try it this way for sure. Just thought I’d share.
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Courtney! We hope you love this recipe!
How many people does this dish serve? Can’t wait to try it out.
Hi, this recipe serves 4 as written!
So yummy! I added a pound of ground beef, and included the brown sugar. It was deeeelish.
I noticed in the video it showed brown sugar and in the recipe it doesn’t. Is it recommended and if so how much?
You can add a tablespoon if you like your sauce on the sweeter side, but it’s optional!
I just started cooking and I’m wondering why recipes cook the meat but then are instructed to drain the grease but then add beef broth. Why can’t you make a broth out of the drippings?
Too much grease from the meat will make the final product greasy. Using broth instead of just fat drippings makes the meat moist, but not greasy!
Well done! Easy to make…way easier to eat!
I loved this recipe! I made it in my Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting. I only had smoked paprika on hand and I really liked it. This will be on my regular recipe rotation now.
I have made this about a dozen times now! We love the original recipe. But have tried it with fire roasted tomatoes, added corn, tried bell peppers. No matter how we have played with it, it’s been delicious. It’s definitely one of our favorites!
We always called this Hamburger Mac when I was growing up.
I made this Friday and my family loved it, but I had to make a few modifications out of necessity. I didn’t have marinara sauce, but I had Classico 4 Cheese spaghetti sauce so I used that. I also only had smoked paprika and I was surprised how much I liked that flavor.
I also garnished with Pecorino Romano instead of Cheddar.
I will be making this again for sure!
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, Lisa!
We called it hamburger mac too!
Delicious! Permanent part of the regular dinner rotation!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it!