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Home » Soup » Old Fashioned Goulash

Old Fashioned Goulash

Mar 13, 2020 · 28 Comments

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Old Fashioned Goulash
Old Fashioned Goulash

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

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.

Old Fashioned Goulash

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:

Old Fashioned Goulash
Making Goulash
making Goulash

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.

Old Fashioned Goulash

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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Old Fashioned Goulash

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Old Fashioned Goulash

Old Fashioned Goulash

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.
4.9 from 28 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy goulash recipe, goulash recipe, one-pot-goulash
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 522kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton

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

*If you like your goulash more like a soup, you can simply increase the beef broth by 1 cup or so.

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcal

Resources to Make this Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe and More

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kimberly Bowen says

    December 26, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  2. Ana says

    December 24, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    5 stars
    So yummy!!!

    Reply
  3. Jacque Peach says

    December 18, 2020 at 11:14 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  4. Dawn says

    December 10, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    5 stars
    I made in my Crockpot multi cooker/steamer…. it was fantastic next time only cook noodles 10 to 15 minutes.

    Reply
  5. Glen Turton says

    December 01, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
  6. Kay Rosd says

    December 01, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  7. Sara Roberts says

    November 20, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  8. Glen Turton says

    November 14, 2020 at 9:55 am

    5 stars
    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 [email protected]
    I’ll do my best to help or answer questions

    Glen Turton

    Reply
  9. Teresa Boyd says

    November 11, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe,very filling and yummy, just add got rolls or cornbread muffins for a great cold weather meal

    Reply
  10. Carol Jeney says

    November 09, 2020 at 4:47 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  11. Cheryl says

    November 05, 2020 at 5:17 pm

    5 stars
    My family loved it!

    Reply
  12. Lauren Freeze says

    November 04, 2020 at 11:46 am

    5 stars
    Love the recipe!

    Reply
  13. Kathy says

    October 27, 2020 at 2:50 pm

    4 stars
    I think next time I will leave out the bay leaf. Otherwise it was pretty good.

    Reply
  14. Gerianne says

    October 17, 2020 at 4:39 pm

    5 stars
    So yummy! We stuffed ourselves unconscious.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  15. Linda says

    October 14, 2020 at 11:36 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  16. Deanna says

    October 08, 2020 at 4:55 pm

    4 stars
    My husband and I thought this was a bit too salty. I will just adjust it next time..

    Reply
  17. Carla says

    October 05, 2020 at 2:37 pm

    5 stars
    Used ground venison . Excellent flavor. Great cold weather comfort food.

    Reply
  18. Vicki Pitts says

    September 16, 2020 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    It turned out perfect. Tasted just like my granny’s.

    Reply
  19. Chloe Morgan says

    September 10, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy recipe! I added cheese and ate on it for a week!

    Reply
  20. RJ Foster says

    September 10, 2020 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    Best goulash I’ve ever had! I will be making this happen n a regular basis. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
  21. RJ Foster says

    September 06, 2020 at 5:13 pm

    5 stars
    Just made for the first time. Absolutely delish!! Will definitely keep this in the regular rotation 😉😉

    Reply
  22. Carolyn says

    August 22, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    5 stars
    TASTY!!! Will make again. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  23. Cynthia Green says

    August 22, 2020 at 10:10 am

    5 stars
    Excellent as written. Appreciated the simple ess of the website. Thank you

    Reply
  24. Patricia Pierse says

    August 04, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    Simmering the sauce now. Can’t wait to try the finished recipe but the sauce is awesome.

    Reply
  25. Karon graf says

    July 19, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    4 stars
    Husband love it…thanks!

    Reply
  26. Josh says

    July 15, 2020 at 6:40 pm

    5 stars
    I did not have 100% of the ingredients but this dish was amazing! Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing A+++++

    Reply
  27. Joe says

    June 30, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this tonight and it tasted awesome

    Reply
  28. Harley says

    June 28, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    5 stars
    Little bit extra pepper taste. But it was GREAT

    Reply

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