This Easy Beef Goulash Recipe is the modern American twist to an old-fashioned and ultra comforting meal! Loaded with delicious ingredients, this beef goulash can be made in one pot, including the pasta!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It’s a crowd-pleasing dinner option for the entire family on cold and chilly nights.
- This American-inspired goulash with beef is made in one pot, making the cooking process simple and convenient.
- This recipe is budget-friendly yet full of delicious flavor, with a great balance of carbs, meat, and veggies all in one dish!
While this Easy Beef Goulash may not be “goulash” in the strictest sense of its true origin, it’s certainly a dish that’s loved by all…even the pickiest of eaters!
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this Easy Goulash with Beef recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- lean ground beef - about 90% to 95% beef.
- large onion
- garlic
- marinara sauce
- beef broth
- canned diced tomatoes
- tomato paste
- green bell pepper
- Italian seasoning
- bay leaves
- elbow macaroni
- cheddar cheese - or mozzarella cheese
- salt
- black pepper
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cook the ground beef in a large Dutch Oven or a deep pot with onion and garlic and drain any fat from the pot.
- Add in beef broth, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, green peppers, seasonings, and bay leaf.
- Let the ingredients come to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
- Add in the elbow macaroni and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the pasta is tender.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf (or leaves) and sprinkle with cheese.
- Stir in the shredded cheese.
- Let the dish rest for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve this easy beef goulash in a bowl and enjoy!
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this Beef Goulash Recipe successfully.
- Dutch oven or large soup pot
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- cheese grater
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making this Easy Goulash with Ground Beef recipe.
American goulash is different in the way that it incorporates pasta, ground beef, and simple seasoning or spices into the recipe. This adaptation could have been a result of regional influence, ingredients available, and cost to make.
American goulash is typically more of a pasta dish with ground beef and elbow macaroni as the main ingredients. Hungarian goulash is made with chunks of beef and is more like a stew with potatoes and other ingredients.
For some reason, people in the USA started to call the modern ground beef version “Goulash” in certain regions and it’s stuck ever since!
Depending on what you include in your American Goulash, it can also easily be referred to as Johnny Marzetti, American Chop Suey, or Beef-a-Roni which are all pasta dishes that consist of ground beef, tomato sauce, and aromatic veggies.
American Goulash is also sometimes referred to as slumgullion which means a cheap stew.
While goulash may be similar to a beef stew with chunks of beef, goulash typically uses some ingredients such as paprika and peppers that are not found in a classic beef stew.
Goulash is never thickened with flour like some stews are and stews usually consist of larger-cut ingredients such as veggies (potatoes) and meat.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before adding the shredded cheese. While the bay leaves are edible, they don’t taste great in the dish itself. Their purpose was to merely add flavor to the goulash recipe while cooking.
- You don’t need to cook the macaroni pasta separately from the pot of goulash. In fact, if you do, you run the risk of the pasta overcooking and becoming mushy. If you’ve chosen to cook the pasta separately, make sure to only add to the rest of the ingredients just prior to adding in the shredded cheese.
- Use freshly shredded cheese from a block of cheese, not pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese usually contains an artificial coating to extend its shelf life which prevents the cheese from melting well and also affects the taste.
- Always allow any leftovers to cool down completely before storing them in the refrigerator or freezer.
📚 Variations
- For a richer, more decadent beef goulash, add in some sour cream. So that the balance of liquid in the dish is not affected, simply detract the amount of sour cream added in from the total quantity of beef broth or water.
- While I haven’t added white wine to this recipe, I know that some recipes do. It’s a great way to add even more flavor and it helps to keep the meat moist too.
- You can certainly use a different pasta if you prefer. I love how the elbow macaroni traps bits of meat and sauce due to its shape.
- Additional ingredients that work well as toppings for this goulash include black olives, chopped artichokes, fresh or dried Italian herbs, and parmesan cheese.
- Ground chicken, turkey, or pork can be used in this dish instead of ground beef.
- I’ve used regular ground beef for this recipe as the fat content adds great flavor but you could also use lean ground beef.
- Mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese are great options for this American goulash. Use either or even a combination.
🥫 Storage
Store leftover beef goulash in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
This easy beef goulash can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven, covered with aluminum foil so that the cheese doesn’t burn.
📗 Related Recipes
Comforting pasta dishes are my absolute favorite during the colder winter months or whenever I need to feed a crowd. If you need to keep similar recipes up your culinary sleeve then be sure to bookmark my Tuna Mac and Cheese as well as Ziti Al Forno. And a classic pasta bean dish you have to try is Fagioli al Forno. You also make this recipe in a Dutch oven.
🍽 Serve with
To complete this beefy and comforting meal, consider pairing your easy beef goulash with homemade Italian bread such as Parmesan-Herb Pizza Bread, Italian Hard Rolls, or Stuffed Italian Bread.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
Don’t you just love meals that you can make in one pot? I know I do, which is why this Easy Beef Goulash Recipe has become a staple in my household.
While I know this dish isn’t necessarily a true representation of Hungarian goulash, it’s still an incredibly flavorful and comforting meal that does a brilliant job of satisfying a big gathering of the family with inexpensive ingredients!
Another family friendly ground beef dinner you've got to taste is our Chili Mac and Cheese recipe. Zippy chili mixes with creamy mac and cheese to combine to favorite dinners into one.
Tutti a tavola, è pronto!
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
This one-pot Americanized goulash recipe is a comforting mixture of ground beef, macaroni pasta, marinara sauce, cheese, and aromatic veggies. It’s the perfect dish for feeding a crowd without fuss or expense.
If you're wanting a recipe that will feed a crowd and have them shout your praises, try our Johnny Marzetti Casserole. This popular midwest casserole is a huge success every time I serve it. You can't go wrong.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Easy Goulash With Beef
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground beef lean - 90% to 95%
- 1 Onion large chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups Marinara sauce 16 ounces of your favorite tomato- based pasta sauce.
- 1¾ cups Beef broth May use water instead but it's not as flavorful.
- 14.5 ounces Diced tomatoes with juice
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato paste
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 Bay leaf large, 2 if they are small
- Salt and Black Pepper quanto basta (to your taste)
- 1¼ cups Elbow Macaroni noodles uncooked
- ½ cup Cheese, cheddar or mozzarella shredded
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven or deep pot, cook the ground beef, onion and garlic over medium high heat until no pink remains in the meat. Drain any fat from the pan.
- Add beef broth, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, green peppers, seasonings and bay leaf. Let the ingredients come to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
- Add in the elbow macaroni and continue to simmer covered. Stir occasionally until the pasta is tender - about 20 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf (or leaves). Sprinkle with cheese and replace the lid.
- Let rest for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before adding the shredded cheese. While the bay leaves are edible, they don’t taste great in the dish itself. Their purpose was to merely add flavor to the goulash recipe while cooking.
- You don’t need to cook the macaroni pasta separately from the pot of goulash. In fact, if you do, you run the risk of the pasta overcooking and becoming mushy. If you’ve chosen to cook the pasta separately, make sure to only add to the rest of the ingredients just prior to adding in the shredded cheese.
- Use freshly shredded cheese from a block of cheese, not pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese usually contains an artificial coating to extend its shelf life which prevents the cheese from melting well and also affects the taste.
- Always allow any leftovers to cool down completely before storing them in the refrigerator or freezer.
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