This goulash recipe is a scrumptious and basic one-pan dinner that everybody loves! With satisfying beef, tomatoes, and elbow macaroni, it’s the proper dish to throw collectively on a weeknight.
Cozy beef goulash is reassuring like Hamburger Helper and a bit faster to prepare dinner than beef bourguignon. Simply add a facet of selfmade cornbread!


I’ve made this goulash recipe 100 instances, whether or not it’s a weeknight with the household or a last-minute banquet, and it’s at all times met with cleaned plates and rave evaluations. As we will all agree, I feel, there’s simply one thing concerning the mixture of beefy flavors, wealthy tomato sauce, and tender pasta! Perhaps it’s the elbow macaroni? It locations goulash alongside beefaroni as an all-time favourite consolation meals. Which might additionally clarify why we’re such followers of mac and cheese!
What Makes This Goulash Recipe a Consolation Meals Traditional
- Savory meat sauce. My goulash has an extremely savory, beefy sauce. It jogs my memory a little bit of Italian Bolognese, solely extra stew-like, with numerous tangy tomatoes and cheese.
- Prepared in 40 minutes. Shortly sauté the meat and veggies, then let every part simmer with the pasta and sauce till it’s time to serve. Goulash is the kind of hearty dinner you could have on the desk in underneath an hour.
- Crowd-pleasing flavors. This American goulash recipe retains the spices gentle and the elements family-friendly. It’s also possible to simply adapt the dish with additional seasonings, veggies, and so forth.


Goulash Elements
That is an summary of the necessary elements you’ll want for this recipe, together with notes. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the printable elements listing, quantities, and recipe particulars.
- Onion and Inexperienced Bell Pepper – Diced yellow onion and bell pepper, sautéed in oil, create the bottom of the tomato and meat sauce. You may swap inexperienced pepper for any coloration you have got available.
- Beef – I make my simple weeknight goulash recipe with lean floor beef. You should utilize one other reduce of beef (see beneath) or, for a leaner possibility, make rooster goulash with floor rooster or boneless, skinless rooster.
- Garlic – Freshly minced. You may change a recent clove with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or 1 tablespoon of jarred garlic.
- Tomatoes – Canned chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce. You should utilize selfmade tomato sauce if in case you have it!
- Beef Inventory – For a deeper taste, attempt half beef inventory and half crimson wine, like Cabernet Sauvignon, or white wine, like Chardonnay.
- Seasonings – Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to spice up the flavors within the tomato sauce.
- Elbow Macaroni – The basic selection for goulash recipes. You should utilize one other quick pasta, like cavatappi or small shells.
- Shredded Cheese – I really like the warmth of Pepper Jack cheese, however sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, or freshly grated Parmesan may even work. You may omit the cheese to make your goulash dairy-free.
The Greatest Meat for Goulash
Made with floor beef, this recipe is fast and family-friendly. In case you’d wish to swap the bottom beef for an additional quick-cooking reduce, I’d advocate sirloin steak, tip roast, or flank steak, such as you’d use for stroganoff. Lower the steak into even, ½ or 1-inch cubes.
In case you’d favor to make use of a slow-cooking reduce, like beef chuck, it would want considerably longer to prepare dinner. On this case, add the pasta to your goulash nearer to the top of cooking so it doesn’t develop into mushy.


Recipe Suggestions
- Increase the flavors. Use a can of chopped tomatoes with inexperienced chilies (like Rotel) or fire-roasted tomatoes so as to add extra taste to the sauce.
- Add corn. Generally, I’ll stir in canned corn kernels on the finish of cooking. You’ll want to rinse and drain the canned corn first.
- Stir continuously. Keep in mind to stir the goulash continuously whereas it simmers, making certain even cooking and stopping the sauce from burning in opposition to the underside of the pan.
- Watch the goulash whereas it cooks. The pasta absorbs among the liquid because the goulash cooks, making it thicker. If wanted, add extra inventory to make it extra “stew-like”.
Steadily Requested Questions
Genuine Hungarian goulash is the spicier, soupier cousin of American goulash. It’s a stew made with beef chunks and greens, seasoned closely with paprika. In the meantime, American goulash is milder and thicker, made with floor beef, pasta, and tomato sauce.
Sure. If the plan is to freeze your goulash, take into account getting ready the meat and tomato sauce, however leaving out the pasta. Let the sauce cool, and freeze it in an hermetic container. Whenever you’re able to serve, thaw the sauce, add the macaroni, and simmer till the pasta has cooked via.


Serving Solutions
Serve goulash with crusty bread slices, smooth dinner rolls, or Macedonian kifli. It’s filling as-is, however you possibly can at all times clean up the meal with a chopped salad or a veggie facet, like ratatouille. In case you’re on the lookout for a wine pairing with this American-style goulash, I’d recommend a full-bodied crimson, like Shiraz, Zinfandel, or Merlot. In case you favor white wine, attempt a Riesling.
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Make the bottom. Warmth the olive oil in a big pot set over medium warmth. Add the onion and bell pepper, and prepare dinner, stirring for 4-5 minutes.
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Cook dinner the bottom beef. Stir within the floor beef and prepare dinner at medium-high warmth, breaking down the lumps with a wood spatula, till the meat is now not pink, about 4-6 minutes. Drain the surplus fats, if any. Then return the pot to the warmth, add the garlic, and prepare dinner for 1 minute.
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Add the remainder of the elements. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef inventory, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and elbow macaroni. Season to style with salt and pepper.
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Cook dinner. Stir effectively and produce the combination to a boil. Then, cut back the warmth and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. If it is too thick to your liking, add a bit extra broth. See notes.
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Add cheese. Take away from the warmth and stir within the pepper jack cheese.
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Relaxation and serve. Let the goulash relaxation for five minutes and serve it heat.
- Spice it up. For some additional taste, you should utilize canned chopped tomatoes with inexperienced chilies.
- Add-ins. It’s also possible to add some canned corn on the finish of cooking. Will probably be a scrumptious addition.
- Cheese choices. In case you should not have pepper jack cheese, use cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar cheese.
- Stir. Be sure to stir the goulash whereas it simmers.
- Consistency. If wanted, add extra broth or inventory to your goulash. This recipe needs to be “stew-like”. The pasta will take up among the liquid, so keep watch over that.
Energy: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 25g | Fats: 10g | Saturated Fats: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 4g | Trans Fats: 0.3g | Ldl cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1153mg | Potassium: 917mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 569IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values could differ in line with the elements and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
Tips on how to Make American Goulash
Like my fast beef stew and one-pot spaghetti, I put together this beef goulash recipe in a single pot in a bit underneath an hour. These are the steps:




- Sauté the aromatics. First, add the onion and bell pepper to a big pot with oil. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring typically.
- Add the meat. Subsequent, add the bottom beef to the pot and prepare dinner, breaking apart any lumps with a wood spoon or spatula. As soon as the bottom meat has browned, drain off any extra fats and stir within the garlic.
- Add the remainder of the elements. Now, stir within the canned tomatoes and sauce, beef inventory, and seasonings. Add the macaroni and stir effectively.




- Cook dinner. Carry the pot to a boil, then decrease the warmth. Maintain the goulash at a simmer for 20 minutes. Watch the goulash carefully and add extra inventory as wanted, so the pasta doesn’t get dry.
- Add cheese and serve. Lastly, take the pot off the warmth and add the shredded cheese. Serve your goulash heat with thick hunks of bread.


Tips on how to Retailer and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer the goulash in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Reheat. Heat leftovers within the microwave or on the stovetop. In case you discover that the pasta and sauce have develop into dry, add a splash of broth or water.
- Freeze. You may freeze the goulash with or with out the pasta added for as much as 2 months. In case you’re freezing leftovers, it’s possible you’ll discover that the pasta loses some texture when it’s thawed and reheated, however the flavors will nonetheless be good.