This classic American Goulash is easy, home-style, comfort food! Made in one pot. Perfect for feeding a crowd or hungry family. Loaded with beef, pasta, and lotsa flavor!
Old Fashioned American Goulash
This recipe has been in my family for 4 generations! Goulash has variations in many cultures, but they all center around bringing families together. My grandmother’s sacred recipe ticks all the must-have boxes for “hug-in-a-bowl” pasta recipes: thick tomato sauce, zesty garlic, rich herbs, and as much cheese as I can stand.
For a quicker version try my instant pot goulash. Want a chunkier style, you’ll love my beef goulash. Or, for an Eastern European version, German goulash and Hungarian goulash are both authentically, delish!
What is American Goulash
An original American dish of ground beef, pasta cooked in a rich tomato sauce all in one pot. This has been served on American family dinner tables for 5-6 generations. This is wholesome, hearty, dish is American food at it’s best!!
American Goulash vs Hungarian Goulash:
These two dishes are entirely different! Hungarian goulash is an eastern European version of goulash that’s more like a thick, rich stew with chunks of meat and a tomato broth seasoned with paprika. American goulash is generally made with ground beef, elbow pasta, and doesn’t have much, if any, paprika.
Difference between American Goulash and American Chop Suey?
They’re the same dish with different names. When I got married, I was given my husband’s delicious family recipe for American chop suey. In our house now both are in our regular dinner rotation.
American Goulash Ingredients
- ground beef
- onion
- garlic
- canned tomato sauce
- canned diced tomatoes
- soy sauce
- dried oregano
- dried basil
- bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- macaroni
- cheddar
American Goulash Recipe Notes
- Herbs (Oregano, Basil, Bay Leaves) – Don’t let dried herbs scare you off. If you want your dish to have a bright burst of flavor, you use fresh herbs; but if you want a mellow, warm-and-cozy build of flavor, you use dried herbs. What makes this dish stand out from others are the Mediterranean-inspired spices — the bay leaves, oregano, and basil. If you don’t have all of those, you can swap in 1-2 tablespoons of good ol’, reliable Italian seasoning.
- Seasoned Salt – My grandma was a master of balancing flavors, and one trick she loved was using seasoned salt. Seasoned salt is a great multi-purpose flavor enhancer, and its versatility is endless! Sprinkle it on French fries, zest up roasted veggies, add a shake or two into sandwiches — it adds spices like paprika, turmeric, onion, and garlic, and even a sweet twist of sugar.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shredded versus block cheese. I am a bit of a cheese purist. Those bags of pre-shredded cheese available at the grocery store may look tempting and may save time, but there’s something so much creamier about freshly shredded cheese.
- Obviously, there is NO judgment if you choose to use the pre-shredded cheese for convenience’s sake! To take this goulash pasta recipe over the top,I generally buy a block of cheddar cheese and hand shred it. American goulash with cheese is totally irresistible!
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? An airtight container in the fridge is the way to go if you’re planning to finish off this pasta recipe in one to two days — but if you’re wanting to store it longer, you’ll want to transfer it to the freezer.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! Well, sort of. Pasta is notoriously fickle in the freezer (say that five times fast), as the water content in the noodles can do funky things to the quality. And if you store the sauce on top of the pasta, the noodles will continue to absorb the liquid, making them softer and softer over time.
- After freezing and thawing, this American goulash recipe will be a bit mushy, but that’s one of the beautiful things about comfort food — a little mushiness doesn’t stop it from tasting delicious! But if you only enjoy firm al dente pasta, it’s best to only freeze the sauce, and make the pasta fresh when you’re planning to indulge again.
- As for the American goulash sauce, you can freeze that for up to four months
- Make-Ahead Tips: Thankfully, this recipe is very “make-ahead” friendly. Generally what I do is follow the recipe through step #3. Then I let the mixture cool to room temperature, place in an airtight container and refrigerate.
- When it’s time to serve, I bring the tomato-beef mixture to a simmer and continue with the recipe in step #4 below.
Serving Recommendations
Serve this one pot American beef goulash with something fresh and crunchy like KFC coleslaw, broccoli salad, strawberry spinach salad, or carrot salad.
Of course, in my family there always needs to be a side of bread like authentic southern cornbread, or sweet Bisquick cornbread, my favorite crescent rolls, butter swim biscuits, cat head biscuits, or my quick and easy Bisquick biscuits.
Variations, Substitutes, + Additions
- Add Vegetables: this is great with a can of drained corn stirred in when you add the pasta.
- Add Beans: A can of drained and rinsed kidney beans or black or pinto makes this an even hardier dish and stretches the recipe to feed more people.
- Keto-Friendly: You can substitute the pasta for angel hair shredded cabbage like in the recipe low carb goulash by Lindsey at The Little Pine. I’ve tried her recipe and it’s actually, really delicious!
Can I Make This In Crockpot?
If you’d like to make this in the crockpot, check out my crockpot goulash. Basically, the difference in this recipe and my crockpot version is the means of cooking and the amount of liquid used.
Commonly Asked Questions
- Can you make it with other meats? Yes! This is wonderfully made with ground turkey. For an Italian spin, try Italian sausage!
- Can the noodles be cooked separately? Yes, but when they’re cooked directly in the beefy tomato sauce they absorb a lot more flavor. Some people like to cook the noodles separately and store them separately so they don’t get too soft.
- What is another name for American goulash? This dish goes by many names often depending on what region of the country you come from. Slumgullion, in a casserole version, try my Johnny Marzetti casserole, which is essentially a casserole version of this recipe, of just plain goulash are among some of the names.
How To Make American Goulash
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Brown the meat breaking up as it cooks into small pieces. Continue to cook until the meat is cooked through and there’s no longer any pink.
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Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent.
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Stir in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, oregano, basil, bay leaves, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Boil, cover, and simmer.
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Stir in the pasta, cover, and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is tender about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and discard bay leaves.
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To serve, ladle into individual bowls and top with cheddar.
*****See full instructions below.
More Comforting Goulash And Stew
- Goulash Soup
- Meatball Stew
- Classic Beef Stew
- Cowboy Stew
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Pork Stew
- Chicken Stew
- Hamburger Stew
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Brunswick Stew
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
American Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground Beef 80/20
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups water
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes juice included
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 2 cups cheddar shredded (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown the meat (2 pounds) over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks into small pieces. Continue to cook until the meat is cooked through and there's no longer any pink.
- Stir in the onions (1 large) and garlic (4 large cloves). Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in water (3 cups), tomato sauce (2 (15-ounce ) cans), diced tomatoes (2 (14.5-ounce) cans), soy sauce (3 tablespoons), oregano (2 tablespoons), basil (2 teaspoons), bay leaves (2), seasoned salt (1 tablespoon), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the pasta (2 cups), cover, and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is tender about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves. To serve, ladle into individual bowls and top with cheddar (2 cups).
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Herbs (Oregano, Basil, Bay Leaves) - Don’t let dried herbs scare you off. If you want your dish to have a bright burst of flavor, you use fresh herbs; but if you want a mellow, warm-and-cozy build of flavor, you use dried herbs. What makes this dish stand out from others are the Mediterranean-inspired spices — the bay leaves, oregano, and basil. If you don’t have all of those, you can swap in 1-2 tablespoons of good ol’, reliable Italian seasoning.
- Seasoned Salt - My grandma was a master of balancing flavors, and one trick she loved was using seasoned salt. Seasoned salt is a great multi-purpose flavor enhancer, and its versatility is endless! Sprinkle it on French fries, zest up roasted veggies, add a shake or two into sandwiches — it adds spices like paprika, turmeric, onion, and garlic, and even a sweet twist of sugar.
- Cheddar Cheese - Shredded versus block cheese. I am a bit of a cheese purist. Those bags of pre-shredded cheese available at the grocery store may look tempting and may save time, but there’s something so much creamier about freshly shredded cheese. Obviously, there is NO judgment if you choose to use the pre-shredded cheese for convenience's sake! To take this goulash pasta recipe over the top,I generally buy a block of cheddar cheese and hand shred it. American goulash with cheese is totally irresistible!
- Add Vegetables: this is great with a can of drained corn stirred in when you add the pasta.
- Add Beans: A can of drained and rinsed kidney beans or black or pinto make this an even hardier dish and stretch the recipe to feed more people.
- Keto-Friendly: You can substitute the pasta for angel hair shredded cabbage-like in the recipe Low Carb Goulash by Lindsey at The Little Pine. I’ve tried her recipe and it’s actually, really delicious!
Nutrition
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Reader Interactions
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Patty says
I followed your American Goulash recipe to the “T” (except the store was out of 80/20 ground beef, so I had to get the 90/10 and added a little olive oil while browning), and my husband and I LOVED it! Your recipe will be one of our go-to recipes, especially in the cooler months. I was surprised at some of the ingredients, such as Soy Sauce, but added it to my shopping list anyway. SO glad I did – the combination of flavors is amazing! Thank you for sharing your family recipe with us! 🙂
Kathleen Smith says
You’re so welcome Patty! I’m happy you and hubby enjoyed! 🙂
Roxanne says
When do u add cheese
Kathleen says
Hi Roxanne. At the end, as an optional topping 🙂
Diane Ranslow says
You can use low sodium soy sauce. I love adding soy sauce to my pasta recipes.
Kathleen says
Great idea Diane! Thanks so much for sharing <3
Tina says
I always do mine in the crockpot leave on low about half a day while im at school turns out amazing! And dinner is ready!!!!
Kathleen says
Great idea Tina!
Raylyn says
Do I drain the meat??
Kathleen says
Hey Raylyn, no I do not. If you prefer to make this lower in fat, then absolutely, you should drain the meat. I think the fat adds to the flavor and it doesn’t make the dish greasy. And to be totally honest, my Grandma didn’t so, I was taught to make the dish without draining it <3
Robin Rocha says
This is a weekly staple. Always have on hand in fridge, and is a huge hit with any and everyone. Thank you for a simple delicious recipe.
Kathleen says
You’re so welcome, Robin. I’m happy you’re enjoying the recipe 🙂
Bernadette says
This is by far the best recipe for hamburger and noodles I love it sooooo much that I never want to share. I wouldn’t change a thing on the ingredients everything is flat out amazing! You can never go wrong making this! And everyone In the family LOVES IT
Kathleen says
Thank you Bernadette!
Jackie says
I am going to work this out to feed eighty people adults and children for Bible school lunch. Wish me luck!!
Kathleen says
Wow! I hope you enjoy Jackie 🙂
Fiddi says
We used less tomato sauce, and instead of soy it was worcestershire sauce. A couple cans of pork n beans and a squirt of ketchup. Everything else spot on. It became the kid snack after day 1 dinner. Lots in refer and teens could come home from school and heat up a bowl … Anytime. Mom would make huge pot & freeze some.
Kathleen says
Thanks Fiddi 🙂
Viki says
This was one of the few dishes that my dad was in charge of cooking. He would make the same thing only substitute kidney beans for the macaroni and call it chili:) He’s 89 years old now and I bet he could still make it. He would put the sugar bowl on the table when serving and we would sprinkle it on top!
Kathleen says
Hi Viki. I love that story! I’ve never heard of sprinkling it with sugar!
Julie says
I added a little sugar too and cooked onions and chopped green pepper WITH the beef to soften them up
Kathleen says
Great! That sounds yummy!
desiree stanley says
i always add a lil sugar to my spagetti so it would make sense to me to add a lil here
Kathleen says
Thanks Desiree. <3
Geri says
This is delicious! Just finished making it. Thank You
Kathleen says
Geri, I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Pearl says
I’m planning to make this for my family this week, and I’m wondering if you’ve had any experience with freezing the leftovers?
Kathleen says
Hi Pearl 🙂 Yes,I have frozen this in the past. Honestly, it’s not at it’s best after freezing. The pasta gets very mushy.
Christy says
I love this recipe, I add corn and tomato paste, the little cans 2, that’s how my mom and grandma taught me. Gonna try the bacon idea, sounds yummy.
Kathleen says
Christy, both those additions sound really yummy. I’d love to hear back from you if you try it with bacon! 🙂
Christy says
I tried with bacon, it is awesome. Quite possibly The Best I have ever made. Yummy!! ????????
Jessica says
First time making american goulash and this is amazing! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Kathleen says
Hi Jessica. You’re so welcome. Glad you liked it 🙂
John says
I don’t know who called this Kentucky But too, but they lied. Has no similarities at all. But this is a good recipe.
Kathleen says
Well, good to know. Thanks John 🙂
Stephanie says
Very good! I added some Worcestershire.
Kathleen says
Stephanie, sounds like a nice addition!