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When I was growing up, a good homemade, old-fashioned goulash recipe was a staple in our household. And why not? It’s frugal, easy to make, and it dirties very few dishes. It’s the perfect recipe for a busy family!
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Easy Goulash Recipe
I originally posted this recipe here on the blog almost 15 years ago. Since then, it’s been a favorite staple of many but also gets me a large number of hate comments, if you can believe that!
The reason is that the recipe that follows is what I called goulash when I was growing up. This recipe was passed down to me from my German Grandma, who made it on a regular basis. Since then, I’ve been told, “It’s not really goulash”.
Well, it is to me, but moreover, it’s a thrifty supper, which is why I’ve shared it here. Call it what you will; it’s easy, tasty, and frugal. We love it!
Canned or Fresh Tomatoes?
My children now love to eat this simple recipe because it’s so tasty, and what child doesn’t love noodles? This recipe is perfect for using home canned tomatoes because you need the liquid for cooking the pasta. You can use fresh tomatoes but you will need to add some kind of liquid (water or beef broth) to be able to cook the noodles.
Our family originally came from North Dakota and my mother made this just like this! Dad didn’t like garlic so that wasn’t allowed but, “Ahum” – we won’t tell him if I do put garlic in this recipe. ^_^ Thanks for the memory and the recipe Merissa.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Love this recipe!!! This is how we fix it with the exception of our recipe adds corn (adds a sweet crutch). Love your story!!!
Sarah, Little House Living reader
How to Serve Goulash
Serve your beefGoulash Recipe with a side salad and some fresh veggies. We love serving it with green beans because that just seems to go together. This is a wonderful, hearty dish that should be able to fill up even the hungriest eater.
Variations to the Basic Goulash Recipe
I make the recipe exactly as described above, but many others in the comments have given other suggestions on how to change up your goulash recipe. Here are a few of them:
Add a can of corn.
Top with cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese.
Use elbow macaroni noodles to collect the sauce better.
Add in chopped carrots with the onion.
Add in oregano, thyme, or Italian seasoning for a totally different flavor.
Stir in chopped bell peppers with the onions.
Cook in a dutch oven instead of a skillet.
Use ground turkey or ground chicken or even ground pork instead of beef.
Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Give it a stronger tomato base, use some tomato sauce in addition to the diced tomatoes.
Gluten-Free Goulash
This recipe is super easy to make gluten-free, I do it all the time! Just replace the pasta with your favorite gluten-free noodles.
Another tip is to cook the noodles separately from the rest of the meal and add them in at the end. Since gluten-free pasta can get really slimy and starchy, this will give you a way to rinse off the noodles before putting them in with the meal.
Common Questions About Making Goulash
How long is homemade goulash good for?
I like to store leftover Goulash for no longer than a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. After that, the noodles are so great anymore. Reheat in the microwave.
How to make homemade goulash soup?
You could easily turn this recipe into a tasty soup! Put all of the ingredients together in a large saucepan or a stockpot and add some tomato sauce and some homemade broth until it creates a soup instead of a fried dish.
What is the history of goulash?
This is kind of fun and interesting to know. Maybe something to share around the family table while you are enjoying the old-fashionedgoulash recipe at home! The origins of goulash came from Hungary where it was made to be fed to Hungarian herdsman while they were tending their sheep. (Hungarian Goulash) It quickly spread to other European countries. The recipe I have here most closely resemblesGermanGulasch because my family is mostly German and this recipe came from my paternal grandmother. It’s common to seeGermanGulasch or any goulash made into a soup and have the addition of paprika, but this is how my grandma and my mom made it so this is the recipe I’m passing down to you. This is also sometimes called American Goulash.
Merissa, this is the exact same recipe my mother passed down to me (with stewed tomatoes). It is my favorite meal and feel-good recipe. I think it tastes even better the next day. I confess that sometimes I eat it cold, too! Our whole family loves it. When my brother, sister, or granddaughter come to visit, goulash is their first choice for dinner. My granddaughter now has the recipe because I have it memorized from making it so often. 🙂
Jan, Little House Living reader
More Beef Meals
Cheeseburger Bake
Pigs in a Blanket
Stretching a Buck Lasagna
Simple Meatloaf Recipe
Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatloaf
Easy Delicious Shredded Beef Recipe
Slow Cooker Steak and Caramelized Onions
Old Fashioned Meatloaf
Cheap and Easy Recipes with Ground Beef
You can also find a huge list of Main Meals here.
Has your family ever had goulash? Is your recipe similar to my old fashionedgoulash recipe?
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.
This recipe for Old Fashioned Goulash was originally published on Little House Living in July 2009. It has been updated as of January 2024.
The classic “kettle goulash” is prepared by frying cubes of beef or mutton with onions in lard. Garlic, caraway seeds, tomatoes, green peppers, and potatoes complete the stew. Székely gulyás, another Hungarian specialty, is a stew of pork and sauerkraut flavoured with tomatoes, onions, caraway seeds, and sour cream.
American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, American Chop Suey, or even Beef-a-Roni, is an American comfort-food dish popular in the Midwest and South.
This easy Johnny Marzetti recipe is similar to American goulash but with lots and lots of cheese. It is a comfort dinner recipe that is easy to prepare and so delicious.
Hungarian Goulash is a beef and onion soup seasoned with Hungarian paprika and sometimes containing potatoes and/or carrots (often made without vegetables). American Goulash is old-fashioned goodness. It's a simple dish with ground beef and elbow macaroni in tomato sauce.
American goulash is a one-pot dish of ground beef, pasta (often elbow macaroni), tomatoes and cheese. Sometimes it includes paprika, like its Hungarian counterpart. Since American goulash calls for ground beef, it cooks much faster than Hungarian goulash which relies on low-and-slow cooking to render the beef tender.
Hungarian goulash and American goulash. Hungarian goulash is a thick soup with meat and vegetables, usually seasoned with paprika. American goulash is very different. It generally has tomato sauce, macaroni and beef.
Beefaroni (aka American Goulash) is a simple recipe most of us grow up enjoying, whether it was straight from a can or made from scratch. It's total comfort food. This is a simple recipe, made with ground beef in a homemade tomato sauce with just a few seasonings, plus elbow macaroni noodles.
Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is one of the national dishes of Hungary and a symbol of the country. Its origin may be traced back as far as the 10th century, to stews eaten by Hungarian shepherds.
Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles.
Is Slumgullion the same as goulash? Slumgullion is another name for American goulash. The American version is similar to the original Hungarian version, but the American version is less like a stew and more like a quick one-pot meal.
Hungary's most famous food, the goulash, is a crimson-hued beef soup laced with vegetables and imparting the sweet-sharp flavor of fresh paprika. The dish is named after the herdsmen in eastern Hungary — the gulyás — who prepared this hearty soup in large cast-iron kettles.
· Asa Goulash is deep fried fish served in a spicy sauce with tomato, onions and other vegetables and usually eaten with injera. Even though the dish has little to no resemblance to a goulash, which is a kind of Hungarian stew, asa goulash is the common name used to describe the dish in Ethiopia.
Serve up a hearty goulash for the ultimate comforting stew on winter nights. Searching for the perfect accompaniment? Try mashed potato, dumplings or your favourite veg.
Is goulash the same as Hamburger Helper? Almost! This American goulash is made with ground beef and macaroni pasta in a tomato-y sauce which are all characteristics of the Hamburger Helper. However, goulash is more heavily spiced and tomato-focused while Hamburger Helper tends to be creamier, and cheesier.
American chop suey is an American pasta casserole made with ground beef, macaroni and a seasoned tomato sauce, found in the cuisine of New England and other regions of the United States. Outside New England it is sometimes called American goulash or Johnny Marzetti, among other names.
American goulash is more of a pasta and ground beef dish
Owing more influence to Italian-American cuisine than Hungarian, paprika isn't even a consistent addition, per Syracruse.com. The nostalgic family meal is synonymous with American chop suey, another macaroni-based one-pot dish.
Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.
American chop suey is an American pasta casserole made with ground beef, macaroni and a seasoned tomato sauce, found in the cuisine of New England and other regions of the United States. Outside New England it is sometimes called American goulash or Johnny Marzetti, among other names.
Serve with traditional accompaniments: Serve Hungarian goulash with traditional accompaniments such as bread, egg noodles, or dumplings. A dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh parsley or chives is also a popular garnish.
Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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