Old Fashioned Goulash

AI-generated recipe illustration

Prep time

10 min

Cook time

35 min

Total time

45 min

Yield

6 servings

American goulash — some houses called it slumgullion, some just called it 'dinner' — is ground beef and macaroni simmered together in a tomato broth until the pasta drinks up all that savory flavor. It has nothing to do with Hungarian goulash and everything to do with feeding a family well for a few dollars. The one-pot method matters: the macaroni cooks in the sauce itself, releasing starch that thickens everything into that spoon-coating texture the church-basement version always had.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (trust the church cookbook)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp paprika, 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (optional finish)

How to make old fashioned goulash

1. Brown the beef with the onion and bell pepper in a large pot; drain excess fat.
2. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
3. Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, broth, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, and bay leaves. Simmer 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the dry macaroni, cover, and simmer on low 12–15 minutes, stirring twice, until the pasta is tender.
5. Discard the bay leaves. Rest 5 minutes off the heat — the sauce sets to the right thickness. Stir in the cheddar if using.

Make it your own

Storage & leftovers

Refrigerate up to 4 days — goulash on day two, when the macaroni has fully settled into the sauce, is the version people are nostalgic for.

Freezes well up to 3 months; the pasta softens slightly but the dish absorbs it gracefully. Thaw overnight and reheat with a splash of broth.

A few helpful answers

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