For some, it’s pure nostalgia — a bubbling pot on the stove, the smell of paprika drifting through the house. For others, it conjures up a school-cafeteria flashback best left in the past. Either way, if it has been years since goulash made an appearance on your table, this recipe is worth the reunion.
Today’s American goulash shares little more than a name with its Hungarian ancestor, yet it has carved out its own beloved place for many at the dinner table: a humble, stick-to-your-ribs meal that comes together in a single pot with minimal fuss.
This version leans into ground beef, sweet bell peppers, diced tomatoes, and tender macaroni, landing somewhere in the delicious overlap between a hearty beef chili and a comforting bowl of meaty pasta. Warm spices like paprika, oregano, and thyme build a deep, savory backbone, while a generous handful of sharp Cheddar—stirred in right at the end—melts into the sauce, lending it a silky thickness and an extra layer of richness.
It’s the kind of dish that fills the kitchen with good smells and asks very little of the cook in return: brown the meat, simmer everything together, and let the pot do the work. Simple, satisfying, and endlessly adaptable, this goulash is just as good eaten on its own as it is rounded out with a green vegetable on the side or a wedge of buttery cornbread for soaking up the extra sauce. It’s weeknight cooking at its most comforting—unfussy, filling, and guaranteed to please a crowd.
Goulash: the dish that divides dinner tables. Feast or forget-it, we’re betting this version wins you back.
In the end, we felt that 1 1/4 cups of elbow macaroni was not enough, due to the fact that the finish was a bit soupy, even simmered for the full 20 minutes. We suggest increasing the amount to at least 1 1/2 cups as noted below.
Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 green or red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 5 cloves)
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ tsp. sweet paprika
- 1 ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 lb. ground beef (at least 85-percent lean)
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth, plus more as needed
- 1 (14-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups uncooked macaroni
- 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar, more for serving
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Directions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the ground beef and cook, stirring often and breaking up the meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth, crushed and diced tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Stir in the macaroni, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is cooked and the liquid in the pan has thickened considerably, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the Cheddar. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper, if needed. Serve in bowls, topped with fresh parsley. (The goulash will continue to thicken as it sits. If desired, add a splash of beef broth when reheating.)
Adapted from a recipe Lidey Heuck for NYTimes Cooking
