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Grandma’s American Goulash

Grandma’s American goulash is a classic comforting meal you can make with a little time on any budget. Featuring cheese, tomato broth, noodles, and beef, this hearty dinner will feed even the biggest appetites anytime.

Grandma's american goulash on a white plate with a black fork on the side

There are few meals that just instantly take me back to childhood.

This is one of them.

My Grandma would put together American goulash regularly.

It was the go to meal after softball games and busy days spent playing outside.

And now I make a version of it for my sons regularly.

Fortunately they love it just as much as I did growing up and still do now.

a white plate filled with cheesy american goulash

What is American Goulash?

American goulash is a staple in midwestern and southern cooking.

Sometimes you’ll hear it called slumgullion or American chop suey.

It’s a comforting combination of pasta, beef, cheese, and soupy sauce.

a white plate filled with cheesy american goulash

What’s the difference between American goulash and Hungarian goulash?

Hungarian Goulash is thick stew made with meat and veggies in a sauce seasoned with paprika.

It’s often served over or along side pasta.

American Goulash is a quicker dish.

It features ground beef, tomato sauce, and noodles.

Everything cooked together in a single pot.

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

overhead image showing the measured ingredients needed to make a batch of american goulash

  • Beef– Ground beef, lean being recommended but not absolutely necessary
  • Aromatics– Minced garlic and diced onion
  • Water
  • Beef broth– For extra richness
  • Olive oil– Don’t substitute this for a different kind of oil
  • Tomato products– Both canned tomato sauce and canned diced tomatoes
  • Seasoning– Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and salt and pepper
  • Pasta– Cavatelli or another smaller pasta like elbows
  • Cheese– Both shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar

How to Make

Making this is very easy and a one pot meal!

browned ground beef and onions in a gray dutch oven

To do it, heat a dutch oven over medium high heat.

Once the dutch oven is hot, add the ground beef, olive oil, garlic, and onions.

goulash sauce ingredients in a gray dutch oven

Stir everything together, breaking the meat up as you go.

Cook the mixture until the meat is browned and cooked through.

Drain the excess fat off and return the mixture to the pot.

dry pasta noodles in a pot of goulash

Then, stir in the water, broth, tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves.

Turn down the heat, allowing the mixture to just simmer.

Cover, and let cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

American goulash in a gray dutch oven

After 20 minutes, stir in the pasta, cover, and continue simmering an additional 30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through.

Remove the bay leaves, and sprinkle on salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir in the mozzarella cheese until evenly combined.

shredded cheese sitting on top of a pot of goulash

Serve immediately, scooping into bowls, and topping with the shredded cheddar.

Enjoy!

a wooden spoon in a pot of cheesy american goulash

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.

a wooden spoon lifting a serving of american goulash out of a dutch oven

Tips and Tricks

  • Use leaner ground beef so there is less fat to drain.
  • Don’t sub the beef broth for water. The beef broth adds extra richness and makes it feel slow cooked.
  • Stir occasionally throughout the cooking process to make sure everything cooks evenly and doesn’t stick together.

a black fork holding a cheesy bite of american goulash above a white plate

Other Easy Pasta Dishes

American Goulash is a delicious, comforting pasta dish we love. Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other easy pasta dishes? Try these:

If you’ve tried AMERICAN GOULASH, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTERESTFACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Grandma's american goulash on a white plate with a black fork on the side

Grandma's American Goulash

Grandma's American goulash is a classic comforting meal you can make with a little time on any budget. Featuring cheese, tomato broth, noodles, and beef, this hearty dinner will feed even the biggest appetites anytime.
3.97 from 182 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 603kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
  • 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 1/2 cups cavatelli pasta
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat, add the ground beef, olive oil, garlic, & onions and stir everything together, breaking the meat up as you go- cooking until the meat is browned and cooked through. Drain, and return the mixture to the pot.
  • Stir in the water, broth, both tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. Lower the heat, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Cover, and let cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  • Stir in the pasta, cover, and continue simmering an additional 30 minutes- stirring occasionally, until the pasta's cooked through.
  • Remove the bay leaves, and salt & pepper, to taste. Stir in the mozzarella cheese until evenly combined.
  • Serve immediately, scooping into bowls, and topping with the shredded cheddar.

Notes

  • Use leaner ground beef so there is less fat to drain.
  • Don't sub the beef broth for water. The beef broth adds extra richness and makes it feel slow cooked.
  • Stir occasionally throughout the cooking process to make sure everything cooks evenly and doesn't stick together.

Nutrition

Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 272mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @4sonsrus or tag #4sonsrus!

recipe adapted from My Incredible Recipes

recipe originally published September 10, 2018

 

3.97 from 182 votes (163 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




31 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The ONLY thing missing (IMHO) is diced celery (cooked mushy before stirring in). It just adds that extra bit of taste โ˜บ

    1. I can’t picture it with the celery, but now that you’ve mentioned it- I’m going to have to try it the next time we make it. I think with it being sautรฉed until mushy, it might be really good!

        1. The recipe as written is for 8 total servings with each serving being roughly 600 calories (info in the recipe card). You can adjust the number of servings in the recipe card and it will update the amount of calories per for you ๐Ÿ™‚

      1. Iโ€™ve tried this recipe a couple of times and love it. Making it next week for dinner. Thought I would add green pepper, red pepper flakes I am also thinking of substituting some water for V8 juice.

  2. 5 stars
    I make mine,with 1#gr.beef ,diced onion ,cooked pasta and a .can of tomato soup. Mixed together in the fry pan heat thru a Nd serve . Everyone loves it!!!

    1. 5 stars
      thank you. I was looking for something to do with the 1lb of beef I had down and this popped up in my search. Tried as is except everything in half and it’s perfect. Definitely a keeper.

  3. It was good. I think it needs a little more spice. It was too soupy for us so I cooked it another 1/2 hr.

  4. 5 stars
    Fabulous recipe!!, I especially liked that it was all in one pot, followed the recipe exact, but will probably add a bit of Italian sausage next time…this one is a keeper๐Ÿ˜‹

  5. Could this be done in a crock pot instead of stove top? Besides adding pasta at the end, are there any other adaptations it might need?

    1. So glad you enjoyed it, Donna. Yes, this is pure comfort food- takes me back to my younger years seated at Grandma’s table ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. 4 stars
    I am a grandma….and I have been making a version of this beef n Mac since the 60โ€™s. For 1 1/2lbs ground chuck or bulk Italian sausage or combo of each, browned and drained,saute chopped onion, garlic and green pepper until soft. Add 2 cans
    condensed tomato soup, undiluted, 1 can 15oz tomato sauce and 1 15oz diced or stewed. You can go either Italian or TexMex by using either Italian or Chili seasonings. 1 pound of elbows or pasta shape of choice cooked (2 minutes under)very al dente.
    Simmer the meat sauce for about 30 minutes add cooked pasta 20-30 minutes before serving taste for seasoning and keep warm 200 degree oven.

  7. 5 stars
    I love it. My mom used to make it all the time. Of course moms cooking always taste better but think I did a good job if I should say so myself. Lol. Thank you for recipe

  8. 4 stars
    Excellent work week meal. Very easy and delicious. I bet it’s even better the next day leftover. Thank you.

    1. Makes the best leftovers that nobody ever complains about having to eat! So happy you enjoyed it, John- thanks for taking time to come back and leave your feed back.

    1. You should be able to, but you may have to play around with the baking time and temperature since I haven’t done it that way myself.

  9. 5 stars
    This meal has become a regular in our rotation but we call it Grandpa’s goulash. My 2 year old grandson is picky about what he likes but will eat his goulash and secounds. Tasty meal and great as a leftover. Thank you.

  10. 5 stars
    This is interesting, where I live they call that pasta cavatappi. Cavatelli is a totally different, straight pasta.

    Delicious though!

  11. 5 stars
    I have made this several times, and my family loves it just as much as I do! It is the perfect, good โ€˜ol, grandmaโ€™s goulash. I couldnโ€™t get my grandmotherโ€™s recipe (because she didnโ€™t use one) but this is spot on! Love it so much! Thank you for sharing

  12. 5 stars
    This dish was wonderful! Made it just as directed and I was totally amazed as well as my family. thank you

    1. I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to leave your review, and I hope you come back to discover many more recipes you love just as much ๐Ÿ™‚