Easy Goulash Recipe - a classic goulash recipe that is cozy, comforting and so delicious! Perfect for a crowd and don't forget your favorite toppings!
Ingredients
1tablespoonbutter or olive oil
2teaspoonsgarlicminced
1sweet yellow oniondiced
1 1/2poundground beef85/20
1teaspoonkosher salt
1/4teaspoonground black pepper
28ozcan whole tomatoes
6ozcan tomato paste
15ozcan tomato sauce
15ozcan red kidney beansdrained
1teaspoonworcestershire sauce
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
1bay leaf
1/2lbelbow macaronicooked al dente
toppings: shredded cheesesour cream or sliced green onion
Instructions
Bring a 5.5qt Dutch Oven to medium-high heat. Add butter or olive oil, swirl to coat the pan.
Add garlic and onion. Move around pan until the garlic is fragrant and the onion has softened slightly, approx. 2-3 minutes.
Add ground beef and move around pan until it is cooked through. Drain excess grease, leaving about a tablespoon or so. Add salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add whole tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, kidney beans, worcestershire, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Use knife to cut the whole tomatoes into quarters. Stir to combine. Cover and let simmer 10-30 minutes. Taste and add additional salt, as-needed.
Meanwhile, cook elbow macaroni al dente according to package instructions (see Notes).
Add some noodles to a bowl and top with the ground beef mixture, stir and then add your favorite toppings.
Notes
Noodles: you can cook your noodles in the ground beef mixture if you want, but after testing this method we definitely noticed the noodles got mushy very quickly. That being said, if you are serving crowd and they are eating right away it should still work - to do this simply add approx. 2 cups of beef broth to the mixture and then the add the noodles. Cover and let simmer until noodles are cooked al dente.
Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use a dairy-free cheese and dairy-free sour cream as toppings.
Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free use a gluten-free noodle - if you are using gluten-free noodles I would definitely recommend against cooking them right in the tomato mixture as they are even more likely to fall apart.
Storage: store noodles and ground beef mixture separately in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.