Crockpot Goulash

If you are looking for a one pot meal that everyone will love, this is your recipe. This goulash recipe is something our family enjoys all year long. It is warm and comforting but light enough to enjoy all year.

Each bite is loaded with lots of ground beef and more. Crock pot Goulash is the perfect comfort food as it is loaded with noodles, beef and tomato base sauce. The ingredients are simple but the recipe is full of flavor.

You might also like Paula Deen’s Goulash or Hungarian Goulash. If you have an Instant pot, try our Instant pot American Goulash.

What is American Goulash?

American Goulash combines the easy ingredients of noodles, ground beef and a tomato base sauce. Cooking this American Goulash recipe makes for an easy one pot meal. Even the noodles cook directly in the slow cooker.

Some may say it is similar to spaghetti. But goulash is made with the noodles and sauce cooked together. Spaghetti is made with the noodles and meat sauce cooks separately.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef – You can also use ground turkey or ground pork
• Onion, diced – Learn How to Freeze Onions to prep diced onions ahead of time.
• Green Bell Pepper, diced – Substitute with red bell peppers
• Minced Garlic – If using fresh garlic cloves, learn How to Mince Garlic Cloves
• Italian Seasoning – Learn how to make Homemade Italian Seasoning Recipe
• Beef Broth – Substitute with beef stock if you prefer
• Dry Uncooked Elbow Macaroni Noodles – Choose a noodle your prefer. We have also used Rotini

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.

How to Make American Goulash in a Crock Pot

• Step 1 – Prepare Ground Beef – Brown your ground beef with the onion and add to the slow cooker.

• Step 2 – Add in vegetables and seasoning – Next, add the peppers, onions, tomatoes, broth and all of the seasonings.

• Step 3 – Cover and Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or Cook on high for 3-4.
• Step 4 – Stir in Pasta – In the last 15 minutes before serving stir in the pasta. It is so easy. Now, don’t worry if it looks watery because the pasta will soak it up.
• Step 5 – Simmer in Slow Cooker – Let it all simmer together for another 15 minutes until pasta is al dente. Cooking time may vary, it may take up to 30 minutes.
• Step 6 – Serve and Enjoy – Serve immediately. We like to top with shredded cheese but that is optional.

Expert Tips

• Ground Beef – We recommend cooking the ground beef in a separate skillet. You can also prepare the ground beef before hand and then add to slow cooker on cooking day.
• Vegetables – Chop the vegetables ahead of time to easily add to your slow cooker on cooking day. We like to chop vegetables and freeze them to easily add to any recipe.
• Pasta – Add the un cook pasta towards the end of the cooking time to the slow cooker. The pasta sauce based goulash will cook the pasta in the slow cooker without dirtying another pan.
• Add in other Vegetables – Add in some other vegetables when adding in the bell pepper. Chopped carrots and mushrooms are some of our favorites. You can also add in some frozen vegetables such as frozen spinach, peas, or corn. It is a great way to sneak in some vegetables.
• Change the Pasta – We used macaroni noodles, but you can easily use other types of noodles. Rigatoni noodles or penne noodles would work well with this recipe.

What to Serve with American Goulash

This Beef Goulash is good all by itself and on really busy days that is exactly what we did. We just served up heaping bowls of this delicious goulash and dinner was served.

• Cornbread Recipe – It is really good with cornbread to dip into that delicious tomato sauce. We love this Homemade Cornbread Recipe.
• Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe – Also, for a little heat we like Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe.
• Side Salad – Otherwise the recipe is really good by itself. If you feel like you need something green, try a simple side salad for a really quick option.
• Roasted Vegetables – You can also learn how to steam broccoli in the microwave for a quick and easy side dish.  We also love these delicious roasted green beans.
• Peas – We love to serve a side of green peas. My kids like to mix the peas in with the goulash for a flavor meal idea.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese – If you like to top your crockpot goulash recipe with shredded cheese make sure you shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese taste and melts perfectly when mixing with the goulash dish.

How to Store Leftover Slow Cooker Goulash

• In the Refrigerator – Store leftover crock pot American goulash in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The beef goulash will last about 3-4 days. It makes the perfect lunch the next day.
• Freezing Goulash – Since this recipe includes pasta, this American Goulash is not freezer safe.
• Reheating – To reheat leftovers, heat in the microwave in a microwave safe container. Heat in 30 seconds intervals until heated.