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
I’ve made goulash for decades. I made this recipe today and it was great. It will be my go-to goulash recipe now. With one addition…I’ll add about 1/4 cup of diced green pepper with the onion. Thanks for sharing this recipe Brandie!
Glad I found this goulash recipe. Easy and delicious.
This is exactly how my grandmother and mom made their goulash. I never even knew there was other goulash until I went to Europe in the 80’s, lol. This was a taste of home, thanks for the recipe.
Can the sauce be prepared & frozen (without the pasta)? Plus can fire roasted tomatoes be substituted for the regular crushed tomatoes?
Thanks
Yes and you can use any sauce or tomatoes you prefer.
I have made this recipe at least 20 times if not more so thank you!
This makes me so happy to read! Thanks Kate!!
Haven’t had goulash in a long time but this was very easy to make and very tasty definitely make it again
Thanks so much Pam!
My mom made this often when we were going up. However she would put stewed tomatoes in it with tomato sauce. We loved it and it was a comforting food. I still make it today and my children and grandchildren love it.
My mother made a version of this and it was delicious. Mom often added celery but I don’t remember italian seasoning or cheese. Comfort food from my past. Thanks for sharing. I suspect this is a recipe that was invented during WWII during rationing.
If I didn’t have such picky eaters, I would totally add celery. I love it!!
Does anyone have a hack to make this in the slow cooker? Preferably for 8-10 hours on low? LOL I work between 10-12 hours a day 5 days a week and my 80yr old MIL is invalid. I try and make everything night before or crockpot efficient. TIA
Hi Jennifer! That is a really good question and one that I’m not exactly sure how to answer. So I hope someone else on here can help. My only real concern is that the noodles will turn to mush with being in the slow cooker that long. You can always precook ground beef and freeze it in bags to use when you need it. It’s just the noodles being in the slow cooker that long that is what holds me up…
i have a recipe for slow cooker goulash and to keep the pasta firmer added cooked pasta last 15 minutes of cooking time
I grew up eating this! My Mama always called it “Slum Gullion””. LOL! It usually consisted elbow macaroni because that’s what my Dad prefered and whatever she had left over in the refrigerator and she always made this just before my Dad got paid. A lot of folks now days would turn their noses up at having to eat this , but back in the day, it was very filling and always good and you didn’t get away with saying, “I don’t like this.” You ate whatever was put before you and was glad to get a hot filling meal.
I believe “American Goulash” was the result of making do with what you could buy with ration stamps during WWII. My mother’s version didn’t call for italian seasoning but salt, pepper, garlic powder, onions, CELERY, tomatoes, elbow macaroni, ground beef. A little sugar. Again notice the small amount of sugar — rationing. This was not only good during WWII but mom frequently made it because it was cheap to make — and filled us up. A real budget stretcher. My mom always made corn bread to serve with it. And of course there would always be jello (with whatever she had on hand in it) and dessert. Usually pie. My mother baked something every day — pie, cake, cookies or made rice pudding or bread pudding. I grew up in Nebraska for point of reference.
Man, this stuff looks good enough to eat! Gonna have try it.
I’m from a family of 12 children. My mom called it Johnny marzetti. She used elbow mac, green peppers, onions, celery, stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce with lots of pepper and salt. I made your recipe today and my children and grandchildren loved it! I added cheese and baked it. I’m going to try Italian sausage th is time with the beef. Sounds delicious! Thanks for all the ideas!
Love it Sue! And I really like the idea of putting it in the oven with some cheese on top. YUM!
I put Italian sausage and hamburger both in mine today. It was okay but I believe next time I’ll skip the Italian sausage.
Hi Vida, I agree. I think (for me anyway) Italian sausage can overwhelm the other flavors in pasta dishes. 🙂
My grade school would serve Goulash back in the 1960s……Always looked forward to lunch when it was served…of course in those days .the schools actually hired cooks that prepared the food each day……..was probably a lot better then today….
they used government cheese back then also….our school still has cooks….when I was young they served what they called Marietta….wide noodles, hamburger, crushed tomatoes and mozzarella cheese….it was delish!!! I asked one of the ladies when I got out of school for the recipe….she gave it to me but laughed and said it was hard to cut a recipe down that much but she tried…..it is one of my kids favs!! My Mom and Grandma also fixed goulash similar to this….and they left out the hamburger on another version….it was macaroni and tomatoes….always home canned tomatoes…crushed and macaroni….still love it…..I think my Grandma put garlic in just about everything she cooked….she lived to 89.
My best guess is variations of this recipe were a result of rationing during WWII. My mother’s goulash was very similar but she used elbow macaroni and seasoned with salt, pepper, a little garlic salt, a little sugar. She also added chopped celery. I remember there was always a pan of corn bread made to go with goulash. Delicious! Comfort food! Wonderful memories of growing up in the Midwest. Thank you for publishing.
I bet you are right Sue! So many of the recipes that we have today are variations on recipes during the war!
Glad it was hubby approved! Hope it becomes a regular recipe in your rotation.
Happened to come across this recipe when searching for goulash recipes and decided to try it since it it looked so easy to make and I had all the ingredients at home. I didn't deviate at all from this recipe and it tasted Delicious with a capital D. My husband couldn't get enough. Thank you for this great recipe!!!
Love this stuff – my Mom (originally from Kansas) called it "Slum Goo". She did something a bit different and stirred in a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and then topped it with sharp Cheddar cheese. YUM!
My grandmother made this, too! Usually with elbow pasta…but, she added corn put it in a casserole dish and placed sliced cheese on top (American.. whatever!!) and baked till the cheese melted. YUM!! I gotta go make some now 🙂
My mother used to call this dish, "Glop". She was from the Berwyn area of PA, so I don't know if that's what they called it there. It's still "Glop" to me and my family in CT.
I live in the south and Goulash here the pasta is not cooked separately it's all cooked together and there is soy sauce added & sometimes worcestershire sauce is added as well. Most of the time sugar too and its always elbow noodles.
I grew up in western NY and we called it goulash, too. My mother made it with tomato paste and sauce – she didn't like tomatoes. I can't make a large enough pot of this for my husband. Anything with tomato sauce and he's there. Me, too!
My mother used this same basic recipe. On spaghetti night, we had it on spaghetti noodles. If she added the macaroni – always elbow because we didn't know about all these other types -, she called it raviola. If she put cut-up potatoes in it, she called it goulash. Amazing how different each tastes. My hubby's favorite is with potatoes. I bet your husband would like it too. Just cut the potatoes in chunks and boil them till they are partially done, getting rid of much of the starch. Then add them to the meat-tomato mixture and let it simmer till the potatoes are done. They will soak up the juice…and as my hubby says, "It is so good you can't sit still and eat it."
Just ran across your blog. I have to laugh. Your recipe is almost identical to mine, I just add a little chili powder (no more than a teaspoon) and corn. It's my husband's favorite all time food. There's a big pot of it in the fridge at the moment so he can "graze" (his term, not mine) when the mood strikes. Still giggling!
reading these comments really brought up memories from my childhood. We were born in south, lived in north for 16 years and then some of us migrated back down south.My mom was a stay at home mother of five so she and my dad stretched groceries to feed seven on their budget. my mom also called this goulash. She however did not use the sugar, cheese, or Italian seasoning(this made it Italian instead of goulash). She did add some grn pepper and 1 TBsp ketchup for sweetness. My dad also cooked- about 8 times a year and he is the one that introduced us to SLUM GULLY (as he called it). He had my mom cook a very large chuck roast in the Yankey pot roast style with onions, carrots, potatoes in gravy. The next day he would take left overs and chop the veggies and meat. He then put this in a large pot and added assorted vegtables. Lima beans, onion, corn, English peas, ect. cooked until vegies were done. this was very thick. He served it over egg noodles. His version of American Chop Suey was sliced strips of pork marinated over night in soy sauce, worstershire sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.The next day in a large stock pot he would pour in some beef stock and chicken stock. (we didn't have pork stock and this worked fine). he then rough chopped some onion, celery, broccoli, water chestnuts, bamboo slices, carrots, Chinese bean sprouts, and sliced about 1/2 small cabbage and simmered all while in a skillet he cooked the pork. then he added pork to stock pot with the marinade, thickened the sauce and when it was done, he served it over rice. this was very good and I've never had in a restaurant but this was his chop suey, not a tomato based pasta. Just telling our version of the dishes. Barefootingal.