Goulash
If you’re looking for an easy-to-make, delicious comfort food recipe, you will love American Goulash.
Perfectly cooked ground beef cooked in a deliciously spiced tomato sauce, with tender pasta, and topped with Cheddar cheese.
American Goulash is quite different from Hungarian Goulash, a beef and onion stew. And another great recipe for the colder seasons.
Ingredient Notes
Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.
PASTA – Elbow macaroni works best for this recipe. Prepare according to the package instructions while the goulash is simmering.
OIL – Use vegetable oil to saute the beef, garlic, and onions. Alternatively, you can use canola oil or even olive oil.
BEEF – I like 90/10 ground beef best, but you can also use 80/20, 85/15, or 96/4 if you prefer very lean ground beef.
GARLIC and ONION – Use your favorite onion. Both sweet onion and sweet onion work well, and a bit of minced garlic.
SOY SAUCE – This adds a bit of umami to the goulash! Unless you have someone with a soy allergy in the family, don’t skip it.
PAPRIKA – I recommend using sweet Hungarian paprika. The flavors go very well with some of the more savory flavors.
RED WINE – I generally use the wine we are drinking for cooking. I’ve never been a huge fan of cheap cooking wine, and for this recipe, you’ll only need a third of a cup anyway.
BELL PEPPER – Red bell pepper adds both flavor and texture.
TOMATOES – Add cans of diced tomatoes and tomato purée.
CHEDDAR – Add most of the shredded cheese to the sauce after adding the cooked macaroni. Use the remaining cheese for garnish.
I encourage you to buy a block of cheddar and grate it yourself rather than buying a bag of grated cheddar. You’ll find that it’ll work out to be less expensive, more delicious, and melt much better.
How To Make American Goulash
- BROWN – ground beef, onions, and garlic.
- ADD – Paprika, soy sauce, red wine, strained tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves.
- SIMMER – Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- PASTA – Stir in cooked pasta and cheese. Reserve 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once the cheese has melted, serve immediately. Drizzle with remaining Cheddar cheese.
Recipe Success Tips
You can make American Goulash as a one-pot meal. In which case, you’d cook the pasta in the sauce.
I don’t do that. While one-pot pasta dinners are great in theory, I’ve never been a fan. Pasta emits starch during the cooking process. That in itself is not a bad thing.
Using a cup of starchy water to make a delicious pasta sauce is a great cooking hack. It’s how I make Shrimp Carbonara. But having all that extra starch mixed with the goulash. It just doesn’t work for me.
So in this recipe, I cook the pasta separately (according to package instructions). And afterward, add the cooked pasta to the goulash.
More Easy and Comfort Food Recipes
Beef Stew – classic, hearty stew recipe.
Easy Cheesy Chicken Parmesan – pure comfort food
Chicken Meatloaf – perfect for quick weeknight dinners
Roasted Lemon Chicken – lemony, savory chicken dinner
Roasted Salmon – versatile dinner
Ground Beef Goulash
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 large red bell peppers
- ¼ cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- 26 ounces tomato puree
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic.
- Add paprika, soy sauce, red wine, strained tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in cooked pasta. Add all but 2 tablespoons of Cheddar cheese. Stir until well combined and the cheese has melted. Serve and drizzle with remaining Cheddar cheese.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.