American Goulash (+Video)
This recipe for Grandma’s American Goulash is pure comfort food made all in one pot. Made with simple ingredients: ground beef, canned tomatoes and macaroni.
A HEARTY AND TRADITIONAL AMERICAN MEAL
We call this recipe “American Goulash” because even though it is called goulash, it’s not the Hungarian version with paprika and whole cuts of meat. It goes by a lot of different names: Slumgullion, American Chop Suey, Johnny Marzetti (just to name a few.) This is my husband’s Grandma’s recipe for this classic favorite.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS :
They are actually very different. Hungarian goulash and American goulash are both hearty, one-pot dishes made with meat, vegetables, and spices, but they differ in a few key ways.
Firstly, the meat used in Hungarian goulash is typically beef or pork, while American goulash usually calls for ground beef.
Secondly, Hungarian goulash often contains paprika, which is a spice made from ground sweet or hot peppers, and gives the dish a distinctive reddish-orange color and smoky flavor. American goulash, on the other hand, typically uses canned tomatoes and tomato sauce for its base, which gives it a more tomato-forward flavor.
Lastly, the texture and consistency of the two dishes also differ. Hungarian goulash is usually more of a stew, with tender chunks of meat and vegetables, while American goulash has a thicker sauce and is more like a pasta dish with ground meat and macaroni.
If you are looking for a slow cooker version, be sure to check out my Crock Pot American Goulash recipe.
Yes, in fact I have a recipe for Instant Pot American Goulash here.
Yes, American Goulash can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. It can also be frozen for up to three months.
Absolutely! Ground Italian sausage, turkey, chicken or pork will all work. You could even use a meat substitute like Beyond or Impossible meats or soy crumbles.
I would pretty much serve the same side dishes I would with any other Italian pasta dish. A green salad, garlic bread, or steamed vegetables such as broccoli or green beans all work well here.
Just substitute with a similar sized pasta (like shells.)
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef
- onion
- garlic
- crushed tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- sugar
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- macaroni noodles
- grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
HOW TO MAKE AMERICAN GOULASH:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown beef along with onion and garlic.
Drain excess grease. Stir in tomatoes (with juices) and tomato sauce.
Season with sugar, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Then add in cooked pasta and stir.
Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese.
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American Goulash (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup elbow macaroni pasta, cooked (measured before cooking)
- grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, over medium heat, brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef along with 1 small onion, diced and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Drain excess grease.
- Stir in 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes (with juices) and 8 ounce can tomato sauce.
- Season with 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Then add in 1 cup elbow macaroni pasta, cooked and stir. Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes then serve.
- Serve and sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Add in additional veggies your family enjoys! Green peppers, diced tomatoes or mushrooms would all be great additions.
- Shredded cheddar cheese can also be added.
- A tad of sugar is added to cut the acidity from the tomatoes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: August 2013
Updated & republished: April 2020
We all love this recipe — I have been making it for 47 years and my daughters also make it — was called goulash here in the Northeast but later the "kids" pinned it as Macaroni Surprise!! I always make 2 lbs of macaroni — any kind and lots of meat — lasts for days — freezes well and tastes even better the next day!
Our New England family called it American Chop Suey. I make it with tomato soup as my mom did. My picky kids love it!
My family called it goulash if it had tomatoes, and slumgullion if it had gravy,slumgullion was what you made with leftover roast dinner, sort of like hash, but the left over gravy went into the frying pan at the end. If not enough potatoes to make it strech then maccaroni got added. If it was made with pasta (any kind could be used but it was usually elbow)it was goulash, unless it was just tomatoes and maccaroni then it was oddly enough tomatoes and maccaroni. We ate it that way a lot, sometime we got a bit of fried bacon, or some celery or onions with it, but mostly it was a can of crushed tomatoes and a pot of maccaroni.
This recipe sounds great! My Mom made goulash often when I was growing up, and its still one of my favorites!
From Massachusetts and called it American Chop Suey. After draining macaroni I add tomato soup to pasta before adding to sauce. Worked in one restaurant that called it escalloped hamburger.
My grand-ma's was much like this… Seems everyone makes a version: elbow mac, ground beef, spaghetti sauce, 1 can or canned corn.. cook elbows, brown ground beef & drain, add all into a casserole dish. Top with your choice of cheddar cheese or whatever you like.. bake at 350 till hot & cheese is melted..(not long).. I have so many fond memories of this! ty for posting!
My mom made this growing up too but she put pickled jalapeño juice in it. Kinda sounds weird but it gives it a good flavor!
I have basically the same recipe except I add some sliced mushrooms and I use diced tomatoes with hot chilies, now that my kids aren't eating it. I also use elbow macaroni.. Our name for it is SLOP! We love it!
My grandmas recipe…sometimes she added celery…
Going to try this tonight. Hoping it's sweet!
American Chop Suey it is according to New Englanders
My Mom and Grandmother used to make this all the time. Actually I just made this last week. I hadn't put onions in it, but will have to try that. Kids love it and it is so easy. Going back to old school, goulash and fried potatoes. Nothing better than that!!
Yummy, we used to call this red macaroni. Mom would use bacon instead of beef and add onion and garlic to the pan drippings. The tomatoes, tomato juice and cooked macaroni. Wonderful memories.
I love these good American traditions! My mother made this and added a can of corn and called it Glop. One night she didnt have corn but my sister and I were craving it anyway, so she added a can of cut green beans instead. My sister and I named this version Glop Junior! Of course mother always used elbow macaroni because it was cheapest back then, and the amount of ground meat varied on that week's budget. With some homemade biscuits it was a wonderful, filling dinner and easy on Mother, too.
My Mom made goulash all the time but she always used bacon in hers. We all loved it.
My mother made it sometimes adding canned corn. She called the dish
slogamahop. i loved it went she cooked it. hmm, hmm, good,
I make this all the time, but I use tomato soup , diced tomato's, green peppers, onion and I add a can of manwich sauce , gives it a little kick .
I started by loving Stouffer's Macaroni, Beef and Tomato casserole. Then I made it myself. It's basically the same recipe as above, except no sugar, and LOTS of garlic salt and truly LOTS of ground pepper. We make it with macaroni – and let it simmer for at least an hour. We both just love it. We call it SLOP!
I grew up on this and still make it today. The only difference is I use tomato juice and chili powder. This is comfort food in Iowa!
I have come to the realization that goulash is different in every family. I grew up eating goulash that is made with ground beef, pork n beans, tomato sauce and rice. It is delicious and so very very cheap to make….also cleanup is a breeze cuz it is all made in one pot…WIN. lol.
Call it whatever you will, just call me when it's ready!! Yum…Pinned it to try!!
This looks so good….I'm going to try it out! 🙂 Thank you for sharing it!
Marti
Goodness,, comments still coming about the 'goulash'! We all have such fond memories of eating it as kids, or making something similar for our own families. When our children were small there were many variations of the recipe, It depended on the season and the ingredients on hand. However if the finished product featured anything containing tomato and pasta it was called Cowboy Chow, and promptly gobbled up! (and this started out as a search for Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake…guess that is tomorrows project!)
I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart I love your blog and the way you set everything up for a recipe it makes it so much easier for me as I am a visual learner, I love your recipes too …..very wonderful and helpful
I'm so glad I clicked on this recipe as I was sending your coconut poke cake to my sister. I'm adding this to my menu for next week as it's something my entire family will eat, picky 4 year old included. I LOVE any dish that brings a little nostalgia along with it, so thanks for giving me that today.
My mother-in-law makes this and calls it Johnny Marzetti. My father-in-law would eat it every day if he could.