Basic Ground Beef American Goulash - a quick and easy ground beef, macaroni and tomato skillet meal. Stir in 1/2 cup of cubed Velveeta for a cheesy version. |
Basic Ground Beef American Goulash
This recipe is a basic American goulash - one of those easy to throw together, I'm in a hurry and need to feed my family quick skillet meals, sort of akin to a simple homemade Hamburger Helper meal, really. Hey, while you're here, be sure to pop by to see my "Deep South" version of goulash! Just click the link to go there and check that one out.Here's how to make the basic version.
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Recipe: Basic Ground Beef American Goulash
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 15 min |Cook time: 25 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1-1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 1-1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (like Lawry's), or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
- 1-1/2 cups water or beef stock/broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 small bay leaves
- 1-1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
Saute the ground beef until done; drain off excess fat, if needed. Add the onion and garlic and continue sautéing about 5 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, seasoned salt and Cajun seasoning; blend. Add the water or beef broth and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomato and bay leaves, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the macaroni, stir, cover and continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until pasta is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasonings and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Cook's Notes: For a cheesy variation, cube 1/2 cup of Velveeta and stir in just before serving, until melted and creamy. Reduce tomato sauce to 8 ounce can and add in one can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (like Rotel), to kick up the heat.
Chili Mac: Add up to 2-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder (or to taste) and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin to the recipe. Stir in 1/2 cup of Velveeta (or shredded cheddar) as noted above, topping with another 1/2 cup. Cover and cook over low until cheese melts. Garnish with sliced green onions, fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream or your other favorite chili toppings.
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Oh my goodness, I have went to heaven, made the old fashioned pan rolls. Pure Heaven thank You for sharing, you have made our day.
ReplyDeleteYay Sherry - glad you enjoyed both dishes! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and comment - I appreciate that!
ReplyDeleteim glad i stumbled on to your website u got a lot of great recipes cant wait to try them
ReplyDeleteThanks so much and welcome!
ReplyDeleteVrey good and super easy! My family doesn't like tomato chunks so I put more tomato sauce and doubled the other ingredients! Loved it!
ReplyDeleteGlad it was well received!
DeleteAbsolutely awesome. Not quite the memory I grew up eating in Minnesota, but definitely helped to satisfy the craving I was having for home comfort food. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know how they do it up that way, but I'm happy you enjoyed my version & thanks for letting me know!
DeleteI am making this for dinner now. I am certain it will become a family favorite in our house. I shared this on FB directing folks to your FB page & back to this site for more good recipes. What sells me most is that it has none of the ingredients my husband would pick out (like bell pepper).
ReplyDeleteI do have another version we like that has bell pepper - oddly enough my husband will eat that cooked in foods. Good thing too because we cook a lot with bell pepper down here!! He will not eat a stuffed pepper though - well, he'll eat the stuffing but not the pepper!
DeleteThanks so much for the share too!!
From New Zealand and going to make this tonite or at the weekend. We NZners/English make goulash with cubed steak like a casserole so am interested to see how this comes out. Thanks so much for the dish. Get back to you on how it goes...:-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it & look forward to hearing what you thought! I have another goulash too linked about called "Southern Beef and Sausage Goulash" that is more of a Deep South take on the American goulash. It's delicious!
DeleteLooks great, I would never try the sausage version though as I hate most sausage🎅
DeleteTrying this tonight!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it!
DeleteHi I want to make this tonight but I need to know if its spicy? I have to feed it to 4 kids under 5 lol Thanks
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley! It is not, assuming you leave out the Cajun seasoning and red pepper flakes, and go easy on the black pepper of course. I would also opt for garlic powder & not too much, over fresh chopped garlic, which can have a bit of heat to it. That should do it!
DeleteMom used to use Bloody Mary Mix in hers, not sure if she substituted for the water, or if a ratio was used, but oh it was so delicious. I have never been able to duplicate it since she died. I should have paid better attention I guess.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, lots of delicious flavor in that - I'll have to try it Shelly - thanks! So sorry for your loss - I'm in that club too and I miss my Mama so much. {{{HUGS}}}
DeleteI just tried this, it was amazing! My boys lined up to get a second plate lol..thanks for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteBoy that's a good sign Becky! I'm so glad they enjoyed it and thank you so much for letting me know!!
DeleteI only have crushed tomatoes and tomato paste...can I still make this by substituting?
ReplyDeleteYes! You'll just need to have an equal amount of liquid overall.
DeleteThis meal was so good thanks for the recipe
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome - glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteI made this for my picky son. He is 14. We had it a lot growing up but I have never made it. I am a MN girl and I thought it was just as good if not better than what I had. My son loved it. He can't have dairy so it is the perfect recipe. I am going to make it again tonight. The only thing I changed was the type of noodles. My son doesn't care for the macaroni ones. I don't remember what the ones I used were called - kind of like wavy squares? Lol. Idk they were good though. I am off to look for the bread roll recipe someone mentioned above. That or I will make bread tonight to go with it. This would also be good with a gluten free rice noodle and a vege burger type protein to veganize it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad he enjoyed it & thanks for stopping by the share your comments!
DeleteMary, This has always been one of my favorites, and one that I’ve been making for decades. Mine, however, was no where’s near as elaborate or flavorful as yours. The first time I made your variation, I made a slight error. Originally being from NYC, now living in SC, I had no experience with Rotel. I didn’t realize that there were 3 levels of heat, Mild, Regular, and quick, call the fire department. WOW! I chose “Regular” which for me, was about my palate’s thermonuclear limit. My subsequent attempts have all been made with the “Mild.” I know, I’m a wimp: But it was delicious. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Actually, I'm a mild kinda gal myself these days. At one time there was only one Rotel, and maybe it's a part of getting older but the original version is either stronger than it used to be when it was the only option, or else they've made it much hotter, because the original/regular is pretty hot now!
DeleteMary, Mary, Mary...How could I have possibly missed this??? It sounds like something I made in home-economics decades ago and I loved it!! Pinned it!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it Kim!
Deletegrew up in Ohio. we called this Johnny Marzetti. from a dish made by the Marzetti (the salad dressing from the same group) family in Columbus Ohio. the school system served this as a lunch item also. it is still called Johnny Marzetti in the Ohio area.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting how certain similar dishes are named differently across the country, isn't it? The Johnny Marzetti that I have seen in the south, is more like a casserole that is baked, and usually made with egg noodles instead of elbows. I believe that the original Ohio version isn't a skillet meal, but was also baked, usually included mushrooms, sometimes even olives, and is topped with quite a lot of cheese, but you're right, it's similar to what we make as a skillet goulash down here.
DeleteAlways liked this, nostalgia. It is a little different from how we made it but I made it to your recipe, made my own Cajun seasoning from an online recipe and made it cheesy with Velvetta. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks Annette
ReplyDeleteI’ve been making your recipe for this goulash for a few years now. My six year old is growing up on it and my nieces love it and want me to make it when they come over. I have a pot simmering right now and thought I’d take a minute to thank you for adding a new favorite to our family’s recipes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Charity - you just made my day!
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