Oh my goulash, you guys. It’s not often that I use wine in my cooking because it can be pretty pricey, but something magical happens when you add red wine to beef, and it’s something that I just can not resist. Luckily I live near an Aldi store now so I can get a bottle of wine for about $5 that is not only good enough to cook with, but good enough that I’ll happily drink the rest of the bottle with my meal. This One Pot American Goulash is the ultimate comfort food with the richest, most yummiest red sauce ever, thanks to a splash of red wine. Seriously, you’ve got to try this one.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Do I Need Red Wine in my Goulash?
If you want this dish to be as scrumptious as humanly possible, yes. But if you can’t use red wine, you can substitute beef broth in its place. You’ll still have a pretty rockin’ red sauce, but it just won’t be like “make me weak in the knees” good.
Where’s the Paprika?
This is American Goulash, which is basically just beef, macaroni, and red sauce. It’s totally different than Hungarian Goulash. So if you’re looking for chunks of beef that have been slow simmered in a delicious paprika sauce, this is not it. This is just straight up American comfort food.
Can You Freeze Goulash?
Yes! This One Pot American Goulash recipe is very freezer-friendly. Just make sure to cool the goulash completely in the refrigerator first, then transfer to the freezer for long term storage. I suggest freezing goulash for three months maximum. And remember, label and date everything that goes in your freezer!
What Do You Eat with Goulash?
I would consider this a “one pot meal” which means this one dish covers everything you need in a meal: carbs, proteins, and vegetables. If anything you might want some crusty bread to sop up that delicious gravy, or maybe a green salad on the side for extra vegetables.
Can I Add Cheese?
Yes! A common twist on this recipe is American Goulash with cheese. I would choose medium or sharp cheddar, and simply sprinkle it over top of each bowl, or stir it into the pot to give an overall cheesy flavor, similar to my Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac.
What Kind of Pot Should I Use?
Any large, heavy duty soup pot will work well for this recipe. For “one pot pastas” you really need cookware that is thick and heavy, so the contents heat evenly. Thin cookware will create hot spots and cold spots, and cause the pasta to cook unevenly. I used an enamel coated cast iron Dutch Oven, which can be found in my Amazon Shop.
Want more One Pot answers to dinner? Check out our archive of over 50 One Pot Meals!
Easy American Goulash
Servings 6 About 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 2 bell peppers ($1.58)
- 1 lb ground beef ($5.29)
- 1/2 cup red wine* ($0.72)
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.89)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.59)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.12)
- 2 whole bay leaves (optional) ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
- 2 cups elbow macaroni (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.50)
- salt to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a large soup pot with the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, dice the bell peppers, then add them to the pot and continue to sauté for about two minutes more.
- Add the ground beef to the pot with the vegetables and continue to sauté over medium until the beef is cooked through. Add the red wine to the pot and stir to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, and water to the pot. Stir to combine, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn it down to low, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
- After the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, add the macaroni and stir to combine. Continue to let the macaroni simmer in the sauce, with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender (about 10-12 minutes).
- Once the pasta is tender, taste the goulash and add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Measuring Cups Spoons
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make American Goulash – Step By Step Photos
Begin by dicing one yellow onion and mincing four cloves of garlic. Add them to a soup pot along with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onion are translucent. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, dice two bell peppers, then add them to the pot and continue to sauté for about two minutes more.
Add one pound ground beef to the pot and continue to sauté over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink, then add 1/2 cup red wine to the pot and stir to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
Add one 28oz. can diced tomatoes (with the juices), one 15oz. can tomato sauce, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1/2 cup water. Stir everything to combine, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Keep the lid on as it simmers, lifting it only occasionally to stir.
Once the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes (OMG it’s already smelling good), add 2 cups macaroni (that’s about 1/2 lb.). Stir to combine the macaroni with the sauce, place the lid back on top, and let it continue to simmer to cook the noodles for about 10-12 minutes, or until the macaroni is tender. Stir occasionally as the pasta simmers to keep it from sticking, returning the lid after each stir.
Once the macaroni is tender, give the American Goulash a taste and add salt if needed. Remove the pot from the heat, fish out the bay leaves, then serve that one pot goodness!
I’mma eat that goulash!!
Made it tonight, have a ton of leftovers and am happy about it. :) Think next time I’ll add a few additional vegetables, but that’s what’s great about this dish, you can add anything that works for you. Thanks for posting this, I’ve used your site so far for a couple of recipes and each of them have been a hit with me and my friends!
Made this tonight with ground turkey instead of ground beef (it was in the freezer). I’m looking forward to leftovers! Boyfriend liked it too.
So I made this tonight and all five of my children had seconds. It is extremely rare to get majority approval at my house, we didn’t even need to bribe them with seconds on strawberry flavored milk. Will be making again!
Here in the heartland (Ohio) we call this Johnny Marzetti. The name comes from the Italian restaurant where the dish originated in Columbus, Ohio. Stir in cheese – cheddar or Parmesan – and it’s even better. It’s a hearty, cold-weather staple around here. Add a crusty bread and salad or green vegetable and you’re good to go!
I made this last night, was so good………but the leftovers I had for lunch were even better. Thanks f or sharing the recipe. :)
Made this tonight, my son loved it. And he’s as picky as they come!!
Update! I ended up using just water instead of wine and the dish was a complete hit! (imagine what it would be WITH the red wine? :)
Thanks for another great recipe!
Well, the red wine really does give it a unique flavor. In its absence I would say use some beef stock but a half cup of beef stock is hard to come by without having extra… I would say you could also try adding 2 Tbsp of either balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar for that extra zing that wine usually adds. It will still be different but I think it would be nice. You may also need to add a little water (1/4 – 1/2 cup) in the absence of the wine but play it by ear. Add it in at the end if it looks like the macaroni made it too dry. I hope that helps! Good luck!
I’m thinking of making this tonight for my family (I’m a flexitarian but they love their beef and macaroni :P) and I was wondering how essential red wine is to this recipe and are their any suitable substitutes? We have none on hand at the moment and working on a tight budget has its constraints.
…and it makes great left overs because it gets nice and creamy overnight.
I put zucchini (usually sauteed in bacon grease)and kidney beans in my goulash :)
I made this for dinner tonight with the no-kead bread and it was SO delicious! I am a fraction hungarian and have only had a very traditional sort of goulash…but this was a great, unexpected change from the norm. I actually think I like it better! The only this I did differently is use egg noodles instead of elbow mac (it was all I had on hand).
Also, I used Cupcake Cabernet Sauvignon wine which, if you haven’t tried yet is amazing, as well as all the other Cupcake varieties. They are my favorites! Reasonable too!
I’ve never heard of this kind of goulash, I’ve only seen/heard/eaten goulash as A soup(with potatoes, not macaroni), but it’s probably because I live in Europe and the Hungarian goulash is the only goulash imaginable – well, no need for other kind of goulashes since the Hungarian one is so damn delicious. But this does sound good, though, and I’ll definitely try it sometime.
Keep on the good work! As a poor student it’s great to have inexpensive but delicious recipes! And it’s funny to notice how much difference there is in prices between USA and Europe…
Honestly, I’ve never used it… I’m not really sure what differentiates the two. If I can get a cheap bottle of red for $7, that’s worth using some in the recipe and enjoying the rest :)
The difference between the two wines is the quality of the drink. Regular wine is finer, more flavorful, and will have a stronger taste in your dishes. Cooking wine is a go-to wine, but will not be enjoyable to drink, as the flavors it will bring won’t be as potent. Also cooking wine has a tremendous amount of sodium in it that drinking wine doesn’t have.
Beth, how do you feel about red cooking wine? Is that an acceptable replacement for red wine? Everytime I buy wine for cooking, I end up drinking the bottle and never saving any for the next time I cook.