This super easy Goulash Recipe is a comfort food classic! It’s filled with hearty ground beef and tender pasta in a rich tomato-based sauce and comes together in about 30 minutes!
I’m always looking for new and exciting ways to turn ground beef into dinner, but sometimes I just love the good old classics that bring me right back to my childhood. This Goulash Recipe is just that. It’s super affordable, quick to make and tastes like a warm hug on a cool evening.
Classic Goulash Recipe
Are you familiar with Goulash? If not, let me introduce you to this old fashioned recipe! This recipe is an American Goulash that’s great for busy weeknights, but I love to take this recipe to potlucks and parties because it makes a ton and is super affordable. It’s also great for picky eaters, I haven’t met one kid who doesn’t love this dish!
Goulash is filled with ground beef, onion and bell peppers along with macaroni noodles in a tomato-based sauce. I like to stir in some sharp cheddar cheese at the end to give it a creamy texture. My family loves it!
Goulash Ingredients:
- Onion – I like to use either a white or yellow onion
- Green Bell Pepper – you can use other colors of peppers if desired
- Ground Beef
- Garlic
- Tomato Sauce
- Diced Tomatoes – I love using the petite diced tomatoes here
- Beef Broth
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Seasoned Salt
- Italian Seasoning
- Bay Leaves
- Dry Macaroni Noodles – other small pastas would work too
- Cheddar Cheese
How To Make Goulash
- Start by browning the ground beef along with the onion and bell pepper. Drain any fat and then toss in garlic until fragrant.
- Pour in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes along with beef broth and Worcestershire sauce for some added depth of flavor.
- Add in the seasonings as well as dried macaroni noodles and let simmer until the noodles are cooked through.
- Finally stir in the cheddar cheese and dig in!
Tips and Variations:
- Make sure you use a big pot, as this recipe does make a lot!
- You can swap out the macaroni noodles for any other small pasta you have on hand.
- To make this an even leaner meal, you can use ground turkey in place of ground beef.
- Try adding in extra veggies like: corn, peas, diced carrots, green beans or even stirring in baby spinach at the end!
- Stir in a cup of sour cream at the end to give this recipe an even creamier base!
- The goulash is not quite soup consistency, but if you would like to add extra beef broth to make it more soupy you can definitely do that!
More Comfort Food Dinners
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Ground Beef Cheesesteak Pasta Skillet
Helpful Products To Make This Recipe
Here are some of my favorite tools to make this American Goulash Recipe:
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven (6 quarts)
- Wooden Spoon Set
- Cheese Grater
Easy Goulash Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 lbs. ground beef, lean
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2 15 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Add olive oil to large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, bell pepper and ground beef then cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat and return pot to stove top. Add in garlic and stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Pour in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, bay leaves and dried macaroni noodles. Stir and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a light boil and stir occasionally until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and stir in the cheddar cheese just before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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One Skillet Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Clint
I didn’t like it, under seasoned. It would be perfect for people in a nursing facility who can’t have spices
Jennifer
I cut this recipe in half and it still turned out fantastic! Absolutely loved it!
Ken
Great recipe. What I like about this recipe is you can do lots of different ingredients to tweek it. But I did make it exact, and we loved it.
George Ray Elliott
I don’t know how to cook that well. But wanted to surprise my wife. It’s awesome. Thank you for the help. Do you have a Philly cheese cake recipe? Or am I getting ahead of myself. Either way thank you.
George Ray Elliott
I meant Philly cheese steak
Karen D
Eeeze peezee prep. Came out deeelish! Mixed fresh spinach in, made a tasteful texture. Will definitely make this again! It’s quite comforting! Karen D
Laura
This is a good recipe but I think I would cut back or eliminate the Italian seasoning all together. I also would wait to add the seasoned salt until the end, to taste. Otherwise, this was delicious and I can’t wait to tweak it a little and try it again – so easy!
Jennifer Smith
Excellent
Doug
I just made this recipe and it needs to cook. Sure is easy to put together. After reading all these comments I won’t wait to give it a score – I’l just say 5.00 now and get it over with. I’m going by smell, And a sense of self preservation when my wife reads this. Doug
Heather
This is really good and easy. You are a smart man. Hoping your wife will appreciate the work you put in to making her a meal. Not many men will do that.
Deborah Kay Holder
So easy, delish & inexpensive!
Thanks
RLS
Easy Goulash was so delicious. The instructions were perfect. My fiancé really liked this too. He said we should have this recipe frequently. It was really flavorful. The mix of spices were just right. I loved this one; it was easy and fast, once all of the veggies were diced. Thank you for this recipe!
Deborah Kay Holder
So easy, delish & inexpensive!
Thanks
Allison
Thanks for the recipe! I had leftover homemade veggie broth, so I used that and some caldo de rez instead of the seasoned salt. The homemade broth was ultra low sodium, and this came out PERFECT! My 18 month old is wiggling her toes doing a happy dance eating this as I type.
Mariam
Delicious
Doug Steffen
Excellent recipe, only cut back on Italian seasoning!! Will definitely make again!
Laura
I agree, it definitely needs less Italian seasoning. Maybe 1 Tbsp?
Renee
This was delicious! I did tweek it just a bit. Instead of using ground beef I used ground turkey and instead of using regular tomatoes I added a can of drained Rotel tomatoes and I used roasted garlic tomato sauce instead of regular. Also I added extra broth because I like it a little more soupy and I knew the noodles would soak up a lot of juice. Also I added a can of drained mixed veggies. I got tons of compliments on this dish. Thank you
Gina
Excellent! tried this on a rainy, damp day. I cut down on the Italian seasoning to about half and added the seasoned salt at the end to taste. Delicious!!
Jan
Turned out perfect…..thanks!
Rosalyn Hansen
This is delicious ! My only recommendation is to wait on adding the seasoned salt until it is completely cooked. Depending on the amount of salt in your beef broth and other ingredients you may not need it. Easier to add than take away.
Ann
Gina I disagree. This is goulash and delicious. No need to be rude.
I made this and it was perfectly seasoned. I thought my mother made the best goulash but this is by far the best.
Bobbi Cox
She wasn’t rude just tweeted the recipe which most everyone has done. The recipe is delicious any way you tweet it.
Jon
I made this before leaving for work this morning. I followed the recipe to the letter, and wouldn’t change a thing. A big hit at our house. Anyone giving this recipe less that 5 stars either can’t follow directions, or doesn’t know what’s good.