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.
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.
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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.
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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 the pot from the heat, fish out the bay leaves, then serve that one pot goodness!
I’mma eat that goulash!!
This looks a lot like a dish I grew up with that my parents called American Chop Suey. (Except for the wine, and bell peppers cause that would be too fancy-pants for ny dad) :)
In any case, I was wondering would this recipe freeze well or could I halve the recipe if not?
Thanks Beth!
You can definitely cut it in half, but I would also consider this one freezer friendly. Some people might be put off by the fact that the pasta gets a little softer, but that wouldn’t stop me from wolfing it down. :)
I made this in an instant pot and it worked perfectly! Some changes: the meat did not have to be cooked through before adding the remaining ingredients, just slightly pink in the middle and broken up into smaller pieces. I actually undercooked everything since it would be cooked fully under pressure. I mixed the macaroni noodles into everything so that they were covered with the other ingredients. Cooked for 4 minutes under pressure and quick released when done. We served it with some shredded cheddar and it was perfect!
I love my Aldis too and this recipe looks good. Have to check on the wine price here.
Hi Beth,
Just discovered your awesome site, and last night I made this Goulash.
I remember something my mom made when I was a kid that she called goulash, but I don’t really remember what all was in it. Seems like it was just some dish she threw together from whatever ingredients she had on hand, and for lack of a better name, called it goulash. So I grew up thinking “goulash” was just a generic term for a dish made from whatever.
I had a couple of problems. Salt – I never know how much is “salt to taste” and I used too much (although my wife didn’t think so). Macaroni size and amount – I debated using the really large size elbows, but finally decided on the small ones. After cooking 2 cups for about five minutes, I could see it wasn’t going to be nearly enough. So I put in 2 more cups and another half a cup of water. Much better, but some of the pasta ended up a bit more al dente than I like.
It was still good, and I’m sure it’ll be better the next time I make it. Thanks, adding this one to my repertoire!
I added more veg (carrots, peas) and used beans instead of meat. I also added a splash of honey flavoured alcohol and a ton of hot sauce. I then topped it with a tiny bit of english cheddar and green onions. Very comforting ! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m making this currently, and aghhhhh am so mad at myself-I forgot the wine until after I put the tomato sauces in. I’m curious how much that will affect the flavor. So sad. Ah well, I will update to see how it turns out anyways
It was still good, but not weak in the knees good, sigh. I will try again the proper way.
Can you give me a recommendation for a wine that I can purchase for this recipe. Also is it safe for my children just asking?
Yes, it’s safe for your children because so little is used and the alcohol evaporates off during cooking. I used a Cabernet Sauvignon from Aldi. :)
I have this cooking right now! Only thing I had to sub was Worcestershire for Soy sauce. Smells wonderful. Hoping the substitution won’t make too much of a difference
Sounds yummy. A wine tip: I pour leftover wine into a small zipper sandwich bag and throw it in the freezer. Then I can just throw it into a dish like this, and don’t have to open a bottle.
Can ground turkey be substituted for the beef? Or would that throw the taste off too much? I’m trying to cut down on my beef consumption but this looks so good…
It would definitely be different, but would I still eat it? YEP.
I challenge you to make a vegetarian version of this because this looks soooo good. Pretty please :).
I think that would just be macaroni in a red wine tomato sauce! 😅
Hi, I made a vegetarian version tonight. Made a couple changes. I used sliced mushrooms for the ground beef. Added a touch more wine & sprinkle of smoked paprika at the end. I enjoyed as is and boyfriend added grated gouda cheese. We both enjoyed it and will make again!
My mother made goulash frequently when I was a child. Rather, she made a dish that she called goulash. It was similar to this, primarily a macaroni, beef, tomato creation rather than the paprika-infused hungarian dish. But her version was waaaaay more pared down, no peppers, no additional spices, no cooking the macaroni in the sauce.
Oh and instead of proper tomato sauce she used ketchup. Just…. just all ketchup. She’s not the one who created that monstrosity, it was a common quick weeknight dish in my hometown. It was budget dish for sure, but it was still a load of ketchup.
I can hear the cringe from here, and trust me, I get it. But despite the culinary disaster that I can see that dish was in retrospect, like any dish you eat commonly as a child it still triggers the nostalgia centers of my brain something fierce. I’ve given in and made it once or twice as an adult and while it satisfied nostalgia while I ate it, it was something I always regretted after. (gosh, the aftertaste, ketchup is not a sauce people. Especially Heinz, so cloying…)
What I’m getting at with this tangent is that I’m super happy to have a recipe that reminds me of that dish while being improved in nearly every respect. I made it last night and enjoyed it a lot, it’s going on my ‘comfort food’ rotation for sure.
Hi Beth,
Could you please let me/us know what soup pot you used for this recipe? What brand? What capacity? Anything else that’s relevant?
Thanks in advance,
Stuart.
Yep, it’s a 6-quart Dutch Oven made by Amazon Basics. I just got it recently and it’s a great multi-purpose cooking vessel. :)
Great! Thanks Beth.
OK…I tried this in the instant pot. I have no idea what I did or how I did it, but somehow it turned out. Next time I try, I will write it down to share.
Also, whenever we had goulash we always topped it with cheese…yum!
Oh, please do update your comment next time you make it in the instant pot :)
Can this be done in an instant pot or slow cooker?
I wouldn’t suggest it for a slow cooker because pasta doesn’t turn out well with that slow and low heat (it just gets mushy), but it might be possible in an Instant Pot. I don’t have exact instructions for you, though, since I’ve never tried it.
You could probably do the sauce part in the slow cooker, then about 30 minutes before you eat turn it up to high and dump in the macaroni until tender. You wouldn’t want to cook the pasta all day, but everything else in the sauce should hold up (just my opinion).