• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

SmartyPantsKitchen logo

  • About
  • Foodie Tips
  • Kitchen 101
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Foodie Tips
  • Kitchen 101
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Soups and Stews

Easy American Goulash

Published: Jan 8, 2020 · Last Modified: Dec 5, 2021 by Anecia

  • share
  • share
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This quick and easy American Goulash is a family favorite and is bit different than traditional Hungarian Goulash, also known as "gulyás." 

This version is a little less expensive and time consuming than Hungarian, but equally delicious.

In fact, the entire bowl of goulash and noodles is ready in under 30-minutes!

 

Bowl of goulash in a white bowl.

American Goulash is a hearty derivative of the traditionally slow-cooked Hungarian Goulash, which incorporates tender bites of beef into a thick and savory stew, usually accompanied with smoky Hungarian paprika and waxy potatoes.

Don't confuse this goulash recipe with "chili mac" recipes; the meat seasoning is not the same as it is for chili; it's quite different in that it's tomato based, with a beefy onion and smoky paprika flavor to it.

What you'll need

A few simple ingredients and you can have this one-pot meal on the table in no time!

Ground beef, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, smoky paprika, a dash of Worcestershire, beefy onion dried soup mix, salt, pepper, bay leaves and cooked elbow noodles. 

How to make Goulash

Saute the onion and bell pepper with the ground beef while bringing a stockpot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Saute chopped onion and bell pepper in a tablespoon of oil; add beef and brown; drain and return all ingredients to stockpot

Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 20 minutes

Prepare elbow noodles; add semi-cooked noodles to beef mixture and serve

ground beef, onion, bell pepper and seasonings in stockpot.
Saute onion, bell pepper, and brown beef; then add remaining ingredients

 

 Goulash in stockpot with liquid.
Add water and allow seasonings to simmer a bit before adding elbow noodles

 

Meat and noodles in stockpot.
Add semi-cooked elbow noodles to savory goulash broth and serve

The elbow noodles take about 6 minutes to get to a tender stage. I like to cook the noodles about 4 minutes, then add them to the beef goulash mixture and let them finish cooking in the savory broth.

Make ahead and tips

If you make this goulash recipe in advance, I recommend you do not add the noodles until ready to serve.

When you add the noodles to the hot broth, then refrigerate it, the noodles dissolve, break down, and the dish becomes mushy.

Store the beef goulash broth and cooked elbow noodles separately, then combine them when ready to reheat the dish.

The noodles come out better and the whole dish looks better.

American goulash in white bowl.

American Goulash is an easy and inexpensive one-dish dinner you'll make time and time again! Serve with a crisp green salad and some warm bread and call it dinner!

Related recipes

  • Texas Chili
  • Beef Stroganoff
  • Swedish Meatballs and Sauce
  • Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy
  • Classic Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce

If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you!

Easy American Goulash

Savory ground beef nestled in a seasoned broth with elbow noodles
5 from 2 votes
Print Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Total Yield: 6 servings
Author: Anecia Hero
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon oil , canola or vegetable
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 1 pkg. beefy onion soup mix (I use Lipton's Beefy flavor dry soup mix)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon smoky paprika (See Recipe Notes: Paprika)
  • 2 bay leaves , dried
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups water (See Recipe Notes: Water) (liquid for goulash; you'll need more water for the pasta)
  • 12 oz. elbow noodles prepared

Instructions 

Prep

  • Chop onion and bell pepper
    1 cup chopped yellow onion, 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • Bring large stockpot of water to boil; cook pasta 4 minutes; drain; set aside
    12 oz. elbow noodles

Make the Goulash

  • In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat; add onion, bell pepper and ground beef; cook till beef is no longer pink; drain; return to stockpot
    2 lbs. ground beef, 1 cup chopped yellow onion, 1 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1 tablespoon oil
  • Add everything else but the noodles: bring heat to medium until tomato paste is dissolved
    6 ounces tomato paste, 1 pkg. beefy onion soup mix, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon smoky paprika (See Recipe Notes: Paprika), 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 cups water (See Recipe Notes: Water)
  • Once tomato paste is dissolved, turn heat to simmer; cover stockpot with lid and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
  • After 10 minutes, add prepared elbow noodles to meat mixture; allow to cook a few minutes more
  • Remove bay leaves; serve and enjoy!

Notes

Paprika:
Paprika is a key ingredient to the flavor of this dish! Make sure you use Smoky Hungarian or Spanish Paprika and be sure it's fresh.
If you've got an old McCormick "paprika" in your pantry, you can use it but the flavor of the dish won't be as well developed as when you use a fresh smoky paprika. 
Water:
This American Goulash recipe uses water as the liquid,however, you can use beef broth or beef stock, or vegetable stock. 

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 540kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 39gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 758mgPotassium: 1016mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 694IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 5mg
Craving More? Pin it and Share!Mention @SmartyPantsKitchen or tag #smartypantskitchen!
Join the Facebook group!Mention @SmartyPantsKitchen or tag #smartypantskitchen!
« Leftover Smoked Turkey Salad
Pennsylvania Dutch Skillet Supper »

Reader Interactions

I'd love to hear from you! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Anecia Hero, Food Blogger

About SmartyPantsKitchen

I'm Anecia, a native Texan, author, cook and photographer for SmartyPantsKitchen where I'm sharing Traditional and Contemporary Southern recipes for cooks of all levels. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about my recipes-just easy, simple, delicious and memorable! Take a tour and check out delicious recipes! 

Learn more about me →

Summer Salads

  • Crunchy Asian Salad-No Mayo Dressing
  • Best Chicken Salad Croissant Recipe
  • Vermicelli Pasta Summer Salad
  • Summer Broccoli Crunch Salad
  • Seafood Cobb Salad
  • Cold Dill Shrimp Salad

Brunch

  • Foolproof Quiche
  • Easy Sausage Balls
  • Smoked Tomato Bisque (Low-Sodium)
  • Low Carb Breakfast Casserole
  • Spinach Feta Pie
  • Shrimp Saganaki (Baked Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta)

Reader Favorites

  • Restaurant-Quality Fried Catfish
  • Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce
  • Fish and Chips: No Beer Batter
  • Southern Cream Gravy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and recipes

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2018-2022 SmartyPantsKitchen.com