Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe is an American classic recipe of hamburger meat, tomato sauce, and pasta. It’s a one-pot comfort meal that uses common ingredients, feeds a crowd, and is budget-friendly.
OLD FASHIONED GOULASH or AMERICAN CHOP SUEY
Depending on where you live, you may refer to this recipe as American Chop Suey. I grew up calling it Goulash. By all accounts from the research I’ve done, it’s the same recipe.
Traditionally, the recipe has elbow macaroni, but I didn’t have elbows and used Fusilli better known as corkscrew pasta instead.
Most Goulash recipes have cheese in it. I grew up eating a version of Goulash, but my Grandmother never put cheese in it. Naturally, if you don’t include cheese, it’s even cheaper to make. (Good grief, cheese is expensive!!)
Sometimes, she put green peppers in it, which I promptly picked out. I don’t put green peppers in my recipe.
IS AMERICAN GOULASH OR HUNGARIAN GOULASH THE SAME THING?
No. A traditional Hungarian Goulash is a stew that is filled with beef and onions and spiced with paprika. Whereas, American Goulash is more of a tomato, beef, and macaroni dish. As well, it differs from spaghetti in that the pasta is cooked in the sauce for Goulash. For spaghetti, the pasta is cooked separately from the sauce and it’s combined to serve.
This makes a lot so it’s great for feeding a crowd at potlucks and holidays. It’s great for family dinner if you like having leftovers… or you’re the Duggers!😲
Growing up we had bread or rolls with our Goulash. Now, with everyone watching carbs, I serve it with a simple green salad.
SLOW COOKER METHOD
This is one recipe that I prefer to cook on the stovetop. After all, you can make it in one pot on the stove. I don’t like pasta cooked in a slow cooker. It becomes gummy in texture. Therefore, I recommend cooking the pasta separately then adding it to your Goulash the last 15 to 20 minutes. Here’s the entire slow cooker method.
- Cook ground beef, garlic, and onions on the stovetop then add to slow cooker.
- Stir in all remaining ingredients except pasta. Let it simmer on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours.
- Cook the noodles. (You actually do this in advance and refrigerate them.)
- Add the pasta to the slow cooker and cook until they’re heated through. Serve immediately.
While you’re here, check out these recipes.
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Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 cup onion yellow or white, minced
- ½ cup beef broth
- 29 ounces tomato sauce
- 29 ounces tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Adobo sauce
- 3 large bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups pasta cooked, any shape
- 1 cup cheddar shredded
- 1 cup Monterrey Jack shredded
Instructions
- In a large pan, saute your ground beef, garlic, and onions over medium-high heat until fully cooked. Drain if there's too much fat.
- Add water, broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, seasoned salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning. Mix well.
- Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the uncooked pasta and stir. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves. Add only the cheddar cheese and mozzarella then cover and allow to sit until the cheese melts. Serve.
- This recipe stores well in the refrigerator for 5 days in an airtight container. I think it gets better the second day so may ahead if you want.
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at Recipe Index or at Meal Plan Monday or Weekend Potluck
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Karen says
How much water do you add? I do not see that in the recipe.
Paula says
I didn’t add water.