Easy Goulash Recipe

Name: Easy Goulash Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
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 )

byShawn PublishedJanuary 30, 2021October 23, 2025 UpdatedOctober 23, 2025

Jump to Recipe

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

Helpful Products To Make This Recipe

Here are some of my favorite tools to make this American Goulash Recipe:

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate this Recipe

4.94 from 2691 votes