Our Grandma’s Easy Ground Beef Goulash has always been one of our favorite meals, even as kids.
When mom was out of town, our dad always whipped up a batch of his mom’s goulash and we would devour the whole pan!
This simple dish is loaded with flavor and comes together in a matter of minutes. I love skillet dinners like this that make clean-up so easy.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef
- Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Corn
- Tomato Sauce
- Diced Tomatoes
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt
- Elbow Macaroni
How to make Grandma’s Delicious Goulash
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet until it’s no longer pink.
- Add in onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Add corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt; let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add uncooked macaroni noodles, stir and cover skillet with lid.
- Let simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes and serve.
Storing and Other Tips
Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge – it makes great leftovers!
The noodles will absorb any extra liquid after a day or two, so if you prefer a soupier goulash, you can add a little bit of water or beef broth before you reheat it.
If you prefer a thicker goulash, let the liquid mixture boil down a little when cooking before adding in the noodles, but it’s completely up to you and how you like your goulash.
Additional toppings for Goulash:
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- sliced green onions
- Parmesan cheese
Serving Suggestions
Grandma’s Delicious Goulash
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 15 ounces corn, 1 can, drained
- 29 ounces tomato sauce, 1 can
- 30 ounces diced tomatoes, 2 (15 oz cans), undrained
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, brown beef until no longer pink.
- Drain grease well and add onion and green pepper.
- Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Add corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add uncooked macaroni noodles, stir and cover pot with lid.
- Let simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes and serve.
Notes
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- sliced green onions
- parmesan cheese
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
I’m sure this is a perfectly wonderful dish, but could you do the Hungarians a favor and call it Turkey Surprise or something? Goulash is made with beef shank and it is actually a soup. I don’t think soy sauce has ever been in a traditional Hungarian Nagymama’s kitchen.
Ha Ha Ha! It is American Goulash! 🙂
I don’t know if I have ever had goulash before, nor have I ever made it. This sounds awesome!
Happy Blogging!
Could this be cooked in a crock pot?
You could make it and then keep it heated in a crock pot. You will want to brown the turkey (or hamburger) in a pan, not the crockpot.
We had something very similar to this dish, and my Great Grandmother who was from Russia called it Goulash. Elbow mac with some sort of ground meat, (Many times she would grind leftover beef roast) tomatoes from the can, with lots of paprika and chili powder. Sometimes, there would be onions. When ever I make this it feels like a hug from my Great Grandma, and my Granny.
Shawna I’m 55 years old I have been eating this dish all of my life its GOULASH! I have never heard it called anything else. I think your comment is nitpicky and silly. you could have shared your story without scolding the blogger I’ve had “Turkish Goulash” and I way perfer the American verison…..just sayin.
I’ve got 20 years on Miki and this is what we eat as goulash. My favorite was at the school cafeteria and I’ve just started to make it again. Yum. I’m keeping this one for a taste test, soon. Thanks.
This looks like a great meal! I’m trying to figure out the nutritional value and am wondering approximately how many servings this makes. Thanks for all of your great recipes!
Can you use ketchup in the place of tomato sauce?
I’ve had my nagymama’s real Hungarian goulash, and I’ve had my boyfriend’s mom’s goulash (which is dang similar to this one) and I have news… I don’t care what they’re called, and they’re both delicious. Grandma wouldn’t have minded the name, neither. She was traditional to the core, but every now and again she’d pull a wild card. Her spaghetti sauce with hot dogs in it was met with mixed reviews LOL. 😉
Ketchup is thicker than tomato sauce. It will alter the taste a little too. Let us know how it turns out. 🙂
This was sooo good I made it the other day. The family said this is a keeper. It has such a good taste. At first I was not sure about making it in the summer since it looks like a fall or winter food. But this is something I will make year round for sure… Also I do have a question can you freeze this? Thanks so much !!!
I’ve had goulash both ways and think both are wonderful. When we moved back to the US the first time we had it at a friends house I thought…this looks like spaghetti sauce with elbow macaroni! 🙂
Can you use gluten free noodles and get the same results? Our do you recommend cooking the gluten free noodles first and then adding them?
We have not used gluten free noodles when making this. If they hold up as well as macaroni, it should be fine.
I made this last night for the first time but instead of green pepper I used a zuccini because that is what I had. I was wonderful! I used gluten free elbow noodles and they turned out great. Thank you for the recipe.
I used the gluten free noodles but cook them first but still a little bit crunch so when they simmered for 10 minutes they wouldn’t be mush. They turned out fine.
This IS just like Grammie’s… It is simple and delish!! I love the sweetness the brown sugar adds.
Exactly…I just made it, it’s awesome. I’m from Alabama and we love it love this.
I made this for freezer meals for my elderly parents. They said it was too sweet. My mom refused to eat it. There is a lot left. Do you have any suggestions on how to cut the sweetness after the fact? Other than that, it is good.
The only ingredient that really adds sweetness is the brown sugar. You could try leaving it out if this is too sweet. But we have never left it out. We make it as is because it’s our Grandma’s recipe that we grew up with.
Can this goulash be done in the insta pot?
Yes. We have this recipe already for the Instant Pot. Here is the Youtube video. https://youtu.be/CD3kE-77Ihk
I saw this recipe on the list of freezer meals, but there are no instructions for freezing/heating.
You can easily make this into a freezer meal. Brown the hamburger and cook with the green pepper and onion. Drain the grease. Then add everything into the freezer bag and freeze. Then you can thaw and place in the instant pot when ready to cook. Cook for time indicated on recipe.
I have been making goulash for years but it’s just never been a favorite meal of mine. I googled for a “sweet goulash” and ran across this recipe.. what a WIN! My sons loved it & said best ever.. and I concur. So happy I am came across this recipe and know how I will make this old school dish from now on, thank you!