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Busy days call for a recipe like Easy Goulash, a rewarding one-pot masterpiece that practically cooks itself. It’s cheesy, meaty, and 1000% delicious. My mom made this all the time when I was growing up and I hope you share it with your family, too.
Sometimes, kitchen-sink dinners are the best kinds, thrown together purely out of hunger and what’s in the refrigerator. Eons ago, Easy Goulash probably started out as just that: something fast and filling that can feed a group, especially kids. That’s why it’s called Mom’s goulash, made by cooks all over the country (my mom actually calls it “conglomeration.”)
And it’s definitely not a traditional Hungarian goulash or even a German goulash. It’s more of an American goulash; a beef, mac and cheese concoction made in one single pot for easy clean-up.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: Or lighten things up by using ground turkey instead. Ground Italian sausage tastes good too if you’re excited about that.
- Italian seasoning: Make your own Italian seasoning or use store-bought.
- Macaroni: Or any small pasta that you have on hand: penne, rotini, shells, etcetera.
- Cheddar cheese: Shredded is best so it melts like a dream (the cheese is optional, but I’m from Wisconsin, so cheese goes on everything).
Step-by-step instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, add beef, onion, and Italian seasoning. Cook until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well if desired.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice, macaroni, water, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Cover and simmer until macaroni is mostly tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until macaroni is tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes longer, then season to taste with salt and pepper (I like an additional ¼ teaspoon salt). Garnish with cheddar cheese.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups of goulash, enough for 4 hearty, 2-cup servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool completely, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. For individual servings, portion into smaller containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave.
- Add the herbs and spices early in the game: If you don’t add the Italian seasoning with the meat, the final dish will have a strong, harsh flavor of Italian seasoning. We add it first so it has enough time to cook.
- Don’t skimp on moisture: This recipe needs enough liquid for the pasta to cook. You can use beef broth instead of water to add an extra layer of flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional Hungarian goulash is a thick meat stew seasoned with paprika while American goulash is closer to Hamburger Helper, a quick and easy dinner with macaroni, ground beef, and tomato sauce. In the Midwest, we usually add cheese to our goulash, too.
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Easy Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (see note 1)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (see note 2)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked (see note 3)
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese for garnish (see note 4)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, add beef, onion, and Italian seasoning. Cook until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice, macaroni, water, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Cover and simmer until macaroni is mostly tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until macaroni is tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 to 5 minutes longer, then season to taste with salt and pepper (I like an additional ¼ teaspoon salt). Garnish with cheddar cheese.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground beef: Or lighten things up by using ground turkey instead. Ground Italian sausage tastes good too if you’re excited about that.
- Italian seasoning: To make your own homemade Italian seasoning, combine equal parts of dried basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Store extra seasoning covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
- Macaroni: Or any small pasta that you have on hand: penne, rotini, shells, etcetera.
- Cheddar cheese: Shredded is best so it melts like a dream (the cheese is optional, but I’m from Wisconsin, so cheese goes on everything).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 8 cups of goulash, enough for 4 hearty, 2-cup servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool completely, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. For individual servings, portion into smaller containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This was so easy and delicious. Not a drop left, even after tripling the recipe for my large family.
I’m so glad you liked it, but sorry there wasn’t any left 😉 -Meggan