Old Fashioned Goulash is a deliciously simple recipe with ground beef, tomatoes, and macaroni. You may have eaten this retro Goulash recipe as a kid. It is an easy weeknight dinner to make, and very kid friendly!
Old Fashioned Goulash
When it comes to retro comfort food recipes, Goulash is one of my top 5 favorites!
This simple one-pot, stove top soup/casserole made of essentially meat, tomatoes and noodles just manages to hit the spot.
As a kid I looked forward to when mom made this goulash recipe.
What It Goulash?
Goulash is essentially a soup made with meat and vegetables, and is usually seasoned with paprika as well as other spices.
It originated in Hungary hundreds of years ago. Goulash is one of the official national dishes of Hungary and is even a symbol of that country.
So that is the official definition, but here in America, this iconic recipe took a turn…
Moms in the USA used what they had on hand, that is why Goulash is very economical. Ground beef, pasta, and tomatoes became the 3 main ingredients.
You can stretch this recipe to feed a large family just by adding a bit more of certain ingredients like meat, pasta, and water/broth.
Old Fashioned Goulash is easy to make. Here are the steps:
Even though goulash is considered a soup by most people, I prefer it thicker, more like a pasta dish.
If you like yours more like a soup, you can simply increase the beef broth by 1 cup or so.
What does Goulash Taste Like?
To me it tastes a lot like spaghetti. There is paprika in it, which does change the taste a little.
Also, I like the texture of goulash more than spaghetti because of the noodle to meat ratio and shape of the macaroni.
Its consistency is more like a casserole, but you can add extra liquid to make it the soup it is known to be..
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If you make this wonderful retro goulash recipe, please leave a comment with a star rating below. I’d love to know how you liked it!
Old Fashioned Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 lbs Lean Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
- 1 lg Yellow Onion, diced
- 3 lg cloves Garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 2 lg Bay Leaves
- 1 cup Low Sodium Beef Broth* (chicken broth if using ground turkey)
- 2 - 14.5 oz cans Diced Tomatoes with juice
- 2 - 15 oz cans Tomato Sauce
- 2 tsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
- 2 tsp Seasoned Salt (such as Johnny's®)
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- 2 cups Uncooked Small Elbow Macaroni
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven or soup pot on med-high heat. When it is hot, add the oil, then add the ground beef or turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. About 10 minutes. Spoon off some of the excess fat.
- Add the diced onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, soy sauce, seasoned salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the macaroni noodles (uncooked), cover and cook for 15-25 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.
- Remove and discard bay leaves, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Resources to Make this Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe and More
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Kimberly Nelson says
I liked the ingredients in your recipe i just added some vegetables to it my mother used to add them…I loved the beef broth though hadn’t ever used that or soy sauce, but it was delicious 😋 thank you.
Lisa says
Delicious! I used fire roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, & a touch of cayenne. I cut the recipe in 1/2 because there is only 2 of us. There was plenty for us to eat 2 meals with the recipe cut in 1/2.
Elane says
I made this last night!!!! I followed the recipe exactly….except for the bay leafs only because I didn’t have any. And it was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be making again
Kathleen M says
Very good reminds me of mama’s…only difference she added corn!
CTGirl717 says
We really liked it! Left out the tomatoes simply because I didn’t have any and added a bit of broth at the end to give the noodles a little more liquid to cook. Very flavorful and easy to make. Even my picky girls liked it!
CTGirl717 says
Forgot to rate it in my original post!
Annie Lee Pearce says
I made this recipe for my family today.It was delicious. We had 5 daughters and I made it a lot when they were young. My one daughter said she didn’t remember it being so good. I will be making it again soon. We all loved it.
Ellen Puckett says
I ate at home.i can not wait to have it again.
Glen Turton says
This is always a treat to make. Never ceases to please one and all
I add a little spice for heat and only one cup of elbow macaroni instead of 2 and 2 cups of broth not one
Patty King says
I made this last night and every one in my house loved it. The only changed I made was using smoked paprika which gave it a smokey flavor.
Toni Schmitz says
This is an excellent dish that my family ate for years while I was growing up. Make sure to remove the bay leaves before eating. You can use regular paprika if you don’t have smoked. It doesn’t make that much of a difference. My mother always added a can of kidneys beans. I use the light red kidney beans but dark or light is fine. If kidney beans bother your stomach just use navy bean or pinto bean. Those are easier on the stomach. This is definitely a 5 star dish and a awesome comfort food dish.
Lisa Maraszek says
YES!! always removing the bay leaves!! Very important. Talk about comfort food!!
Peter Wojcik says
Very good!
Barb says
My family LOVED it😋
Melinda Taylor says
I’ve made this before and it was great! Making it again now.
Don says
A little starchy will cook and drain pasta separately
mikey says
pasta taste better cooked in same pot absorbs tomato flavor….IMHo better
Ellen says
I use to make it 50 yrs ago and forgot how ty very good
Kimberly Bowen says
Made tonight with ground venison burger. Added small diced celery for a little more texture, and sauteed it down with the onion when added. Also added some chili powder and cayenne powder for a little more tangy depth, but this is a GREAT RECIPE!
Ana says
So yummy!!!
Pat Black says
This is thr first I have tried this recipe and it is delicious.
Jacque Peach says
This is the best goulash recipe that I have found. I never really liked it until I found your recipe. I have made this several times already.
Dawn says
I made in my Crockpot multi cooker/steamer…. it was fantastic next time only cook noodles 10 to 15 minutes.
Glen Turton says
I’ve made this a 1/2 dz times already in the last two months. Lol, yes I tweaked it but gosh the simple ease and incredible flavor comes from the core recipe.
Make it and thank yourself later.
Glen Turton
Kay Rosd says
Made this tonight and it was wonderful. We are going t have the leftovers tomorrow. Very easy, fast, and no strange ingredients. Thanks, for posting, it’s a keeper!
Sara Roberts says
Just made this again and it never disappoints! Everyone in the family loves it! It thickened up nicely and I love that! Added cheese and wallah! Delicious! Great recipe!
Glen Turton says
Love this recipe. I have made a couple of tweaks to my taste as follows :
Fire roasted diced tomatoes (Kroger)
I add one small can of Rotel diced chili’s (mild)
Only one (1) cup of elbow macaroni , I prefer a tad more liquid than the result you get with 2 cups of elbow macaroni
Italian seasonings 1 tbs
A dusting of Slap yo Mama seasoning instead of seasoned salt
It’s so easy to make and incredibly delicious
Oh yeah I use ground turkey instead of beef, far less grease.
Any questions you can email me at thehatguy7@aol.com
I’ll do my best to help or answer questions
Glen Turton
Teresa Boyd says
Love this recipe,very filling and yummy, just add got rolls or cornbread muffins for a great cold weather meal
Carol Jeney says
This is a version of my mom’s back in the day! She added green peppers and a little Worcestershire instead of soy sauce.
It’s a great recipe!! Kudos!
I always laugh when I rarely make it because my husband is from Hungary where we’ve obviously had authentic Gulyas Leves soup. Almost more like stew w/o carrots. And of course green peppers and Lesco -onions and Paprika powder stewing in oil.
Cheryl says
My family loved it!
Lauren Freeze says
Love the recipe!
Kathy says
I think next time I will leave out the bay leaf. Otherwise it was pretty good.
Gerianne says
So yummy! We stuffed ourselves unconscious.
Thank you!
Linda says
This is the first recipe of goulosh that looks like what my family makes. I thought maybe it was a regional thing; were from northern Ky. Anyway it was grest to see And I know its great. Only difference is we use a lot of diced green pepper also. Thanks for sharing. I like it thick also.
Deanna says
My husband and I thought this was a bit too salty. I will just adjust it next time..
Carla says
Used ground venison . Excellent flavor. Great cold weather comfort food.
Vicki Pitts says
It turned out perfect. Tasted just like my granny’s.
Chloe Morgan says
Yummy recipe! I added cheese and ate on it for a week!
RJ Foster says
Best goulash I’ve ever had! I will be making this happen n a regular basis. Thanks for sharing!!
RJ Foster says
Just made for the first time. Absolutely delish!! Will definitely keep this in the regular rotation 😉😉
Carolyn says
TASTY!!! Will make again. Thank you for sharing.
Cynthia Green says
Excellent as written. Appreciated the simple ess of the website. Thank you
Patricia Pierse says
Simmering the sauce now. Can’t wait to try the finished recipe but the sauce is awesome.
Karon graf says
Husband love it…thanks!
Josh says
I did not have 100% of the ingredients but this dish was amazing! Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing A+++++
Joe says
Just made this tonight and it tasted awesome
Harley says
Little bit extra pepper taste. But it was GREAT