My grandma’s old fashioned goulash recipe (we also interchangeably called it Johnny Marzetti, but it’s also known as American goulash or American Chop Suey) was one of the signature dishes of my childhood.
NEW! Due to popular demand, I’ve converted this recipe for your Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker. Check out my Instant Pot Goulash recipe!!!
There’s just something so warm and comforting about a big bowl of grandma’s old fashioned goulash with some melty cheddar cheese on top. Honestly, I could eat the stuff every day and never get tired of it!
Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe
Unfortunately, I don’t have my grandma’s old fashioned goulash recipe and she sadly passed away a couple years ago. Boy, do I miss my grandma!
I had to do a little experimenting in the kitchen to get the recipe tasting the way I remember it as a child.
It’s all about coming up with just the right combination of red sauce, spices, pasta and ground beef to make the perfect goulash. Luckily, this dish is pretty forgiving and leaves you plenty of room to tweak the recipe to your own personal preferences.
This easy goulash recipe is also a big hit with the kids. My son and daughter are just as excited about having this goulash for dinner as my brother and I were on days when my grandma made it.
In other words, you simply can’t go wrong when you make this easy, old fashioned goulash for dinner. Trust me, your whole crew will love it!
This is also the type of recipe that tastes great as leftovers throughout the week. As a busy mom, it’s super important to me that my dinner recipes get plenty of miles. Being able to warm this goulash up on days two and three is such a timesaver.
Actually, I think this recipe tastes even better the second day. Isn’t it funny how that works? Am I the only one who prefers leftovers in some cases? :)
Be sure to watch our tutorial video below, and let me know in the comments if you love this recipe! Also, you definitely want to be following me on Instagram because I have some amazing recipes to share there this week!
More Delicious One Pot Dinners
- Clean Eating Turkey Chili
- Ground Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Old Fashioned Goulash
This old fashioned goulash (or Johnny Marzetti) is the perfect crowd-pleasing family dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup beef broth
- Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef over medium-high heat, until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; spoon off any grease.
- Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and one cup beef broth, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 4-5 minutes. Pasta will cook a bit more when you remove from heat. IMPORTANT: be careful not to cook your pasta too long, mushy goulash is not good!
- Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves. Serve warm and top with shredded cheddar cheese.
127 Comments on “Old Fashioned Goulash”
Very much like my grandmother’s version. We’re from Columbus Ohio so we call it Johnny Marzetti. There are a lot of cheesy baked versions which are probably good too but this is what I remember. Followed the exact recipe except halved it and made it ahead for a weeknight dinner. Thanks for sharing.
Where do I find elbow pasta with ridges as shown in the recipe??? Who makes them???
Add a couple of cans of whole kernel corn. Really good!!!!
Was worried about cooking pasta in the same pot thought it would get to starchy but it turned out great. Better the second night like you said and only added a little extra water. Next time I’ll make a larger batch for our extended family dinner.
This is very much like a dish my mom made for us growing up & then I made for my family. I always cooked my pasta separately so that it wouldn’t get mushy if we had leftovers. We added corn & Ranch Style beans & chili powder to taste, probably a Tbs or so. It’s still a good recipe for a cold, rainy day.
So happy to see this recipe. When I was a little girl my grandma left my brother and I pick what we wanted for Dinner one night a week. My choice was always goulash. Although her ingredients where a little different yours sounds great too. Our goulash of course had ground beef, onions, kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, and instead of the red sauce In your recipe she used a shortcut and used ketchup and tomato soup. I make this myself quite often and everyone loves its simplicity and flavor. Leftover goulash is the best. And I always asked for my leftovers on buttered bread for a goulash sandwich.
I put my bay leaves in the mesh of an onion bag tie it n remove when my food is cooked. Works great!!
We had Johnny Marzetti in grade school once a week. This brings back great memories. Will make for hubby, we were in grade school together, and he loved it then. Thanks for the recipe!
Had a good taste but this is more like soup!. Had to eat with a spoon.
Great recipe. I used canned Cento cherry tomatoes instead of canned diced tomatoes- not a fan of canned diced tomatoes. They swell up in a way I do not like, and they have little flavor. I used chicken broth instead of beef broth because that was all I had on hand. The beef broth would provide even more flavor -will use that next time. But chicken broth worked fine. I did not have any cheddar cheese, so I used fontina and Parmigiano Reggiano instead. It was delicious.
Delicious! I’ve made this several times and the family is always happy. Thank you!
This was excellent. I just made this particular recipe for the first time after getting an email. I essentially made it as listed, with the exceptions that I cut the recipe in half, and added chopped red bell pepper, which I always add. This is basically what we called goulash when I was growing up in SD. We did not add Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, or bay leaves, but I like the flavor with the additions. I think next time I will add kidney beans instead of pasta, because my husband prefers beans, which could then be called chili-goulash!
I made this tonight, thanks to your email. I am not a goulash fan, but my husband is. This I really like, my kids are their whole bowl and will be in my rotation all winter! Thanks for resharing to goodness 😆
Could you please give me the nutritional info for goulash. I couldn’t see it. I am loving your recipes. I’m diabetic and have to watch carbs, but haven’t made goulash since my girls moved out.
I am going to try n freeze
If I don’t have elbow macaroni what would be best substitute I have shells Rotini, or penne?!
Who wouldn’t love this unless you r a Veggie Bunnie! Can’t go wrong with any of it , everyone’s little ideas & changes. Everyone has their own name or version. Me Born In the USA ! It is American comfort food for sure ! I come from a family with 4 kids & our Mom was excellent at stretching the budget to make ends meet for us. I’m keeping this recipe and will make with love for many years to come. Thank You ! Audrey from California 😘
Sounds good,until you arrived at the bay leaf stage,you can actually find it?
You can find bay leaves in the spice/ dried herb section of any grocery store. I buy the Morton and Bassetti brand. The bay leaves add great flavor.
Great recipe! I “veganized” it and cut the amounts in half for our family of four.
I made this last night for supper. It is a delicious recipe!! I will definitely make it again!! Of course, I modified it slightly. I sautéed finely chopped onions, 1 carrot, garlic & several celery pieces before adding in the hamburger, otherwise followed your recipe. My family loved it!!
Can this be frozen?
Hi! I am dairy-free and counting calories. Do you have any idea how many calories a serving of this would be without the cheese?
How many does this recipe typically serve? I’m expecting 12 people
Recipe says serves 10
Really good, family loved it!
This Goulash is the best ever. Great with garlic bread. Thank you.
Hey do u cook the pasta first before u add to pot. Making this today.
No you add it in and it will cook.
Almost like chili mac, only better!
The directions states add the UNcooked elbow macaroni at the very end.
Really good recipe but I used the tomatoes that have oregano and Italian seasoning in the tomatoes. Then I added the seasoning called for in recipe. Of course it was too much. Not too smart on my part but my husband had three helpings. Lol. It was like an Italian goulash. I will still make my old style goulash but this was very good.
I too grew up on this and we have had it for more than 45 married years. I sometimes use leftover mac & cheese in it sometimes corn some times Rotel tomatoes and sometime plain home canned tomatoes. We always called it goulash but my family calls it Mom’s concoction because I change it to go with the leftovers I have to stretch it with. I loved.
yours too but I usually cook from the hip without measuring
Hi there, are All goulash recipes made with 2 pounds of ground beef? It seems like a lot and I can’t find a recipe that is smaller. What do i need to cut in half only using one pound meat? Thanks!
I regularly use just one pound of meat, so I would halve everything in this recipe except for the salt and pepper. Then adjust the rest of the seasonings to suit my taste. I’d leave the tomato sauce out too, but that’s just me.
Go online and find app called “recipe divider”.
I absolutely love this recipe…it’s exactly like my Grandma used to make it as well. It was always in the crock pot on Christmas Eve. Thanks Crissy!
Wonderful recipe! Instructions were clear and easy to follow. This will be added to the ‘go to’ crowd pleaser list in our family. So delicious!
This looks delicious! I would like to make this for dinner tonight. Is this saucy:soupy? If not how do I make it soupy saucy without watering it down? Thank you in advance.
I would add a little more beef broth.
I use tomato juice for my liquid and it makes it soupy. Or use less juice for thicker goulash
your recipe are absolutely delicious. I love your work. Thanks For Sharing.
Love this recipe
My husband and I don’t like Italian seasoning/Oregano. What could we use in its place??
Mindee, this isn’t my recipe but its delicious with just the other spices not including the Italian seasoning or oregano. My Mom just used the salt, pepper & garlic. Also, I love using the Original Mrs. Dash with beef meals, so I think that may be a really good substitute for the Italian seasoning/oregano. The Mrs. Dash is the one with the yellow top. I’m gonna try this next time!
Do you think this could be made in a crockpot?
Hi Mary, we haven’t tested this in the crock pot, but I do have a great stovetop version! https://dearcrissy.com/old-fashioned-goulash-recipe/
I made this today thought my pot was to small but it fit all the way to the top. We are spicy eaters so I added jalapeños and hot sauce. It was amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
So good! To further horrify those with European Goulash palates, my mom makes this with egg noodles and frozen corn mixed in. Amazing!!
Jill, that sounds just plain GOOD!
Love this! Hubby says “put this on rotation”!
My question, any idea about the calorie/nutritional info?
Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
We cooked our noodles in homemade tomato juice instead of beef broth but still delicious
Can I freeze the leftovers? I’m only cooking for two but I’m due with a baby soon and would love to have this in the freezer for after baby comes? Could I just stick it in a gallon freezer bag and defrost and heat on the stovetop when time to use?
Hi Ashley, I haven’t tried it, but this recipe should be okay to freeze. You’ll definitely want to be sure not to overcook the pasta though!
Thank you for the quick response! I will give it a try! ☺️
My mom always froze it growing up put wouldn’t put the noodles in until she was reheating it to make sure they weren’t mushy!
This looks delicious ! Do you have to put the pasta in it to cook it or can you just cook the pasta and put in after ? Not a fan of putting it in all together :)
Hi Char, if you want to control your pasta cooking by doing it separately you certainly can do that! :) I totally get it!
Hi! Thank you for your recipe. I will try it that way, except I’ll cut it in half because we only need a meal for two. This recipe looks really good though. Thanks again, and Jesus is Lord!
amazing recipe!! i changed turkey instead of beef, and cut the recipes in half and it made after 12 servings so be aware it makes a ton!!!
I made this tonight by following the exact recipe and it was delicious! Even my picky 15 year old son had two bowls. I will be making this again and again!
I added a little mustard and sour cream to mine and it was delicious!!
It is only called American ‘Chop Suey’ If Soy Sauce is included and the Oregano is left out.
Otherwise, it is known as ‘Goulash’…
Made this by the recipe exact except for bay leaves. Found out that i forgot to buy them when i got home. This feed 4 adults and 2 kids. Very good.
This is so good and so easy. My mother made it when I was a kid (60 years ago) and I saw the recipe and thought I’d try it. So glad I did!
This recipe was very good. I cut down on the garlic some ( 3 gloves only, no garlic salt) and it turned out perfect for us. It seems like a lot of liquid, but it all cooks off turns out wonderful.
This is a delicious old fashioned AMERICAN goulash recipe. It is such a classic comfort food. Please refrain from saying this is not Hungarian goulash/goulash/authentic goulash/etc.
oh thank god someone said it, I don’t even understand how can this be called goulash (I’m from Hungary, just so you understand my frustration with this recipe xd)
Delicious
How many does this serve? I need enough for about 20. Can I do this in a slow cooker
Chrissy can you leave the bay leafs out and will it taste as good I love the recipe
Absolutely you can leave the bay leaves out! :)
Whatever you call it, we love it! I bet I fixed it four times this year already. :-)
This is the best goulash recipe I have ever made! So easy & so good!!!
I made this goulash last night and added 2 stalks of celery diced, a handful of diced green bell peppers and a large white onion diced. Sauteed them in water until tender. I put ground sirloin in COLD WATER and broke up with clean hands or use a potato masher and simmer until water is gone; then followed the recipe. THIS IS THE BEST GOULASH ON THE INTERNET, LOOK NO FURTHER!
Katherine how much water did you use to cook the ground sirloin?
Hi Crissy! Thank you for sharing. This recipe is very similar to Paula Deens ” Bobbys Goulash”. As a reader noted the Worcestershire sauce makes this an interesting dish. In her recipe she uses only water n no cheese and cooks the macaroni longer. I’m going to try your version as my family always thinks the noodles are to soft and I’ve added the cheese like yours so I’m definitely going to try this version. Between the beef stock…less cooking noodle time and the cheese..I think it will be the winner! Have a blessed day🙏
Just enough water to cover the ground sirlion and then cook out the water.
Katherine
I always worry about the noodles getting mushy with recipes like this. Is that a problem? Thanks
This is very close to my Mom’s goulash, or I should say what we called goulash. She added kidney beans to hers and never added cheese. Her goulash was more of a soup. I remember Johnny Marzetti being one of our school lunch options. That was much thicker and very cheesy and WONDERFUL! Your recipe is AWSOME! It is a total mix of the two I have had and we LOVED every bite. I’m late to the game in finding this, but I am so glad I did. Thank you!!
What a nice comment, Stephanie, thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!
Made it tonite, top notch, we loved it and thanks for posting this recipe.
This dish was outstanding. My husband said it tasted like his mom’s! There is no better compliment! Thx so much for such a delicious and easy recipe.
Yay, so glad that you and your husband loved this recipe, Kay! :)
Made this today. Love it. Thanks for sharing.
Cracking up because nowhere did you mention this was Hungarian or German… I’m certain my eyes are reading American Goulash and American Chop Suey.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to trying this! I only had goulash once as a child at one of my friend’s house in midwestern America. I remember enjoying it. I’m hoping I can get my picky 4 year old to try it!
Totally delicious, thank you for sharing.
Goulash is always a favorite family favorite! And, leftovers are the BEST! I think it’s because the noodles soak up all the flavors, making it extra yummy.
OMG this was delicious. This was my first time making goulash. My husband said his mom used to make it, so there was a lot of pressure to try to live up to mammas home made goulash. Thanks to this recipe I nailed it. My husband and sister in law both gave it a big thumbs up. Great recipe. Will make again for sure.
Please…does the goulash require 1 cup or 1 30 oz. beef broth??
It’s 1 cup! :)
I just made this, and have made goulosh at least 400 times in my life. NO KIDDING. This recipe is delicious. The Worcestershire is the key. I used an extra TBS. If this is Hungarian or German or ? Who cares its really good. Thank you soooo much. My father was German, my mother is Hungarian, and that is who taught me. This is better.
Yay, I am so glad you loved it!!! :)
I too have been making my grandmothers old fashioned goulash for decades. The picture of yours looks exactly like my goulash but I don’t have as many ingredients. I just fry hamburger and onion, drain grease, add 5 beef bouillon cubes and a big can of crushed tomatoes and simmer while macaroni is boiling, then add the mixture to the macaroni when almost done as to not have the macaroni too soft.
I used chunky Rotelle instead of diced Tomatoes turned out really good I will keep this Recipe
This is our go to recipe. I’ve made it several times and my family loves it.
Do you cook on high med the entire time?
Dear Chrissy I have made your recipe and it’s great but we have enough left overs so L froze them what it’s the best way to reheat the frozen left overs thankyou for your help.
I’m just curious as to why this is called goulash.. I’m Hungarian and we do not make this. We make a soup called Gulyas leves. It looks more like beefaroni to me. Yummy!! But not what I know as Gulyas. :)
AHALA…Classic German Goulasch Suppe IS like a soup, what you make is Hungarian Beef Paprika Stew “Paprikas Krumpli”, a variant of Goulash!!!! My moms Hungarian Goulash (with paprika and bacon) tasted different than my dads German Goulash(w/ onions, beef, seasons , stew tomatos and red cooking wine). If you research Goulash, you will find it has origins from Hungary …Gulyas, but Europe and Eastern Europe have their own variety I say let the people make their preference, and stop saying it is not Goulash….OK!!
Oh, my god, this is _NOT_ goulash… :( First of all, goulash is a soup. Here is my recipe – remember, there is no one classic goulash recipe, each hungarian family has their own version, but the main rules are the following:
– Use diced beef meat, and never minced – leg is the best, but it needs long (2-3 hours) cooking time
– Use a lot of pepper powder (try to find something from hungary)
– Use onions
– Some recipes includes pepper and tomato
– Use almost the same amount of diced potato as meat
– Some recipes includes carrot and turnip
Here s my own recipe:
Grab a bigger pot (5-6 litres), and cut up one big, or two small onions. Melt 2-3 spoons of pork fat (However I prefer olive oil instead of fat), and simmer the onion a while. When it got “glassy”, turn up the heat, drop the diced beef meat into the pot, and toast the beef a bit, but carefully, do not let the onion to burn. Then turn down the heat a bit, and add the diced paprika and tomato. After a while it starts withering, turn the heat to the minimum, add the red paprika powder (I use a lot – 3-4 spoons – I like when the soup is finally so red), mix it up very quickly, and add 1.5 litres of water. Turn up to medium the heat, and let the soup boil slowly. From this point the key is being patient and cook slowly. Add salt as you like, and spice it: tarragon, basil, ginger (carefully, just a little!) and thyme. Remember: these spices are optional. If you use venison, you may add juniper berries.
In the meantime peel, and cut up the vegetables into rounds, and add to the soup. When all the vegetables is in the soup, fill up the pot with water, but let some space for the potato. Cook for a hour, then peel and dice the potato, and add to the soup. Cook until the potato is cooked, or the meat get soft – the best is when the meat melts in your mouth.
If you have further questions, or more you want to try more original hungarian recipes, do not hesitate to get in touch with me :)
Ha! Well, this is what we called “goulash” growing up in small-town USA! :) Your recipe for authentic Hungarian goulash sounds great though and I’ll definitely try it! Thanks for commenting! :)
I’m looking forward to your hungarian-styled goulash, I hope you’ll succeed! Anyways, your recipe is interesting, I will try, but, please forgive me, I’ll give an other name :)
You made a few mistakes in the recipe…pepper is = black pepper (bors) ! Hungarian red paprika powder is what you need and not pepper! You need just a little black pepper (bors) but mostly you need paprika. The other is not turnip! Turnip= retek es tarsai! You need parsly root or parsnip, potato and carrot. Those additional “optional” spices are not authentic at all…totally different tast and flavor. What makes a guylyas real gulyas is caraway seed! Juniper berries and ginger? OMG! Where did you get that idea! Hell NO!
Thanks for the advise on my mistakes, especially the red paprika powder, I was not aware that is referenced by this name. My bad.
I strongly against putting caraway seed, despite most of the recipes counts that as an authentic spice. I also never use black pepper. Ginger, tarragon and basil makes the taste of the soup fruity, and highlights the flavor of the vegetables. Juniper berries also improves the acidity, resulting an exciting, airy soup. After all, goulash is a soup.
However you just confirmed that there is no one goulash recipe, every Hungarian household has their own. I learned my from my father and my granny. (My granny is from Makó, but she lived for a long time in Budapest, and then in Zala county)
I traveled to Budapest many years ago and remember the goulash soup I had at the flea market. I am excited to try your recipe and hope it brings back many memories of my vacation!
My mother used to make this when I was a kid and I absolutely love it! Can you please tell me approximately how many servings this recipe will make? I’m wondering if 2 lbs of ground beef is too much for my family of six.
I made this last night for a church diner for 80 people. I took the original recipe and multiplied it up. I wanted something that I could finish in the oven to serve in bulk. I decreased the water by about half so it would set up. I cooked the macaroni for only about 4-5 minutes. So the macaroni was pretty soft in the final version, but everybody seemed to like it with some even coming back for seconds. So I classify this as a win!! The flavor was spot on.
Do not have a Dutch Oven…does that make a difference?
Any large pot will be fine! :)
My father made this for us growing up. I made it tonight and added mushrooms and green pepper! One of my favorites!
I will be trying this as suggested on how to prepare but I was wondering would you have how to cook this in a slow cooker or instapot.
Hi Donald, I don’t have a slow cooker or Instant pot version, but, that’s a great idea. I’ll probably be working on an Instant Pot version soon! :)
I’m making this tonight 2-11-18
Hi Carrie, let me know how it turned out! :)
Add green lima beans and corn to this! Gives it much more flavor! I also like soup crackers with it! Yummy!
Sooo ver good ❤️????
Real comfort food
Great recipe. I’d suggest 4-5 minutes for the pasta since it’s going to continue cooking after removing from heat.
I don’t care what you call it, my family and I call it amazing! Cut the recipe in half and added a can of corn. I also used gluten free elbow noodles. So good!!
Gotta have corn. Nummmm!
I told you I was coming for this recipe! ❤️ I can’t wait to try it! xoxo
We’ve always called red hotdish or (catholic) funeral hotdish, in our family. My grandma, and now so on down the lines in the families make the sauce & noodles seperate and then mix it together. We also add corn.
I have tried your receipe as well and it is also very yummy, but you are correct, you do need to be careful not to overcook your noodles.
I agree, this is better the next day, this is true comfort food!
I LUV leftovers. I think its because when it has time to sit the flavor intensifies through it. Longer it site = more flavor. I find that with a lot of dishes I have leftovers with. It seems to taste even better the 2nd or 3rd day. With weekdays SO hectic, not getting home till late & having to make a big meal on top of that. I just can’t do it any more. So I spend my weekend(either Sat or Sun) cooking a big meal & make sure to make extra so I have leftovers for a few nights during the week. That way I know my family is getting nutritious meals throughout the week, instead of getting fast food or having something like hot dogs. I’m not as fond of cooking big meals in the summer when its hot & we can make something quick on the grill. But as soon as fall comes then I start cooking on the weekends. Some times I’ll still make bigger meals on the weekends in the summer but not all the time like in the fall, winter & spring.
This looks so good! It would really warm my family on a cold, snowy day!
;) forgot to rate it sounds and looks good
I will be trying it:) I loved my grandma’s goulash ..good ole days
This looks perfect for a cold winter day!
I haven’t had this for years and I will be using this recipe!