One Pan American Goulash
One Pan American Goulash is a super easy, quick, and delicious dinner recipe. Ground beef, pasta, seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth are the main components needed to make this recipe. Everything cooks in one pan making clean up a breeze! I made this in my 12 inch cast iron skillet.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 diced onion
- 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1 tsp each of onion powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBSP minced garlic
- (2) 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups of beef broth
- 2 cups of elbow macaroni
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Prep American Goulash
Start by gathering all ingredients needed for making this recipe. I like to have the onion chopped and ready to go.
Measure all seasonings and open all the cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
Make One Pan American Goulash
Start by heating a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one pound of ground beef and a chopped onion. Stir everything together well chopping up the meat.
Season the ground beef and onion with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Once the beef is browned remove any extra grease from the skillet.
Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic and 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce.
Add beef broth, elbow macaroni, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes to the skillet. The pasta goes into the skillet uncooked and will cook in the broth/liquid mixture.
Stir everything together well and top with the two bay leaves. The bay leaves will work their way down into the sauce more, but I like kind of leaving them on top, so they are easy to find after the pasta and everything cooks together.
Let this start to bubble then turn the heat down to medium low and cover with a lid and let cook for 12-15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked and the liquid has started to reduce.
After 12-15 minutes, remove the lid to the skillet and remove the two bay leaves. The bay leaves should have added flavor, but you want to remove them before serving.
Stir everything together well. The liquid should have reduced and it should be ready to serve. If for some reason there is more liquid than you would like let it keep cooking on the stove without the lid until you get the consistency you want.
Serve American Goulash
Now it’s time to eat! I serve goulash with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top, but you can also skip the cheese. We had this goulash with some canned green beans and some butter bread for a super simple dinner!
If you like this easy one pan recipe, check out some of my other similar dinners!
- Cheesy Hamburger Helper
- Lasagna Hamburger Helper
- Lazy Lasagna Skillet Meal
- One Pan Pizza Tortellini
- Broccoli Chicken and Rice Skillet
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- Use a large skillet for this recipe. I used a 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Jarred minced garlic or fresh chopped garlic can be used for this recipe.
- I top American Goulash with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese, but if you like it better without the cheese leave it off.
- The pasta goes in the skillet uncooked and cooks in the broth/tomato mixture.
- This is an American version of Goulash.
Equipment
- 1 Stove
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 diced onion
- 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1 tsp each of onion powder, paprika, and Italian season
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBSP minced garlic
- (2) 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups of beef broth
- 2 cups of elbow macaroni
- shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and a diced onion in a skillet over medium heat and season with salt, pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika.
- Drain grease from meat once it is browned. Add minced garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Add two cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and elbow macaroni.
- Stir well and add the two bay leaves on top. Let it start to bubble. Turn heat down to medium low and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked and liquid has reduced. Remove bay leaves and stir well.
- Serve and top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Enjoy! Let me know if you try it out!
My mother made her goulash the same way. Same recipe. She would dump all of it in a casserole dish & put shredded cheddar cheese on top. Then She put it in the oven (broiler) till the cheese melted…. Yum!
I add potato cubes as well, this makes a well rounded meal.
Awesome! Been a fan of yours since the cheesy taco rice. Substituted 2 cans of Rotel original for the diced tomatoes. Used a few extra splashes of broth to get the macaroni done in my cast iron pan. Thanks so much for your amazing recipes!
Appreciate it! I’m glad you like the recipes.
I just finished up in making your American Goulash. With my 1st taste, I was so pleased. I did not alter nor add any more ingredients. This recipe is a true keeper as it is easy to make with all supplies in my own kitchen. Delicious….
Thanks! This dish is nearly identical to one of my childhood favorites; Mom added a diced green bell pepper and used water rather than broth. Both hers and yours are generously cheesed with cheddar which is, to me, an essential ingredient. In my family the dish was known as “High Sierra,” so named as it was thrown together during a family camping trip in the mountains c.1964, with only those ingredients we’d carried in with us. For decades after, a weeknight staple. Thanks again for stirring memories.
Reminds me of my childhood. This is great. Thanks for sharing.
Tastes exactly like what I ate growing up in the 60’s! Simple real food!!! Make way more than you need; left overs taste even better the next day. Freeze extra for a quick meal.
Taste great even with my mistake of adding two 14 oz cans of sauce. 😂🤣😂
Easy and delicious!
Just made this for the second time tonight.
The first time I doubled the ground beef and left the seasoning just as the recipe calls for.
It turned out delicious yet a bit underseasond being I had twice the meat.
This time I did the exact same thing but added double the dry seasoning.
This definitely solved the blandness from the first time.
Only mistake I made this time was I added a little too much elbow macaroni.
In the end I just added a little water with a dash of worcestershire to compensate for the lack of liquid due to the extra macaroni.
My wife and kids loved it none the less!!!
I would stick to making it exactly as the recipe calls for as the ingredient proportions are fundamental in it turning out correctly.
Another thing I do when making anything that has pasta ingredients is when it’s done I take the entire batch and spread it thinly on a large cookie sheet to get the pasta to stop cooking so it doesn’t turn to mush (overcooked pasta=yuck)
This has become a family favorite!! When I ask my family what should be on the menu this recipe ALWAYS is suggested! Thank you for sharing! We love trying your recipes!
Best goulash I’ve ever eaten! Thank you for sharing! I’ve made it about 4 times!
Just like grandmas. Delicious!!
Absolute hit at my house!!! My kids loved it! Thanks for another great recipe!
I like to add diced dill pickles to my goulash.