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★ Why You’ll Love this Recipe ★
Old-Fashioned American Goulash
American goulash is one of those nostalgic recipes that brings back fond memories for so many. This timeless, old-fashioned dinner has been feeding families for generations and is still an easy, budget-friendly way to serve a hearty meal to a family or crowd.
This particular Goulash recipe is flavorful featuring ground beef, bell peppers, onions, Worcestershire sauce and spices. I often hear that it tastes like the goulash they remember from their childhood.
Easy Ground Beef Dinner
Simple ingredients and just 30 minutes make this an easy ground beef dinner for busy weeknights. Beef, pasta and vegetables all come together in one filling family meal.
Make It in One Pot
Cook the macaroni right in the sauce for an easy one-pot goulash with minimal cleanup. Or, cook the pasta separately for more control over the texture, then stir it into the beef and tomato sauce.
Budget-Friendly and Great for a Crowd
American goulash is an inexpensive way to stretch a pound of ground beef into a hearty and balanced meal. Make a big batch for a family dinner, to feed a crowd or save the leftovers for lunch.
Serve this American Goulash with a simple 5-ingredient cranberry-apple salad, homemade dinner rolls and a Twinkie bundt cake for dessert!
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Traditionally, and with this recipe, here's what you'll find in American Goulash:
- Elbow macaroni. The classic pasta for American goulash. The curved noodles hold onto the beefy tomato sauce, but another short pasta shape will work too.
- Ground beef. Makes this goulash hearty, filling and budget-friendly. Lean ground beef works well.
- Bell peppers. A classic goulash ingredient that adds subtle sweetness and helps distinguish the flavor from spaghetti with meat sauce.
- Onion and garlic. Add savory flavor to the ground beef and tomato sauce.
- Tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Create a rich, saucy base with just a little texture from the diced tomatoes.
- Worcestershire sauce. Adds savory depth and enhances the beef flavor.
- Sugar. A small amount balances the acidity of the tomatoes and peppers, just like Grandma used to make it.
- Olive oil. Adds richness and helps give the tomato sauce a smooth finish.
Optional Ingredients
Customize your American goulash with any of these easy additions:
- Italian herbs — add dried or fresh herbs for more flavor. Try paprika, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and/or oregano.
- Bay leaves — simmer 2–3 in the sauce for added flavor, then remove before serving.
- Beef bouillon — add 1 teaspoon for more rich beef flavor.
- Beef broth — add up to ½ cup if you prefer a thinner sauce.
Topping ideas: Try Parmesan cheese, black olives or artichokes.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
American goulash comes together in just a few simple steps, with the option to make it all in one pot.
- Cook macaroni, drain and set aside.
- Add ground beef to the same pot.
- Add bell pepper and onion; cook until beef is browned.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add sauce ingredients and cooked macaroni.
- Stir to combine and heat through.
Serve and add any optional toppings, as desired!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
American goulash is a pasta dish made with ground beef, elbow macaroni and tomato sauce. Hungarian goulash is traditionally more like a beef stew or soup, made with chunks of beef and seasoned with paprika. American goulash is also sometimes called American chop suey.
Did you grow up eating American Goulash for dinner? Comment below with where you're from and what you called this dish growing up.
Yes. Ground turkey or lean ground beef can be used for a lighter version of American goulash.
If you're looking to make this dish healthier, try a protein or plant-based pasta to add protein and/or vitamins.
Yes. For one-pot American goulash, cook the ground beef, peppers, onion and garlic first. Add the sauce ingredients, uncooked macaroni and 1½ cups of water, then simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the macaroni is tender. Add a little tomato paste if you prefer a thicker sauce.
Yes. Elbow macaroni is traditional, but another short pasta such as shells, rotini or small penne will work too.
Store leftover American goulash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days according to USDA guidelines.
Yes. Let the goulash cool, then store it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
★ More Beef Dinner Recipes ★
Want even more dinner ideas?
- Browse all my easy beef dinner recipes.
- Browse all my easy dinner recipes and Pin your favorites!
This easy recipe for Old Fashioned Ground Beef Goulash was featured on South Your Mouth and Menu Plan Monday.
American Goulash
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 oz elbow pasta
Beef and Vegetables
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 bell pepper any color, seeded and diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
Sauce
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes for smoother sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
Optional Toppings
- grated Parmesan cheese
- red pepper flakes
- Italian spices
- olives
- artichokes
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Instructions
- Cook pasta. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Cook beef with vegetables. Set the dutch oven to medium-high heat and add ground beef, diced bell peppers and onion. Cook until ground beef is brown and peppers and onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic paste and cook for an additional minute.
- Add pasta and sauce. Add cooked pasta, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, sugar and salt to taste. Stir to combine and heat through.
- Serve. Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, Italian spices, olives and/or artichokes are optional toppings.
Debi says
What really goes with this dish is to add diced green chilies 😋😋. It gives it a little kick, and I use mild but you can use to your preference 🙂
Angela G. says
Green chilies would be a great addition. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy says
My grandmother made this ..sooo good.she called it ..slum gully. Cleveland Ohio ...couldn't Believe I came across this dish as I was reading around.
Angela G. says
Hi Nancy, Slum Gully! Now that's a fun name. It's wild to me that this dish goes by so many different names! Thank for sharing!
Rick says
Do you drain the grease from the hamburger before going further with this recipe?
Angela G. says
Hi Rick, You may want to drain the meat if you're starting with a fatty blend of ground beef like 80/20. It's up to you. Draining away extra fat will lower the calories. You could also start with a more lean blend of ground beef and skip the step of draining. Hope this helps!
Linda says
I grew up in Michigan to a Connecticut Yankee and born and raised Kentucky mother.
We called it goulash. Growing up I had no idea that there was a Hungarian goulash. Everyone that I knew made this dish and called it goulash.
No matter what you call it I call it delicious!
This is my list of ingredients:
Ground beef
Elbow macaroni
Tomato sauce
Fire roasted diced tomatoes
Onion
Green pepper
Katchup
Chili sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Onion and garlic powder
Black pepper
Angela G. says
Hi Linda, thanks for sharing! Using fire-roasted tomatoes is a great way to add more flavor to this dish! And chili sauce sounds yummy as well.
Art says
@Linda, my mother also added ketchup.
Brian says
Please stop posting this and calling it traditional goulash. It is not. Goulash is Hungarian and does not look like this and has other ingredients most notably it must have Hungarian paprika. Call this what it is. American Chop Suey.
Angela G. says
Brian, People call this dish by different names depending on where they live. In Pennsylvania, people call it goulash. However, it's an American version that's very different than the Hungarian stew. Some people do call this American Chop Suey in other parts of the U.S. as noted in my post and in comments from others.
maxi says
@Brian, absolutely agree!! I grew up on this stuff. I'm 75 ....
Paul J. Roman says
@Angela G., we called it American goulash
Angela G. says
We always called it "goulash". It's American goulash.
Jacquie says
@Brian, My mother always called it American Goulash...Not Hungarian goulash. I am 71 and that is what I've always called it.
Rebecca says
@Brian, my grandmother was Hungarian and she called this exact dish goulash. And it is different than her Hungarian goulash. Never did she call this chop suey.
Susan Elizabeth says
@Brian, they call it goulash, we call it gulyas! They should try our gulyas. Simple ingredients and delicious. My m-i-l called it slubguillion.
Barbara says
Slumgullion was our name for it, too. No green peppers, but diced crisp bacon. And sometimes without the hamburger…just bacon and tomatoes and seasonings! An absolute DREAM of a memory! I actually liked it better without the hamburger! And some cheese, of course since we were poor and received some government food subsidies from time to time, which back then always meant dairy, including a block of cheddar AND, believe it or not, REAL BUTTER! Plus milk, of course! Our Polish household grew strong on mom’s slumgullion! Never knew anyone else called it that!
A sweet trip down our memory lane!! Many thanks!
Sharon says
I never have actually followed a recipe to make goulash but I followed yours tonight. I added fresh Italian parsley and fresh basil from my garden. We enjoyed it! Thank you
Angela G. says
Sharon, sounds yummy! Glad you enjoyed it.
Randy Sauser says
I cube up Velveeta cheese to it
Angela G. says
Sounds yummy.
Sarah Sauls says
I just love this recipe.., when my children were small I made it a lot.
Sarah Sauls says
Love this recipe,
Tamme Newton says
@Sarah Sauls, after searching for weeks for a Goulash recipe, settled on this one. It’s simple and my Dad always made a simple pot of Goulash, us kids loved it! Somehow, just reading your recipe and story I felt this was the one!! I’m making it tonight!!!
Sheryl says
I’m from Massachusetts, and when my mom made this it was called “American Chop Suey“
Angela G. says
I’ve heard it called American Chop Suey too. So interesting to hear what different parts of the country call this dish. Thanks for sharing!
Kathy says
80% lean hamberg, green pepper & onion.pour over casserole elbows and then a large can of whole tomatoes.salt only for day 1. Very simple but very good.
Kathy says
I use whole tomatoes and casserole elbows. Day 2 i may add hot red cherry peppers and some of the juice to spice it up.
Angela G. says
Sounds yummy! I like the idea of spicing things up with hot red cherry peppers.
Glenda Newton says
This is how I make mine except I put 1 can of mild Rotella. If you want it spicy use hot rotel.
Angela G. says
Hi Glenda, Rotel would be a great way to give this dish a little heat. Great idea.
Sandra says
I grew up
Eating this and I and my family love it
Patricia says
I absolutely loved this recipe. I’m not someone who likes very spicy food so this was the right amount of flavor for me. I didn’t use the garlic or other optional ingredients & my family really liked it.
Angela G. says
Hi Patricia, I’m so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe!