Classic American Goulash

This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.

This classic American Goulash is ground beef simmered in a tomato sauce with elbow macaroni, it’s one pot and the entire family will love it! This is comfort food to the max!

I am obsessed with American Goulash. American goulash was never something that I ate growing up as a kid. My parents aren’t huge pasta eaters, meaning that this is something that my mother wouldn’t have made for us. The only pasta I can recall would be spaghetti and meatballs and the occasional tuna casserole. Which reminds me, I am making tuna casserole this winter, I swear. It’s happening. But American goulash? Not in my childhood recipe repertoire.

How to Make American Goulash

• Fry the ground beef in a large stock pot until cooked completely then drain the fat.
• Add in the garlic and cook until browned. Fry up the pepper at this point if using.
• Add in all of the remaining ingredients, except the macaroni. Stir and bring to a low boil.
• Add in the macaroni noodles and stir until mixed through.
• Cover and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes, until the macaroni is soft, stirring once in a while to ensure that the macaroni doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Remove from heat and serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

What is American Goulash?

American goulash is called many, many names and I have made an oven version of it using whole wheat pasta – American Chop Suey. A lot of people have called my Beef & Macaroni soup goulash – but I’m afraid it ain’t so.

I DID grow up eating my Classic Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup and while they are close in taste, they are far from the same dish. (make sure you try that soup, it’s one of the most popular recipes on my website and it’s amazing, no word of a lie!)

Beef & Tomato Macaroni Soup:

American Goulash.

As you can see, the goulash is thicker, like a creamy casserole and has cheese. Not only that, red peppers can make an appearance and I use a can of tomato soup in the American Goulash as well. The taste profiles are similar, for sure, but other than than they are as different as night and day.

And you guys, my ENTIRE FAMILY ATE THIS.

Oh my word, that’s a miracle. My daughter, while getting much better, is still a selective eater, however she loves my beef and macaroni soup.

She ate this like a staving wolf. Thank the gods. Now Mike I knew would love this. He ate hamburger casseroles growing up and they are one of his favourite meals. I am not sure what we call American Goulash here in Canada, but I suspect it is probably just ” Hamburger Casserole.”

Because we’re fancy like that.

It really is so darn good and is the perfect meal for winter. It’s comfort food to the max, with the beef, the pasta and the cheese. It’s also a large enough recipe that our family of four ate it for supper and there was about 3 lunch servings left the next day.

You could imagine how irritated my daughter was when she found out that the rest of us accidentally ate it all on her. Oooops. I plead carb coma.

Did any of you eat American goulash growing up? Was it a favourite? Even though it wasn’t my favourite, it is now. This was one big delicious bowl o’ happy. Put this one on your winter menu and let me know what you think!

Happy cooking everyone!

Love you more than chocolate,

Karlynn

PIN this recipe to your DINNER IDEAS board and remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!

Thanks to ads on this website, readers of The Kitchen Magpie are now sponsoring 2 families a month through the Edmonton Food Bank. Learn how you can help here.

Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie

Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky

A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts

Learn More

The Prairie Table

Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together

Learn More

Classic American Goulash

This classic American Goulash is ground beef simmered in a tomato sauce with elbow macaroni, it's one pot and the entire family will love it! This is comfort food to the max!

0 from 0 votes

Review Save RecipePrint

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

40 minutes

Course

Main Course

Cuisine

American

Servings

6

Calories

541

Author

Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 t red pepper diced optional, I don' like pepper in it
• 1 20 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 680 ml can of tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp seasoning salt
• 1-2 tbsp white sugar add until desired sweetness is met
• 2 1/2 cups of dry macaroni
• 2 cups shredded medium or old cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Fry the ground beef in a large stock pot until cooked completely then drain the fat.
2. Add in the garlic and cook until browned. Fry up the pepper at this point if using.
3. Add in all of the remaining ingredients, except the macaroni. Stir and bring to a low boil.
4. Add in the macaroni noodles and stir until mixed through.
5. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes, until the macaroni is soft, stirring once in a while to ensure that the macaroni doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
6. Remove from heat and serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

Recipe Notes

The sugar in this is the key to reducing that acidic taste you get when you cook with tomatoes. Sprinkle it in and taste test until it's perfect for you!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 541kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 48g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 133mg, Sodium: 1283mg, Potassium: 723mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 425IU, Vitamin C: 2.3mg, Calcium: 320mg, Iron: 5.2mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

Made this recipe?

Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.

Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!