Easy Goulash With Beef

Close up of a deep pot of American Goulash with ground beef.

4.67 from 3 votes

Easy Goulash With Beef

Easy Beef Goulash is my Americanized version of a classic goulash, made with ground beef, macaroni, marinara sauce, cheese, and aromatic veggies. Perfect for dinner, any day of the week.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Main Course Meat, Main Course Pasta

Cuisine: American, American-Italian

Servings:

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Equipment

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.

Nutrition