Grandma's Easy Goulash Recipe (2024)

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A hearty stew for chilly nights.

The Best Goulash Recipe Ever!

Hey guys, it’s time for a Halloween-themed recipe – “ghoul” ash!

Ha ha, just kidding. Actually, goulash is a hearty, meaty stew from Hungary. It’s usually made with beef, but you can also use lamb, veal, or pork. And it’s good pretty much any time the weather is chilly.

There are lots of different ways to make goulash. The original Hungarian recipe had beef with peppers, wine, and spices (especially paprika). Grandma’s easy version added tomatoes or tomato sauce, as well as noodles. And since beef, noodles, and tomatoes go so well with cheese, my version throws in some shredded sharp cheddar – because hey, recipes are supposed to evolve, right?

This takes about 40 minutes to make, but only 10 to 15 minutes of that is actual cooking time. You brown the beef and drain it, then get it simmering in a big, deep skillet (or a Dutch oven) with tomatoes, beef broth and spices. After about 10 minutes, you stir in the noodles and let them cook until they’re tender. And right before you serve it, you yank out the bay leaves, sprinkle on the cheese, and cover it just long enough to let it melt.

The finished meal is hot, savory and incredibly filling – and there’s nothing in it that the average kid wouldn’t be happy to eat. On a cold night, it warms you right up from the inside out.

Easy Goulash Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 teaspoons seasoned salt, I used Lawry’s
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cups beef broth
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 TB dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large bay leaves
2 cups dry elbow noodles
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1 and 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

NOTE: if you do not have a large, deep skillet, you can use a large pot or dutch oven.

Directions:

Season beef with seasoned salt. Saute ground beef and onions in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Drain.
Add garlic, broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, oregano, and bay leaves Stir well. Cover and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to skillet, stir well cover with lid and simmer for about 12-18 minutes more, or until noodles are tender.
Turn off heat, remove the bay leaves, and add shredded cheddar cheese. TIP. Place lid back on until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

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4.83 from 17 votes

Grandma's Easy Goulash Recipe

The Easy Goulash Recipe is hot, savory and incredibly filling – and there’s nothing in it that the average kid wouldn’t be happy to eat.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Serves:8

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 teaspoons seasoned salt, I used Lawry's
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cups beef broth
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 TB dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large bay leaves
2 cups dry elbow noodles
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1.5 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

Note: If you do not have a large deep skillet, you can use a large pot or dutch oven.

Season beef with seasoned salt. Saute ground beef and onions in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Drain.
Add garlic, broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, oregano, and bay leaves Stir well. Cover and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to skillet, stir well cover with lid and simmer for about 12-18 minutes more, or until noodles are tender.
Turn off heat, remove the bay leaves, and add shredded cheddar cheese. TIP. Place lid back on until cheese is melted.

Video

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Nutrition Information:

Calories: 419kcal (21%)Carbohydrates: 27g (9%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 7g (35%)Cholesterol: 92mg (31%)Sodium: 587mg (24%)Potassium: 583mg (17%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 210IU (4%)Vitamin C: 1.2mg (1%)Calcium: 185mg (19%)Iron: 3.7mg (21%)

Nutrition Disclaimer

Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American

Keyword:Grandma's Easy Goulash Recipe

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30 Comments

Neyssa@LatinaMomMeals says
October 20, 2017 at 4:07 pm

This recipe is amazing! My family tried it and my super picky daughter went back for thirds. The melted cheese, oooooh lala so good! Keep the recipes coming. 🙂 Can’t wait to see what else you have.
Reply
- Corey says
  October 20, 2017 at 4:57 pm
  
  So happy the family loved it 🙂
  Reply
Kathleen says
October 20, 2017 at 8:06 pm

I can’t believe that this is the first time that I am commenting on one of your recipes, Corey, because you have posted so many delicious ones. I made this goulash this evening and it was consumed and enjoyed by all. I have all boys at my home and am always looking for new recipes to keep everyone satisfied. Thank you so much!!
Reply
- Corey says
  October 21, 2017 at 10:26 am
  
  Awwwwwwe, Kathleen! Thanks for such a lovely comment! I am so happy you are loving my recipes 🙂
  Reply
Kimmi says
November 12, 2017 at 9:35 pm

I can’t wait to try this! What type of tomatoes do you use? Crushed?
Reply
- Corey says
  November 13, 2017 at 12:50 pm
  
  You could use either. I have actually made it with both!
  Reply
Richard says
November 14, 2017 at 6:49 pm

Making this tonight for dinner! In step four, it says stir well the lid. Are you meaning with the lid or without?
Thanks!
Reply
- Corey says
  November 15, 2017 at 4:22 pm
  
  You want to simmer with the lid on, yes.
  Reply
Teresa S. Sallee says
November 20, 2017 at 2:29 pm

Do you have a lasagna sauce recipe?
Reply
Sandy says
December 4, 2017 at 9:58 am

I purchased fire roasted chopped tomatoes in error. Can I use them in this goulash recipe? Also I made your crock pot bacon cheeseburger soup last night and it was amazing. My husband suggested we have it when our neighbors come over. The dill pickles made it really different . Loved that addition. My grand children keep asking for your recipes and my daughter in law tells them that they are just special meals that grandma makes. Lol!
Thank you
Reply
Karen I says
March 4, 2018 at 4:17 pm

Cannot wait to try this. Looks amazing, will get a little heavy handed with the cheddar cheese as my husband is a cheese nut. LOL
Reply
- Corey says
  July 13, 2018 at 10:26 am
  
  We are cheese nuts here too! I hope you loved it!
  Reply
SLO Cook says
May 12, 2018 at 4:25 pm

If your ground beef has enough fat where you need or want to drain it then don’t add any seasonings, onion, garlic or anything else while browning it. Why throw flavors out with the fat?
Hearty, flavorful and very comforting. Easy to tweak to your own taste. Like someone else mentioned, I went heavy on the cheese, used sharp cheddar and then really sinned and put a dollop of sour cream on top.
Reply
- Corey says
  July 13, 2018 at 10:26 am
  
  I love the addition of sour cream on top! YUM!
  Reply
George says
July 11, 2018 at 6:58 pm

We made this tonight for supper it was excellent, added a tsp of Italian seasoning and I didn’t have any elbow pasta so we used penne. We liked it very well with the larger pasta gave it more depth of flavor. Thanks for the recipe it’s a keeper.
Reply
- Corey says
  July 13, 2018 at 10:27 am
  
  So happy you loved it George!
  Reply
Kathi says
September 30, 2018 at 7:18 pm

I have a similar recipe from my ex-mother-in-law but you use canned spaghetti,drained kidney beans and then bake it. I like that this uses fresher ingredients but with the tomatoes and the tomato sauce I would recommend using 1 Tablespoon of white sugar to cut the acid in the tomatoes. Also – Lawry’s seasoning salt is loaded with added MSG so I left that out as I am highly allergic to added MSG. I also used Better than Bouillon Beef Base – low sodium and no MSG added there either. For the cheese, I used Mexican Blend shredded cheese as that is what I had on hand and I mixed in 1 cup with the beef and other ingredients. After I sauted the hamburger, I still put every thing into a 350 degree F oven and baked it for 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before it was done, I spread the other 1/2 cup of cheese over the top and continued cooking it melt the cheese.
Reply