Name: Easy Ground Beef Goulash
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 2 pounds lean ground beef; 3 teaspoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves); 3 cups beef broth; (2) 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes; (2) 15 ounce cans tomato sauce; 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning; 2 teaspoons seasoned salt; 3 bay leaves; 2 cups elbobw macaroni noodles; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Jump to Recipe

Easy Ground Beef Goulash is a fast and affordable family dinner recipe. Ground beef and macaroni combine with a cheesy tomato sauce for a one pan meal that is the ultimate comfort food.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

Ground beef is one of those ingredients you can never have too many recipes for, am I right? Especially easy, family-friendly one-pot meals like Ground Beef and Rice Skillet, Ground Beef Stroganoff, Ground Beef and Potato Dinner, One Pot Taco Macaroni, or this Easy Macaroni Goulash recipe!

This is an American Goulash recipe in contrast to Hungarian Goulash which is a thick meat and vegetable stew (with a tasty paprika flavor!). American goulash is a dish made with hamburger meat, tomato sauce, elbow noodles, and seasonings. It is affordable and fast so it is perfect for families! Read more about the differences between American and Hungarian goulash here.

Ingredients

I love that this recipe has no “fancy” ingredients, you might even already have everything you need on hand!

extra virgin olive oil
yellow onion
green bell pepper
lean ground beef
minced garlic
beef broth
diced tomatoes
tomato sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Italian seasoning
seasoned salt
bay leaves
elbow macaroni noodles
shredded cheddar cheese

Step by step

Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, and hamburger meat. Cook until ground beef is browned thoroughly. Drain excess fat and return pot to stove.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn.
Add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, Lawry’s seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and noodles. Bring to a light boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Remove bay leaves. Add cheese and stir just before serving.

Variations and Add-Ins

Goulash is an easy recipe to play with and change up. Here are a few ideas to inspire you to make this recipe your own!

use another protein like ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey instead of ground beef
add in a vegetable like spinach, peas, or green beans
substitute another pasta type like rotini or penne
no tomato sauce on hand? try spaghetti sauce!
top with parmesan cheese instead of cheddar
season with oregano and basil if you don’t have Italian seasoning

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. If you’d like to reheat it on the stovetop, add some broth or extra tomato sauce to help keep it from drying out.

If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!