{"id":344,"date":"2026-01-10T14:48:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=344"},"modified":"2026-01-10T14:48:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:48:35","slug":"old-classic-fashioned-goulash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=344","title":{"rendered":"Old Classic Fashioned Goulash\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Old Classic Fashioned Goulash<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>A Hearty, Comforting American Classic Made the Old-Fashioned Way<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Old Classic Fashioned Goulash<\/strong> is the ultimate comfort food\u2014rich, hearty, and full of nostalgic flavor. This traditional American-style goulash (also known as <strong>American Chop Suey<\/strong>) combines tender ground beef, elbow macaroni, tomatoes, and warm spices into one satisfying, slow-simmered dish.<\/p>\n<p>Perfect for <strong>family dinners, cold nights, meal prep, or feeding a crowd<\/strong>, this old-school goulash recipe is simple, budget-friendly, and packed with comforting flavor just like grandma used to make.<\/p>\n<h2>Why You\u2019ll Love This Classic Goulash<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0One-pot, easy comfort food<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Budget-friendly pantry ingredients<\/li>\n<li>Hearty and filling<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Perfect for leftovers and meal prep<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Old-fashioned flavor everyone loves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ingredients<\/h2>\n<h3>\u00a0Goulash Base<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>1 lb (450 g) ground beef<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, if beef is lean)<\/li>\n<li>1 medium onion, diced<\/li>\n<li>3 cloves garlic, minced<\/li>\n<li>1 green bell pepper, chopped<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0Sauce<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>1 can (15 oz \/ 425 g) diced tomatoes<\/li>\n<li>1 can (15 oz \/ 425 g) tomato sauce<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons tomato paste<\/li>\n<li>1\u00bd cups beef broth or water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0Seasonings<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>1\u00bd teaspoons paprika<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon Italian seasoning<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon black pepper<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon sugar (optional, balances acidity)<\/li>\n<li>1 bay leaf<\/li>\n<li>Optional: pinch of chili flakes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0Pasta<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0Optional Toppings<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Shredded cheddar cheese<\/li>\n<li>Fresh parsley<\/li>\n<li>Crushed crackers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Step-by-Step Directions<\/h2>\n<h3>1 Brown the Ground Beef<\/h3>\n<p>Heat a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat.<\/p>\n<p>Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.<br \/>\nDrain excess fat if needed.<\/p>\n<p>Add olive oil if the meat is very lean.<\/p>\n<h3>2 Saut\u00e9 the Vegetables<\/h3>\n<p>Add diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the pot.<\/p>\n<p>Cook for <strong>3\u20135 minutes<\/strong> until softened and fragrant, stirring occasionally.<\/p>\n<p>This step builds the base flavor of the goulash.<\/p>\n<h3>3 Build the Sauce<\/h3>\n<p>Stir in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diced tomatoes<\/li>\n<li>Tomato sauce<\/li>\n<li>Tomato paste<\/li>\n<li>Beef broth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Add paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaf, and chili flakes if using.<\/p>\n<p>Mix well, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.<\/p>\n<h3>4 Simmer for Classic Flavor<\/h3>\n<p>Cover and let the goulash simmer for <strong>15\u201320 minutes<\/strong>, stirring occasionally.<\/p>\n<p>This allows the flavors to deepen and develop that old-fashioned taste.<\/p>\n<h3>5 Add the Macaroni<\/h3>\n<p>Stir in uncooked elbow macaroni.<\/p>\n<p>Cover and simmer for <strong>12\u201315 minutes<\/strong>, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.<\/p>\n<p>Add more broth or water if needed.<\/p>\n<h3>6 Finish &amp; Serve<\/h3>\n<p>Remove the bay leaf and taste for seasoning.<\/p>\n<p>Serve hot and top with shredded cheese or parsley if desired.<\/p>\n<h2>Tips for the Best Old-Fashioned Goulash<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t rush the simmer\u2014flavor comes with time.<\/li>\n<li>Use elbow macaroni for the classic texture.<\/li>\n<li>Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.<\/li>\n<li>Goulash thickens as it sits\u2014add broth when reheating.<\/li>\n<li>Even better the next day!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Variations<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cheesy Goulash:<\/strong> Stir in shredded cheddar at the end<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spicy:<\/strong> Add cayenne or hot sauce<\/li>\n<li><strong>Extra Meaty:<\/strong> Add sausage with the ground beef<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vegetable-Heavy:<\/strong> Add mushrooms or zucchini<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Storage &amp; Reheating<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Refrigerator:<\/strong> Up to 4 days in an airtight container<\/li>\n<li><strong>Freezer:<\/strong> Up to 3 months<\/li>\n<li>Reheat gently on the stovetop or microwave with a splash of water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Nutrition &amp; Time<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prep Time:<\/strong> 10 minutes<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cook Time:<\/strong> 35 minutes<\/li>\n<li><strong>Total Time:<\/strong> 45 minutes<\/li>\n<li><strong>Calories:<\/strong> ~480 per serving<\/li>\n<li><strong>Servings:<\/strong> 4\u20135<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Old Classic Fashioned Goulash &nbsp; A Hearty, Comforting American Classic Made the Old-Fashioned Way Old Classic Fashioned Goulash is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":346,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions\/346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}