Old Fashioned Goulash (One-Pot Ground Beef & Macaroni)

Tuesday nights are my chaos nights. Goulash is what I cook on Tuesday nights.

There's something about this dish that just works. Ground beef, elbow macaroni, crushed tomatoes, a handful of spices — it all goes into one pot and comes out as something that genuinely tastes like it took more effort than it did. The tomato base soaks into the pasta as it cooks, and the whole thing thickens up into this saucy, meaty, deeply comforting bowl. I've made it probably fifty times at this point and I still look forward to it.

My husband asks for this at least twice a month. It's not fancy — it's the kind of food that makes everyone go quiet at the table because they're actually eating instead of talking. If you like one-pot beef dinners, my Easy Hamburger Rice Casserole hits a similar note on nights when I want rice instead of pasta.

One thing worth knowing upfront: the pasta cooks directly in the sauce, which is what makes it absorb all that flavor. But it also means you need to stir it every few minutes or the macaroni will stick to the bottom of the pot. I've got the scorch marks on my old pot to prove it. Just keep an eye on it and you'll be fine.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's a genuine one-pot meal: Everything — the beef, the sauce, the pasta — cooks in a single pot. I'm not pulling out a separate pan to boil macaroni and then another to make the sauce. It all happens together, which means less washing up when I'm already tired at the end of the day. That alone is reason enough to keep this in rotation.

• Dinner is on the table in about 40 minutes: From the time I turn on the stove to the time I'm putting bowls on the table, it's right around 35 to 40 minutes. That includes browning the beef, building the sauce, and cooking the pasta through. On a weeknight when everyone's already hungry, that timeline matters.

• The ingredients cost almost nothing: A pound of ground beef, a box of elbow macaroni, two cans of tomatoes, and a few spices you already have. I usually keep everything on hand without even planning for it. This is the meal I make when the fridge is looking sparse and payday is still two days away.

• Leftovers are somehow even better: I always make a full batch even if it's just the four of us, because the next day the sauce has thickened up and the pasta has absorbed even more flavor. Saad takes it to school in a thermos and never complains. I reheat mine for lunch and it tastes like it just came off the stove.

• You can adjust it to whatever you have: More spice, less spice, a handful of vegetables thrown in, a different pasta shape — this recipe handles substitutions without falling apart. I've made it with ground turkey when that's what I had. I've added frozen corn when I needed to stretch it further. It still works.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds ground beef (I use 85/15 — leaner than that and it gets a little dry)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional (sharp cheddar melts best)
• Fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Directions

1. Sauté the onion and garlic: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it softens and turns translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds — just until you can smell it. Don't walk away at this stage; garlic burns fast.
2. Brown the ground beef: Add the ground beef to the pot and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until there's no pink left, about 7 to 8 minutes. If there's a lot of fat pooling at the bottom, tilt the pot and spoon most of it out. A little fat is fine, but too much makes the whole thing greasy.
3. Season and toast the tomato paste: Stir in the salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste. Let this cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring it into the beef. Cooking the tomato paste for a minute or two before adding liquid takes the raw edge off it and deepens the flavor — it's a small step that makes a real difference.
4. Add the liquids and simmer: Pour in the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. This is when the sauce starts to come together.
5. Add the macaroni and cook through: Stir in the uncooked elbow macaroni. Cover the pot and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom. The macaroni will absorb a good amount of the sauce as it cooks — that's exactly what you want. Taste a piece to check for doneness before you pull it off the heat.
6. Finish with cheese and serve: If you're adding cheddar, stir it in now and let it melt for about a minute. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if you like. I always put extra cheese on the table because my husband doubles up.

Tips for Success

• Stir the pasta regularly while it cooks: I learned this the hard way the first time I made goulash with pasta cooking directly in the sauce. I covered the pot and walked away for ten minutes. The macaroni on the bottom had fused to the pot and the whole thing was uneven — some pasta overcooked, some still chalky. Stir every few minutes. It takes maybe 30 seconds each time and it makes a big difference.

• Don't skip the tomato paste step: It might seem like a small thing, but cooking the tomato paste in the beef fat before adding liquid gives the sauce a richer, more complex base. Raw tomato paste has a sharp, tinny taste. Two minutes in a hot pan turns it into something rounder and deeper. I always have a small can of tomato paste in my pantry for exactly this kind of recipe.

• Use a pot that's bigger than you think you need: The macaroni expands a lot as it cooks and absorbs the sauce. The first few times I made this I used a medium pot and kept having near-overflow moments. Use your largest pot — a 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot works great. If you don't have one, any heavy-bottomed pot with a lid will do.

• Add the cheese off the heat or with the heat very low: If the pot is still at a rolling boil when you stir in shredded cheese, it can get stringy and clumpy instead of melting smoothly. I pull the pot off the burner, stir in the cheese, and let the residual heat do the work. It takes about 60 seconds and the cheese melts in beautifully.

• Taste and adjust before serving: Canned tomatoes vary a lot in saltiness and acidity. I always taste the goulash right before I serve it and add a pinch more salt if it needs it, or a tiny pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are on the sharp side. This takes ten seconds and it's the difference between good and really good.

Variations

• Add bell peppers and corn: Dice a red or green bell pepper and throw it in with the onions at the start. Add a cup of frozen or canned corn when you add the tomatoes. This is the version I make when I want to sneak more vegetables into the meal. It adds color and a little sweetness that works well against the savory tomato base.

• Make it spicy: Add ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes when you add the other spices, or stir in a teaspoon of hot sauce at the end. My husband adds red pepper flakes to his bowl at the table anyway. If you want more of a kick built into the base, a diced jalapeño with the onions works well too.

• Swap the beef for ground turkey: Ground turkey makes a lighter version of this. It works best with a little extra paprika and seasoning since turkey has less fat and less natural flavor than beef. I'd also recommend not draining the fat after cooking the turkey — it needs all the moisture it has.

• Make it creamy: Stir in ¼ cup of sour cream or a splash of heavy cream right before serving. It tones down the acidity of the tomatoes and gives the whole thing a richer, slightly velvety texture. This is a good option if you're serving it to kids who find the tomato flavor too strong.

• Cheesy baked finish: Once the goulash is done, transfer it to a baking dish, cover generously with shredded cheddar or mozzarella, and broil for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. It turns this into something that feels like a proper baked casserole. I've done this when guests are coming and it always looks more impressive than it is.

Serving and Storage

Serving

Serve this straight from the pot, hot. It's filling enough on its own, but a piece of crusty bread on the side is never a bad idea for mopping up the sauce. If I want to balance out the meal with something fresh, I serve it alongside a simple green salad — my Holiday Salad with Balsamic Dressing works well here if you have a few extra minutes. For something a little more substantial on the side, garlic bread from the store is fine and takes zero effort. In my house I put the pot on the table with a ladle and let everyone serve themselves.

Storage

Let it cool completely before storing. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it sits, so when you reheat it, add a splash of beef broth or water to loosen it back up. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave in 90-second intervals, stirring in between. To freeze, portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this goulash ahead of time?

Yes, and honestly it's one of the better make-ahead dinners I know. The flavors deepen overnight as the sauce settles into the pasta. I make it the night before and reheat it on the stove the next day with a splash of broth to thin it out slightly. It tastes just as good, maybe better.

Can I freeze old fashioned goulash?

Yes. Let it cool completely, then portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. The pasta does get a little softer after freezing and reheating, which some people don't mind at all. If you know you're planning to freeze it, slightly undercook the macaroni — pull it off the heat when it's just barely tender — so it holds up better after reheating.

My sauce is too thick — what do I do?

This happens as the pasta sits and keeps absorbing liquid. Just add a splash of beef broth or even water — about ¼ cup at a time — and stir it in over medium heat until you're happy with the consistency. I usually need to do this when reheating leftovers the next day.

Can I use a different pasta shape?

Absolutely. Rotini, small shells, and ditalini all work well. The key is using a small pasta shape that cooks in roughly the same time as elbow macaroni, around 10 to 12 minutes. Larger pasta shapes like penne will need more liquid and a longer cooking time, so you'd need to adjust accordingly.

How do I make this vegetarian?

Swap the ground beef for a plant-based ground meat (Beyond Meat or similar works well here) or use cooked green lentils for a more budget-friendly option. Replace the beef broth with vegetable broth. The spice profile stays exactly the same. Lentils will make it a bit thicker, which I actually like.

This is not a glamorous recipe. It's not supposed to be. It's the kind of dinner that I turn to when I want to feed everyone something warm and filling without standing over the stove for an hour — and it delivers every single time. The fact that it gets better the next day is just a bonus.

If you're in a ground beef phase (my household definitely goes through those), you might also want to try my Easy Hamburger Rice Casserole — it uses a similar pantry-staple approach but goes in a completely different direction with rice and a creamy base. Two very different meals from the same starting ingredients.

And if you're making this on a night when you want to end dinner on a high note, my Chewy Butterscotch Blondies come together in about the same amount of time as the goulash and are the kind of dessert that disappears before the pot is even washed. Just saying. 🍝❤️

If you liked this, here are a few more recipes you'll probably want to bookmark:

• Easy Hamburger Rice Casserole — same budget-friendly pantry approach, completely different result
• Ultimate Caesar Chicken — a weeknight dinner that feels a little more put-together
• Holiday Salad with Balsamic Dressing — a fresh side that pairs well with anything saucy and rich
• Chewy Butterscotch Blondies — because dinner deserves a proper ending
• Pan Fried Tilapia — for nights when you want something lighter but still fast