Best Damn American Goulash

The ultimate comfort food, this recipe for American Goulash is a one-pot favorite that uses a simple blend of ingredients to create a meal that’s loaded with flavor and puts lots of yummy in the tummy.

Packed with ground beef, noodles, onions, peppers and tomatoes, this dish will satisfy hungry appetites with everyone coming back for more.

What is American Goulash?

Sometimes you know it by its culinary cousin’s name – chili mac. Basically, American goulash is a dish with macaroni noodles, ground beef, and veggies in a delicious sauce. Chili mac will often have beans, whereas American goulash does not. Chili mac also has a distinct chili taste, while goulash features a very savory flavor brought out with simple seasonings to accentuate the flavors of the beef, tomatoes, and vegetables.

If you’re looking for a great chili mac recipe, be sure to check out our Instant Pot Easy Chili Mac.

Ingredients and Equipment

Our American goulash will have a base of 2 lbs. of lean ground beef (you can also use ground turkey), elbow macaroni, diced tomatoes, chopped onion, and green bell peppers.

The seasoning mixture will use Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and bay leaves.

The liquid will be low-sodium beef broth, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and the liquid from the cans of diced tomatoes.

We’ll also use some olive oil for sautéeing the onions and peppers and then some optional fresh chopped parsley to top things off when serving.

A One-Pot Recipe

Much like our One-Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce, this recipe is all cooked in one pot. No draining of the pasta is necessary!

A 6-quart Dutch oven is ideal for this recipe. The heavy construction is great for sautéeing the vegetables and browning the meat and the size allows plenty of room to work.

You can also use a stock pot or soup pot, as long as it’s at least 6-quarts in size to comfortably fit all the ingredients.

Preparation and Cooking

The only real prep you need to do is chop the onion and bell pepper. We’ll use a medium onion and pepper but really, whatever the size is acceptable. I like to chop them into larger-sized chunks for a heartier feel.

We’ll add the oil to the pot, place over medium heat and add the onion. We’ll sauté the onion for about 5 minutes before adding in the green pepper and sautéeing an additional 3-4 minutes. By this time the onions should be getting nice and golden and the pepper softening up. Then we’ll add in our dry seasonings and continue sautéeing for another minute. By adding the seasonings we’re “blooming” them and unlocking some fantastic flavors.

It’s now time for the ground beef to be added, which we’ll break up with a wooden spoon and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until browned.

After the beef is browned, pour in the cans of diced tomatoes (with the liquid), the Worcestershire sauce and add the bay leaves. Give it all a good stir. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes – no need to cover during this time. Stir everything every couple of minutes. That flavor profile is building and building and melding together to create an amazing taste.

Finally, after the 15-minute simmer, we add the broth and macaroni. Stir it all together and cover. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender.

Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves, and give everything a nice stir for about a minute. It will thicken a bit as it cools.

Serving and Toppings

Your goulash is now ready to serve! Ladle into bowls and let the feast begin.

Much like soup or chili, goulash is excellent for adding your favorite toppings!

Here’s some great topping ideas…

Cheese: A sprinkle of shredded cheese can get melty and gooey and OH so good!

Chopped Fresh Parsley: Provides adds a bright, slightly peppery, and herbaceous flavor.

Sour Cream: A spoonful of sour cream can add a tangy creaminess, balancing out the acidity of the tomatoes.

Bacon Bits: Crispy bacon bits can add a smoky, savory flavor that goes well with beef and tomato.

Hot Sauce: If you’re a fan of heat, your favorite hot sauce can give it an extra kick.

Green Onions or Chives: Sprinkling finely chopped green onions or chives adds an additional mild, oniony bite with a nice cool crunch.

Storage, Freezing and Reheating

American goulash is great on the reheat the next day! It’s a perfect dish to pack in some containers and reheat at work for lunch.

Store the goulash in individual serving, airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months. When freezing, keep in mind that the noodles can get a little softer.

The microwave is ideal for reheating. If you’re starting with completely frozen goulash, use your microwave’s defrost function to thaw it partially. This is usually done by setting the microwave to defrost or 50% power. Defrost for a few minutes at a time, checking periodically and breaking apart any large chunks if possible.

Then microwave on full power in 1-minute increments until heated through. Usually 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of water to help thin it out and heat it through better.

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