Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe – A Thrifty Supper

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When I was growing up, a good homemade, old-fashioned goulash recipe was a staple in our household. And why not? It’s frugal, easy to make, and it dirties very few dishes. It’s the perfect recipe for a busy family!

When I was growing up, a good homemade, old-fashioned goulash recipe was a staple in our household. And why not? It's frugal, easy to make, and it dirties very few dishes. It's the perfect recipe for a busy family!

Easy Goulash Recipe

I originally posted this recipe here on the blog almost 15 years ago. Since then, it’s been a favorite staple of many but also gets me a large number of hate comments, if you can believe that!

The reason is that the recipe that follows is what I called goulash when I was growing up. This recipe was passed down to me from my German Grandma, who made it on a regular basis. Since then, I’ve been told, “It’s not really goulash”.

Well, it is to me, but moreover, it’s a thrifty supper, which is why I’ve shared it here. Call it what you will; it’s easy, tasty, and frugal. We love it!

Canned or Fresh Tomatoes?

My children now love to eat this simple recipe because it’s so tasty, and what child doesn’t love noodles? This recipe is perfect for using home canned tomatoes because you need the liquid for cooking the pasta. You can use fresh tomatoes but you will need to add some kind of liquid (water or beef broth) to be able to cook the noodles.

Our family originally came from North Dakota and my mother made this just like this! Dad didn’t like garlic so that wasn’t allowed but, “Ahum” – we won’t tell him if I do put garlic in this recipe. ^_^ Thanks for the memory and the recipe Merissa.

Jordace, Little House Living reader
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Homemade Goulash in a Green dish on a pink background.
4.67 from 3 votes
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Old Fashioned Homemade Goulash Recipe

A simple and frugal meal that has been passed down in my family for generations.

Course Main Course
Cuisine German
Keyword Old Fashioned Goulash
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 507 kcal
Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • 1 pint Canned Tomatoes Can also use 2 cups canned diced or stewed tomatoes. Do not drain.
  • 16 oz. Pasta Use whatever you have!
  • 1 pound Ground Beef
  • 1 medium Onion
  • 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic fresh or dried
  • Salt and Pepper To taste

Instructions

  1. Brown up hamburger first with onion. 

  2. Add in the garlic. 

  3. Pour in tomatoes and all the liquid with them.

  4. Add in the noodles and cook until the noodles are al dente.

Nutrition Facts
Old Fashioned Homemade Goulash Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 507 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 54mg18%
Sodium 160mg7%
Potassium 636mg18%
Carbohydrates 64g21%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 170IU3%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
Calcium 63mg6%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Beef Goulash Recipe

Love this recipe!!! This is how we fix it with the exception of our recipe adds corn (adds a sweet crutch). Love your story!!!

Sarah, Little House Living reader

How to Serve Goulash

Serve your beef Goulash Recipe with a side salad and some fresh veggies. We love serving it with green beans because that just seems to go together. This is a wonderful, hearty dish that should be able to fill up even the hungriest eater.

Variations to the Basic Goulash Recipe

I make the recipe exactly as described above, but many others in the comments have given other suggestions on how to change up your goulash recipe. Here are a few of them:

  • Add a can of corn.
  • Top with cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese.
  • Use elbow macaroni noodles to collect the sauce better.
  • Add in chopped carrots with the onion.
  • Add in oregano, thyme, or Italian seasoning for a totally different flavor.
  • Stir in chopped bell peppers with the onions.
  • Cook in a dutch oven instead of a skillet.
  • Use ground turkey or ground chicken or even ground pork instead of beef.
  • Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
  • Give it a stronger tomato base, use some tomato sauce in addition to the diced tomatoes.
Granny's goulash in a skillet.

Gluten-Free Goulash

This recipe is super easy to make gluten-free, I do it all the time! Just replace the pasta with your favorite gluten-free noodles.

Another tip is to cook the noodles separately from the rest of the meal and add them in at the end. Since gluten-free pasta can get really slimy and starchy, this will give you a way to rinse off the noodles before putting them in with the meal.

Common Questions About Making Goulash

How long is homemade goulash good for?

I like to store leftover Goulash for no longer than a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. After that, the noodles are so great anymore. Reheat in the microwave.

How to make homemade goulash soup?

You could easily turn this recipe into a tasty soup! Put all of the ingredients together in a large saucepan or a stockpot and add some tomato sauce and some homemade broth until it creates a soup instead of a fried dish.

What is the history of goulash?

This is kind of fun and interesting to know. Maybe something to share around the family table while you are enjoying the old-fashioned goulash recipe at home! The origins of goulash came from Hungary where it was made to be fed to Hungarian herdsman while they were tending their sheep. (Hungarian Goulash) It quickly spread to other European countries. The recipe I have here most closely resembles German Gulasch because my family is mostly German and this recipe came from my paternal grandmother. It’s common to see German Gulasch or any goulash made into a soup and have the addition of paprika, but this is how my grandma and my mom made it so this is the recipe I’m passing down to you. This is also sometimes called American Goulash.

5 stars

Merissa, this is the exact same recipe my mother passed down to me (with stewed tomatoes). It is my favorite meal and feel-good recipe. I think it tastes even better the next day. I confess that sometimes I eat it cold, too! Our whole family loves it. When my brother, sister, or granddaughter come to visit, goulash is their first choice for dinner. My granddaughter now has the recipe because I have it memorized from making it so often. 🙂

Jan, Little House Living reader
Stretching a Buck Lasagna

More Beef Meals

You can also find a huge list of Main Meals here.

Skillet Meals

Has your family ever had goulash? Is your recipe similar to my old fashioned goulash recipe?

Me and Kady

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

This recipe for Old Fashioned Goulash was originally published on Little House Living in July 2009. It has been updated as of January 2024.

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23 Comments

  1. How did you get free noodles from freecycle? Did someone just not want them? Lately I am making 3 meals on weekends and eating them during the week. It cuts down on cooking on nights I am tired after work. I have been freezing the leftovers for workday lunches. It has been so helpful!! This week we had skillet meatballs (my grandmother’s recipe), a chicken & broccoli casserole and a chicken tortilla soup in the crockpot which I added leftover kielbasa which was charred from the grill. It was yummy! Thanks for the recipes and meal ideas!

      1. I’m happy for you & your family that they posted the noodles. Where I live, they would have been thrown in the trash bin, just because the person didn’t want them. I’ve seen unopened cans of food in the trash too. Wasteful and selfish!

  2. I make something similar.. but I add small cans of tomato paste and sauce as we like it more “tomato” based. And if I have it I’ll throw green pepper in there.. My mother in law used to add corn, but I don’t do that.. but this is one of my husband’s favorite meals 🙂

  3. Ground beef for $1.79? Here in NJ we haven’t seen those prices since 2009! I just came back from the store (I shop at the “cheap” market) and I paid $2.99 for ground beef. That was on SALE. I guess your property taxes aren’t over $7,000 a year either! You see, people like me MUST be dedicated followers of yours because our state is one of the most expensive in the nation. This is a long round about way of saying “thank you” to you for your blog! Hugs, Jeannie

  4. Love this recipe!!! This is how we fix it with the exception of our recipe adds corn (adds a sweet crutch). Love your story!!!

  5. I fed mine goulash many a time, but I learned to make it with chili powder. I think it’s cheaper, ‘warmer’, and not as mild or sweet a flavor as paprika although I think Hungarian paprika, in particular,5 is more authentic since it’s Hungarian goulash.

    Thank you for the list, Merissa! ( 2016 )

  6. This has been a long time favourite in my family too for at least three generations … well four I guess since I’ve taught my teenage son to make it too.

    I make it pretty much the same as you do, except I cook the macaroni noodles separate and then mix them in after they are cooked.

    Like one of the other people mentioned in the comments it is good with tomato soup too. Sometimes I use that if I don’t have canned tomatoes on hand.

    I’m sort of thinking now I want this for dinner tonight! 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    I am wheat intolerant so use the Explore Cuisine organic gluten free pasta’s, the ones I use are made from red lentils, green peas, chick peas & black beans, 1 portion = 1 serving of vegetables, so if you have veg hating kids try these, the red lentil lose their colour during cooking, but the green pea & black bean don’t, so use plenty sauce 🙂 These makes are available in USA on Amazon, Explore Cuisine, Chickapea, The Only Bean, Profusion, Probios, Bentilia, & Tolerant. I mix my pastas in a jar so I get a bit of each in my meal, Explore Cuisine also make green lentil lasagne sheets, they are in my pantry but I haven’t used those yet.

  8. 4 stars
    I grew up on this, except Mom called it “Braised Macaroni” and used elbow mac. It was a favorite of my dad’s, but I didn’t like it much, it was boring and not very flavorful. I’m going to have to make it again and see if I like it now, I’ll add paprika and I’m not sure what else to liven it up! Corn sounds good in it!

  9. In Maine this is called American chop suey. Sometimes a can of tomato soup is added and we always used macaroni pasta. Also, salt and pepper, and maybe a little sugar. I can’t remember ever using garlic, but I do use it now. I am almost 70 and my mother made American chop suey when I was a little girl. It’s a very old recipe probably from England originally.

    1. We used to call it American Chop Suey, too, so I think it might be a New England thing. It was a staple growing up in Mass.

  10. I love one dish meals. Reading todays story has given me some excellent. Ideas. Also going to try some drying leaves. I will be making pesto in a week or so.

  11. Our family originally came from North Dakota and my mother made this just like this! Dad didn’t like garlic so that wasn’t allowed but, “Ahum” – we won’t tell him if I do put garlic in this recipe. ^_^ Thanks for the memory and the recipe Marissa.

  12. I created what I call Mexican goulash. I add 1 can rotel tomatoes with green chilies, 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, and 1 pkg low sodium taco seasoning to cooked ground beef with onion and garlic add in cooked pasta and top with cheese.

    It’s my husband’s favorite meal.

  13. 5 stars
    Merissa, this is the exact same recipe my mother passed down to me (with stewed tomatoes). It is my favorite meal and feel-good recipe. I think it tastes even better the next day. I confess that sometimes I eat it cold, too! Our whole family loves it. When my brother, sister, or granddaughter come to visit, goulash is their first choice for dinner. My granddaughter now has the recipe because I have it memorized from making it so often. 🙂