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American Goulash is my kind of comfort food! It’s rich, savory, and full of that cozy, tomato-y goodness. It’s hearty, easy to make, and one bite will have you hooked just like my family is!
A Reader’s Review
Perfect. Followed the recipe! Tasted better than my Mom’s! Thank you for sharing.
How This Goulash Stole My Heart (and Fork)
- One-pot: Everything cooks together in a single pot, which means less cleanup and more flavor as the pasta soaks up the rich, seasoned sauce.
- Family-friendly: Kids love it, but it’s also packed with hearty, comforting flavor that adults can feel good about!
- Freezer-friendly: Perfect for meal prep! Make a batch, freeze it, and enjoy the same rich flavor and texture!
How To Make American Goulash
Making this classic American goulash recipe couldn’t be easier. Cook the beef and onion, and then throw everything together and let it simmer. You’ll have time to make my 1-hour rolls and green goddess salad to have on the side.
- Brown the Meat: Add 2 pounds of ground beef to a large stockpot over medium high heat. Cook and brown the beef for 7-8 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and drain, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons of grease in the pot.
- Cook the Onion: Add diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until tender. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Make Soup Base: Return the cooked beef to the pot. Add water, beef base, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, paprika, black pepper, and bay leaves. Stir to combine, then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add Noodles & Simmer: Stir in uncooked noodles. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until al dente. Stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom. Just before serving, stir in cheese. Garnish your goulash with fresh chopped Italian parsley on top before serving!
What’s the Difference Between Hungarian and American Goulash?
Hungarian goulash is a hearty stew loaded with meat, vegetables, and plenty of paprika. Hungarian sometimes uses dumplings or potatoes instead of pasta. American goulash skips the extra veggies (aside from the tomato based sauce) and goes all-in with macaroni noodles and cheese. You might also hear it called “American chop suey.”
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Classic American Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large diced onion
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon beef base or bouillon
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (one petite diced)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups elbow macaroni noodles uncooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- fresh chopped Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 large diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until tender. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Return the cooked beef to the pot. Add 3 cups water, 1 tablespoon beef base, 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce, 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon seasoned salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and 3 bay leaves. Stir to combine, then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cups elbow macaroni noodles. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until al dente. Stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom.
- Just before serving, stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Garnish with fresh chopped Italian parsley on top before serving!
Video
Notes
- Fridge: Store cooled goulash in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in a labeled, airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: From fridge—warm on stove or microwave in 1–2 min intervals. From freezer—thaw overnight, then reheat on stove.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Hearty Soups to Try
When it gets cold outside, I love making a big pot of soup! It warms my soul as well as my heart! Here are some of my favorites!
One of our favorites. Now that Fall weather has arrived we will be having it a lot more. Yummy and comforting!
I have been looking for a recipe that loos like the one my mother served us as kids. This one looks and sounds just like it. As a child l could not turn it down. I can’t wait to try this . Thank you.
Let me know how you like it!!
Made this recipe tonight, cut in half for just 2 people, added Rótele tomato’s because my husband likes it with a bit of a kick. Tasted very good. It’s a keeper.
I made this with Worcestershire instead of soy sauce. This is one of their favorites and now this recipe is in our family favorites.
My husband loved this! He said it was so flavorful and the best goulash he ever ate! Winner!
Great receipe and tastes great! I would recommend adjusting the soy sauce and seasoned salt, it comes out a tad bit salty.
Hello,
Recipe is great, I made some slight modifications with chick pea pasta for additional protein. The recipe says serves 8, what is the actual serving size for 562 calories that you have listed. I count macros so this information will be helpful.
Thank you,
Kim
I hadn’t had goulash in years and this recipe did not disappoint. Very easy and very tasty. I love that you don’t have to use another pot to boil the noodles. I too added green peppers. Served with a side salad and a bread, yum!
How do you print this recipe, there’s no button to print.
Hello! Scroll to the bottom of the post, and on the recipe card, you will see a button that says “Print”. Let me know if you have any more questions!
You can also take screenshots and then print them out. That’s usually what I do after I crop each screenshot. Works well for me. J/S
This tasted like a much upgraded version of Hamburger Helper, reminded me of my childhood. I did adjust a few things, mainly the seasoning salt and soy sauce amounts, and I did not use diced tomatoes but instead used crushed tomatoes because I have a picky eater in my house. I halved the recipe and it worked out perfectly. This will be on repeat in our house.
This recipe is a favorite of ours. In fact, I have to 1.5 times it because I always tend to have extra eaters when I make this!! I use Italian sausage instead of beef (personal preference), Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce and cook the noodles separate.
I’ll have to check out more of your listed recipes for more delicious meal ideas. Thanks for sharing!
I also use whorchestershire sauce but definitely cook the noodles in, it keeps and holds the flavor!
I made the recipe as written and threw it in the trash, it must have not been edited for errors. The soy sauce, seasoned salt and Italian seasoning should a least be cut in half.
This is the third time that I’ve made this recipe and I tweaked it to my taste. I only used 1 tsp of soy sauce, left out the water and the beef bouillon. I added a little extra garlic and some green pepper. I also added 1 tsp white sugar to even out some of the acidity. I simmered the sauce for 1 hour, cooked the noodles separately and added them to the sauce to eliminate a little bit of the starchy texture. I added just enough noodles for my liking (which is more than the recipe called for.) This is such a great recipe, and my family loves it! Thank you for sharing! It’s a keeper for sure! 🙂
I made this goulash last night and it was sooo good!! I made it just as the recipe called for but I did add green pepper. My mom used to make this when I was a kid and this did not disappoint! My husband loved it as well. It makes a large amount so I know what we’re having for dinner tonight andI don’t mind at all. It’s always better the next day. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!! I love it!!!!! ?
Oooh green pepper sounds amazing! I’m so glad to hear that you loved it!
I’ve probably made this a dozen times & it is a hit every single time. Great family- & casual guest-friendly dish!
This is a great recipe! My family is raving about it. Definitely a keeper. Thank you