This easy beef and tomato goulash recipe is cozy and comforting. With just a few simple ingredients, it can be ready in under thirty minutes!
My husband’s easy goulash recipe has been a family favorite for nearly 20 years. It’s cozy and comforting and couldn’t be easier to make!
I vividly remember the first time my husband made this. I watched him add canned tomato soup, and the Italian in me cringed. It took everything I had not to doctor it up, but he kept telling me to trust the process—and he was right. The flavors are fantastic, and that tomato soup that made me cringe is the secret ingredient. It’s less acidic than canned tomatoes and adds a rich flavor and a subtle sweetness.
This is American goulash—grandma’s goulash—and it’s not meant to be fancied up. It’s the recipe you want on lazy days when you’re craving comfort food and don’t feel like cooking.
Goulash Recipe | Easy Beef & Pasta Dinner
- Ground beef, noodles, and a few pantry ingredients are all you need.
- Serve with crusty bread, a simple salad, or roasted broccoli to round out the meal.
- We don’t serve anything fancy with this. This is unpretentious comfort food!
- This budget-friendly meal can be on the table in twenty minutes.
American Goulash vs. Hungarian Goulash?
- Hungarian goulash is a beef soup or stew featuring larger chunks of beef, vegetables, paprika, caraway seeds, and often sour cream. It’s delicious. American goulash is a simple dish, typically consisting of ground beef and pasta in a tomato-based sauce, which can range from canned tomatoes to tomato juice. My husband, however, swears that tomato soup is the only way to go.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This goulash recipe requires only a few simple ingredients, most of which you likely already have.
- Ground beef. I like grass-fed, which is a little leaner and more nutritious than grain-fed.
- Pasta. Elbow noodles are classic, but I LOVE this with cavatappi noodles.
- Tomato soup. This is the secret ingredient in my husband’s goulash!
- Seasonings. Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper are all you need!
Pro tip. Unlike other recipes, which are more like soup, this one is thicker and more like pasta. If you like yours looser, add beef broth a little at a time until it’s the consistency you want.
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Goulash Recipe Instructions
You can have this on the table in 20 minutes with a bit of multitasking!
- Start cooking the pasta in a large stockpot.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the beef and seasonings to a skillet.
- Cook the beef until it is nicely browned, and then add the tomato soup.
- Simmer the beef and soup mixture on low until the pasta is done.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain it well, reserving a little of the pasta water.
- Return the pasta to the pot and add the beef mixture.
- Stir well, adding a little of the pasta water if needed.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
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Helpful Tips + Variations + Storage
- To prevent mushy noodles in this goulash recipe, cook the pasta very al dente.
- Cooking the beef until it’s deeply browned adds texture and flavor.
- Replace the water with beef bone broth for extra flavor and protein.
- Speaking of protein, using protein pasta will add a boatload of it.
- Add bell peppers, onions, carrots, and any other vegetables you like to bulk up the dish.
- Dried basil, thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning would all be delicious
- Change the flavors by adding chili powder, cumin, and a can of kidney beans.
- For a cheesy topping, melt mozzarella or provolone on top.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to four days. I do not recommend freezing.
- This reheats beautifully, making it perfect for your weekly meal prep.
How To Make This More Budget-Friendly
- Shop for sales and stock up on beef when it’s at a good price.
- If ground turkey or chicken are more affordable, feel free to swap them out.
- Store-brand tomato soup works just fine if it’s cheaper.
- If you shop sales and stock up on low-priced pantry ingredients, you can make this entire pot for around ten bucks.
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Serve This With
- Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe | Plus 25 Ways To Use It
- 10-Minute Tangy Tomato Dressing Recipe
- Foolproof Butter & Lemon Baked Rice Recipe
- Easy Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe
- Homemade Ice Cream with Baileys and Guinness Beer
Check out our vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb recipes if you have food sensitivities! |
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Easy Goulash Recipe
Easy Beef & Tomato Goulash Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package but slightly undercooked. See note.
- While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground beef with the seasonings.
- When the beef is browned and cooked through, add both cans of soup plus one can of water.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain it well, reserving a little pasta water. dd it to the meat and soup mixture.
- Add the drained noodles back to the pot and combine with the beef mixture.
- Mix thoroughly, adding a little pasta water as needed.
- Taste and adjust the samt and pepper.
Notes
- To prevent mushy noodles, cook the pasta al dente before adding it to the beef.
- Serve with optional toppings: parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper, and basil
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We love this in my house! It is so quick and easy. This is how my babysitter use to make it and how I make it for my family. We add sausage instead of hamburger now. It’s easy and delicious, especially the left overs!
We fix this a couple times a month. We use a large can of crushed tomatoes (for .99 a can at Aldi) instead of the soup and add a can of whole kernel corn. Yummy and makes plenty for our family of 6 and usually leaves enough for at least one of us to have leftovers for lunch.
My mother made ghoulash like this recipe and it is the best. Mom would put out small dinner rolls and a meal was served.
The best!!!
Love that, Diane!!