So comforting and so simple to prepare, this Easy American Goulash is budget-friendly and prepared in ONE POT for easy cleanup!
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The best part? This dinner is on the table in just 30 minutes! 
This recipe screams everything about comfort food. I mean, how can you go wrong with cheesy pasta with hamburger, tomatoes and seasonings??? It’s definitely a dish the whole family will love!
This bowl is full of total deliciousness! 
This recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner for those busy days (aren’t they all busy?) or a crowd-pleasing dish for any potluck.
How to make goulash:
It couldn’t be easier! First, you’ll cook your ground beef and onion until browned in a dutch oven or soup pot and drain off the grease. Then you’ll add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, herbs and seasonings and bring to a gentle boil.
Once it’s boiling, the macaroni is added and cooks right in the pot with the other ingredients. Lastly, you’ll remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese until it’s melted (video below!).
Hooray for quick and easy one pot wonders! Enjoy!
Easy American Goulash
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
A hearty and cheesy goulash that’s so easy to prepare in one pan for easy cleanup. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1.25 pounds ground beef
- 1–½ cups chopped yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced garlic
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ teaspoon salt (more or less, to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (more or less, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon steak sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1–½ cups elbow macaroni
- 1–½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat, cook ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink and browned (about 5 minutes). Crumble beef while cooking. Drain off grease.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, sugar, steak sauce and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a gentle boil and add elbow macaroni. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Stir in cheese until melted.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: goulash, american goulash, goulash recipe
Love it! Always use Worcestershire sauce and jar spaghetti sauce since it calls for canned sauce and Italian seasoning… then add veggies…great week night meal
Thanks
I made this once for my husband. I will be making it again this weekend to serve 20 people.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, I really don’t cook, but you make it easy!
Thank you so much, Gregory – Glad you enjoyed the goulash! 🙂
Delicious!! I’ll bet it will be even more fabulous as left overs! Like someone else I did not have the dark steak sauce. I used Worchestershire sauce as a substitute. Glorious!! Will definitely make this one again…probably very soon!! Thanx so much for sharing.
★★★★★
Reminds me of childhood! Added peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, soy sauce, paprika and used Worcestershire instead of steak sauce. It was a hit! Excellent base recipe to adapt to what you have on hand and impossible to mess up!
★★★★
Absolutely delicious! Such an easy weeknight meal!
★★★★★
Made this today! Super easy to throw together before I had leave for class. I made the mistake of putting too many noodles in so a lot of the liquid was absorbed but I’m still going to eat it, haha. I also needed to add more sugar; my sauce was a little too bitter for my liking. Great recipe, my new favourite!
★★★★★
I always make my noodles separate and then combine when eating. I like it really saucy.
It turned really cold this morning in Memphis, and I just happened upon this recipe. Checked my cubbard and I have all the ingredients. Yayyyyyy! This will be dinner tonight …. American goulash and a skillet of cornbread. PERFECT! Thank you for the recipe.
My teenager hates everything she’s never had before. Not only did she inhale this, she ate all the leftovers. BTW, the adults liked it too!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Max… so happy everyone loved it (even your picky teenager)! 🙂
Delicious! My whole family LOVED this!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Sandiy, So happy everyone enjoyed it – thank you! 🙂