This Crock Pot American Goulash is the perfect budget-friendly family dinner. It's delicious, easy to make, picky eater-approved, and fills hungry bellies on a budget.

This version gets a serious upgrade from the 90's, with more flavor and texture for modern tastebuds – while still keeping it OG.

A slow cooker filled with ground beef and macaroni.

As a kid growing up in the 90s, I ate more than my fair share of what we called "Goulash." It was cheap, easy, and filling, so it made a weekly appearance at our dinner table.

Many years later, I learned that Goulash is actually a Hungarian dish and does not resemble the American goulash I grew up on. Who would have thunk it!

After flipping through hundreds of vintage cookbooks, it turns out that the American version has all kinds of names, including American chop suey, Slumgullion, and Johnny Marzetti.

One thing is almost certain: If you grew up in North America, especially in the Northeast, you probably ate some version or another of this classic American style comfort food.

My version is the result of lots of testing and tasting, to ensure I do the original justice – but make it appealing to modern taste buds. I know you're going to love it as much as my family has!

Why You'll Love It:

Easy budget dinner. This is a classic frugal meal dating back multiple decades! It's a great way to stretch a dollar, the leftovers taste great, and they freeze well, too.
Great for busy weeknights. Assemble in the morning, and come back home in the evening to a nearly complete meal. It's one of the best things about slow cooker recipes!
The perfect comfort food. Flavorful meat sauce, tender pasta, and the perfect balance of cheese, this Crockpot goulash recipe warms the belly and the soul.

You Will Need:

The ingredients to make American goulash (or chop suey), including beef, cheese, onion, diced tomatoes, and elbow macaroni.

Ground beef: We recommend using lean ground beef, but since it's cooked separately and the grease is drained off, you can use whatever you have on hand, or what's on sale.
Elbow macaroni: Or use the small-cut pasta of your choice.
Canned tomatoes: Diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes (or more diced tomatoes), tomato sauce, and a dollop of tomato paste.
Broth: Beef broth adds a delicious, savory flavor! You can use boxed broth, homemade, or a reconstituted concentrate (like Better Than Bouillon).
Aromatic veggies: Onion, red bell pepper (or green pepper), and garlic.
Cheddar cheese: This can be added right to the crock! We recommend extra for topping too.
Red wine (optional): This is optional, but it adds so much flavor! If you're worried about alcohol, it's a small amount and cooks off. We used pinot noir, but if you don't have red wine on hand, you can use broth instead.
Seasonings: Paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt.
Worcestershire sauce: For a touch of umami flavor. So good!

How to Make Goulash in a Slow Cooker

This American Goulash recipe is a complete meal, featuring protein, veggies, and carbs. It's so easy to make the slow cooker, and the pasta cooks right in the crock! Just be sure to hold off adding it until the last hour of cooking.

Adding ground beef to a slow cooker, then adding diced tomatoes, cheese, onion, pepper, etc.

Step one: Brown the ground beef (along with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic) in a skillet over medium heat. Drain off any grease that accumulates during cooking.
Step two: Add the cooked ground beef to the insert of your slow cooker.
Step three: Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) and stir well.
Step four: Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or on HIGH for 3 hours.
Step five: There are two ways to add the pasta.
- Method one: Add the uncooked elbow macaroni about 1 hour before the end of the cooking time (for low, or 30 minutes for high).
- Method two: Cook and drain the pasta, then add it to the slow cooker with about 30 minutes left in the cooking time.
- Note: Testers preferred macaroni noodles cooked IN the slow cooker (method one), which is awesome because it's also the easiest method!
Step six: Taste the finished macaroni and ground beef, adding more salt to taste (it should have a bright and pronounced flavor), or the seasonings of your choice. Garnish with fresh parsley (if desired) and extra cheese for topping (optional).

Stove Top Version

Brown the ground beef in a large Dutch oven, and drain off the excess grease.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat (add an extra 1 cup of liquid).
Reduce to low-medium and cook for about 15 minutes with the lid on.
Add the uncooked pasta, and increase the heat to medium.
Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving with fresh parsley and shredded cheese.

A spoon holding up a large amount of goulash with ground beef and macaroni.

Substitutions

Without wine: American Goulash isn't traditionally made with wine, so you're free to leave it out! To keep the liquid level the same, use an additional ½ cup of broth.

Gluten-free: This recipe can be made with gluten-free elbow macaroni. We recommend cooking it separately and adding it just after cooking. Gluten-free noodles are more brittle, so they may break apart.

Dairy-free: Omit the shredded cheese, or use your favorite dairy-free shredded cheese instead.

Ground chicken or turkey: It's easy to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken! Just brown the meat well, drain it, and add it to the slow cooker along with the other ingredients.

Storing Leftovers

Add any leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

This recipe also freezes fairly well! Chill the leftovers, then transfer to a freezer bag or a freezer-safe container. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the leftovers in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.

A bowl filled with elbow macaroni, ground beef, and tomato sauce.

Expert Tips

Season to taste. Since the amount of salt can vary wildly depending on the brand of canned tomatoes or broth, we recommend that you taste and adjust the salt (and other seasonings) as needed. If it tastes "bland" or "flat" – try adding salt!
Use fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor. We love swapping diced or crushed tomatoes for fire-roasted. This recipe works well with the regular type, but fire-roasted is the cherry on top!
Try it with pizza sauce. I ran out of tomato sauce and used a can of good-quality pizza sauce instead (we use Mutti). What a happy accident, because it tastes AMAZING! If you have pizza sauce on hand, try that instead.

A spoonful of American goulash being lifted from a slow cooker.

More Slow Cooker Dinners:

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Crock Pot American Goulash