I think that everyone has that one meal that reminds them of their childhood and for me, that meal is goulash. My mom would work all day, come home, and make dinner every night. So she certainly needed a few easy recipes up her sleeve. I reached out to her before experimenting with this recipe and asked her how she made the goulash that I remember from my youth. She definitely used a few shortcuts to make it an easy and quick meal- like using pasta sauce as the base. For my recipe, I wanted to make it my own. So here is my version of Traditional American Goulash.

DISCLAIMER: Do not make the mistake of calling this dish “goulash”. Goulash typically refers to a Hungarian recipe that is quite different than this recipe made with ground beef. Hungarian goulash is a beef stew that usually involves paprika. Traditionally, American goulash is a dish that involves macaroni, ground beef, and tomatoes. The American version also has a few other names besides goulash. My mom used to call it Johnny Marzetti and it is also sometimes referred to as American Chop Suey.

At the end of the day, whatever name you choose to call this recipe, one thing is for sure- it’s delightful. It’s less of a soup/stew than the Hungarian version and more of a saucy kind of pasta dish. It’s hard to describe, but if you’ve had it, you know. And if you haven’t had it, you need to. Traditional American Goulash is a bowl of pure comfort and deliciousness.

Ingredients that you’ll need to make Traditional American Goulash

Olive Oil

Ground Beef– I use a lean ground beef. Use whatever you like to cook with.

Sweet Onion

Green Bell Pepper

Garlic Cloves

Low-Sodium Beef Broth– I always use low-sodium broths so that I can control the amount of sodium. If you have regular broth, just be sure to not add too much salt.

Canned Tomato Sauce

Canned Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes– you can substitute with regular canned diced tomatoes or even more tomato sauce.

Tomato Paste

Hot Sauce– Use what you like.

Worcestershire Sauce

Spices/Seasonings– Salt, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Italian Seasoning, Dried Parsley

Grated Parmesan Cheese– This can be optional. I enjoy the Goulash topped with parm at the end.

Let me show you how to make this Traditional American Goulash 👇🏻

In a large, high-walled skillet, add 1 tsp olive oil, 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, 1 chopped onion, and 1 chopped green pepper over medium-high heat.

Break the beef apart as it cooks.

Cook until the beef is completely cooked through and the veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Drain off most of the fat. You can leave about 1 tbsp in the skillet for flavor.

Then add 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Now add all of the remaining ingredients except for the macaroni and Parmesan.

Add 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, one 15 oz can tomato sauce, one 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 2 tsp dried parsley.

Give everything a good stir and then cover with a lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced slightly.

Add 1 cup elbow macaroni, stir, recover with the lid, and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the pasta is al dente.

When the macaroni is al dente, remove from heat.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!!

These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe. These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.

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