Crock Pot American Goulash

A slow cooker filled with goulash, containing ground beef, elbow macaroni, and diced tomatoes.

This Crock Pot American Goulash is delicious, easy to make, and budget-friendly! This version is a modern upgrade of the '90s classic.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 416

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons minced garlic about 4-6 cloves
1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce or good quality pizza sauce*
2 cups beef broth
½ cup red wine optional; or additional beef broth
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Colby-Jack (plus more, for topping; optional)
1 sweet white onion diced
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons paprika or smoked paprika
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt to taste**
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni pasta (227g)
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Brown the ground beef. Add the ground beef to a large skillet along with the minced garlic. Cook it over medium heat, breaking it up with the bottom of a wooden spoon, crumbling it as it cooks. Once the meat is browned and no pink remains, remove it from the heat and drain off any grease.
Assemble in the Slow Cooker. Add the ground beef to the slow cooker, along with the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, wine (if using), cheese, onion, bell pepper, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt.
Cook on LOW for 6 hours – or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir everything together place the lid on your Crock Pot. Cook on low, or on high, depending on when you would like to eat dinner.
Add the pasta. There are two ways to add the pasta. You can stir the uncooked pasta into the goulash during the final hour of cooking (or 30 minutes if set on high), or you can cook the pasta separately and add it in towards the end. The choice is yours, but testers preferred the pasta that was cooked IN the slow cooker, which is great because it’s also the easiest option!
Serve and enjoy. Once the pasta is tender, taste the goulash and adjust the salt and seasonings to your liking. Garnish with fresh parsley (if desired) and ladle into bowls. Top individual servings with a sprinkle of shredded cheese – this is the way I grew up eating it, but it’s not mandatory!

Notes

*Using pizza sauce instead: A version made with a good-quality pizza sauce (like Mutti) is really delicious. In fact, it’s our favorite! The only reason I didn’t include it in the main recipe is that most people won’t have a 15-oz can of fancy pizza sauce on hand, but they will have a can of tomato sauce. It tastes great both ways, but pizza sauce is the perfect way to up the flavor ante.

**How much salt should I use? The amount of salt needed will vary depending on how much salt your broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce already contain. I used a lot of Costco organic options in testing, which have a moderate amount of salt, so we like to start with 1 teaspoon and adjust as needed to taste. Adjust based on the ingredients used and your preference. Remember to taste, taste, taste! If it’s bland or flat, add a bit more salt and stir until it tastes bright and pronounced.

Gluten free: If using gluten-free pasta, cook it separately and stir it in after the cooking time is through. Gluten-free macaroni is fragile and can break into pieces easily, especially if overcooked.

Without wine: Use an additional ½ cup of broth instead of the wine called for in the recipe.

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

Nutrition