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
Amazon.com
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
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
Kid Friendly
One Skillet
Pressure Cooker
Slow Cooker
9x13 Recipes
15 Minutes
30 Minutes
Freezer Friendly
Can this recipe be cut in half and still taste just as good?
I am planning on making this recipe this week. I had 2 questions. What percentage of ground beef do you recommend, 90%, 85%, or 80%. Also your recipe calls for seasoned salt. Do you mean like Lawry’s seasoning salt?
I typically cook with 93% when I make a recipe, but it doesn’t really matter, cause you’ll drain the fat after you’ve browned it. And yes, Lawry’s seasoning salt is what I use. 🙂
Thank you so much Shawn. Making this right now for dinner.
Made this last weekend for the family and was an instant hit!! Trying your Italian Beef and Rice skillet tonight and I know it will be amaze!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Gretchen!
This looks so great!! I will definitely try this recipe!
Thanks Mehndi! I hope you enjoy it!
We made this exactly as written. Way too much Italian seasoning. 1 bay leaf would have been enough.
I will make it again but cut the seasoning in half.
Sorry you felt it had too much seasoning, next time I would try half like you mentioned, taste it and see if you like it. If it needs more, just add a little more at a time. 🙂
Am Nigerian
Nd dz meal is fantastic
I’m so glad you are enjoying it!
We loved it. Will be better tomorrow.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Great dish and great for leftovers. I always wondered what the difference was between this and America Chop Suey. Finally looked it up and it seems that us silly New Englanders call it American Chop Suey. So i learned that they are the exact same just a silly colloquial name difference.
Oh funny! So glad you enjoyed it Lisa!