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!!
I don’t think I’ve had a richer tasting home made sauce like this one! The wine? This needs to sit overnight to let the flavours blend. The only complaint I have is that the macaroni was mushy but that could be because I misread the last two steps and didn’t simmer just the sauce(without noodles) so maybe there was too much liquid for the noodles to absorb🤷♂️. I also added diced celery, chili powder, bit of curry powder, and a bunch of roasted pepper and garlic seasoning. I was sceptical at first but I will make it again for sure maybe adding some frozen spinach too.
This is so tasty and comforting!! I made it tonight for dinner and I’ll have several left over for the week. I used gluten free pasta and my noodles cooked very easily while simmering.
Yummy! Great “lazy Sunday” recipe – just throw everything in a Dutch oven and lounge around with a glass of wine while the flavors meld. Minimal clean-up, and definitely doesn’t break the bank either! Thanks for another keeper, Beth
Loved this when I made it recently!
Question, could this be done slower in a crockpot? If so, thoughts on how long on low or high?
I don’t think this one is a good candidate for a slow cooker, unfortunately. Pasta generally doesn’t do too well in a slow cooker because it’s not quite hot enough. It ends up just getting mushy.
Omg YUM! This is going in my regular rotation. I had been craving comfort food and this was perfect. I made the recipe as written except I doubled all the spices (I like lots of spice!).
The wine really did take it to the next level but I’m sure it would be almost as delicious with water or beef broth substituted. I also topped it with some cheddar but it was definitely good without it too.
I was a bit unsure about adding the beef straight on top of the sautéed vegetables because my pot was really full at this point but I trusted the recipe and it worked out perfect. Glad I didn’t use a second pan. Less dishes is always a win!
Simple recipe with common cupboard ingredients. No need to hit the grocery store for this one. I added A little paprika because, I throw it in everything. This tasted great. I poured in about a half cup of pasta water with the pasta for some savory flavor.
This recipe was amazing; very simple to follow for someone whose not a good cook like myself and the flavour was amazing. I missed a few minor ingredients but it still tasted great. I am so happy to have stumbled on it and recommend it to any beginner cooks or anyone who wants a flavourful, hardy stew.
Super recipe! Made this with an added jalapeno. Used Mafalda pasta, it holds sauce better, and cooks faster. Turned out fantastic!. This will only last me for 3 meals. Its that good. Thank you!
My only difference is I add a can of zucchini with tomato sauce it is packed in.
I have had this dish three times now, but I didn’t want to leave a review until I had followed all the steps exactly. The first time, I didn’t have wine. The second time, I didn’t have any bay leaves or crushed red pepper. Today, the stars aligned and my husband actually picked up all the things I put on the grocery list. It was delicious all three times! If you’re hesitating because you’re missing something, don’t. This is too yummy, cheap, and easy to NOT be on your regular menu. Just amazing!
Is there a type of gluten free noodle you think would work in this?
Have you tried Banza noodles yet? They’re made from chickpeas and are really tasty!
I use a Ronzini brand gluten- free elbow noodle – works great and isn’t expensive.
A good recipe that (almost) duplicates a “toss-together” recipe that I’ve been improvising since my sons were little.
I needed a reminder on the liquid:pasta ratio but ended up following it to the letter… probably came out better that the stuff I’ve been making and is now in the dinner rotation for good.
Delicious! Easy! It’s on my TNT (tried-n-true) list
used marshmallows instead of elbow pasta and it was bad. 5 stars!
Unfortunately that can happen when you swap marshmallows for pasta. ;)
I don’t know why, but it took a really long time for the pasta to cook when I was making this. I also had to add a total of at least one cup of water, a bit at a time. Altogether, it took about 40 minutes for the pasta to get cooked enough to be edible. I’m hoping the pasta will absorb a bit more of the liquid from the tomatoes overnight in the fridge. Overall, I liked the flavor, but I think I should have done One Pot Chili Pasta instead. That was what I was originally planning to make (one of our favorites!), but I just didn’t feel like cooking up the beans for it.
This is my favorite American Goulash recipe now. The only substitution I made was coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. The wine and extra peppers make it better.
Have this cooking now and it smells great! Added some rotel to it and used beef broth vs wine. Plan on topping each bowl with some cheddar cheese and serving with a side of garlic bread. Fast and easy recipe