This Slow Cooker American Goulash is a hearty combination of ground beef, tomatoes, macaroni, and savory seasonings. The best thing about this recipe is that everything cooks right in your crockpot. There is no need to brown the ground beef or boil the pasta first!
Recipe at a glance (TL;DR)
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 6-8 hours on low
- Main Ingredients: Ground beef, pasta, tomatoes
- Also known as: American Chop Suey
- Why it's lazy: everything cooks in one pot, from the ground beef to the macaroni
- Best for: family dinners, picky eaters, feeding a crowd
Jump to:
- Why you will love this Slow Cooker Goulash
- 📝Ingredient shopping list
- A note about slow cooking ground beef
- Step-by-step instructions
- Tips for cooking pasta in a slow cooker
- Know your slow cooker
- How To Store Leftovers
- Serving ideas
- 😉 Tips from my kitchen
- More great slow cooker one-pot meals
- Good to know
- 📖 Recipe
Unlike traditional Hungarian Goulash, American Goulash is a ground-beef-based dish with tomatoes and pasta. Depending on where you grew up, you may also know it as American Chop Suey.
Why you will love this Slow Cooker Goulash
- No browning required. The ground beef gets added into your slow cooker uncooked.
- No boiling pasta. The elbow macaroni cooks right in the slow cooker too!
- One pot. Only one dish to wash.
- Made with everyday ingredients. These ingredients are inexpensive pantry and freezer staples.
- Family-Friendly. The mild combination of pasta, ground beef, and tomatoes makes this a picky-eater favorite.
📝Ingredient shopping list
Following are the ingredients you'll need to make this slow cooker goulash. Full quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
Meat
- Ground beef - the leanest you can find
Produce
- Onion - chopped
- Garlic - minced
Canned Goods
- Crushed tomatoes
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
Pantry Items
- Elbow macaroni
- Soy sauce
- Italian seasoning
- Worcestershire sauce
- Smoked paprika
- Chili powder
- Salt and Pepper
Dairy (optional, but recommended)
- Cheddar cheese - shredded
- Sour Cream
A note about slow cooking ground beef
Many recipes start by browning the ground beef first. Cooking the beef separately allows you to drain off the excess grease. But it also gives you a greasy pan to deal with.
Buying extra lean ground beef allows you to skip this step. The beef comes out soft and tender. I use a 96% lean beef for this recipe. Anything 94% lean or leaner will work
If you prefer the taste of the pan-browned beef, this recipe works just as well with cooked beef. You can also cook your ground beef in bulk in advance and freeze it in recipe-sized portions.
Step-by-step instructions
Add uncooked ground beef to a well-greased slow cooker and break it apart with a spatula or meat chopper.
Add in all remaining ingredients except pasta and toppings and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Once the beef is cooked, stir in uncooked elbow macaroni.
Cover and cook again for about 15-25 minutes until pasta is al dente. Serve promptly for the best texture.
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Tips for cooking pasta in a slow cooker
Uncooked, dry pasta can be added right to your slow cooker. Here are some hints for making sure it comes out just right:
- Don't let it sit too long. Pasta that sits in a slow cooker too long will get mushy. The longer it sits, the more liquid it will absorb. The elbow macaroni in this recipe is perfectly al dente in my slow cooker after 15 minutes cooked on high and 25 minutes cooked on low.
- Make sure you have enough liquid. Pasta absorbs almost 1.5 times its weight in water. Make sure any recipe you add pasta to has enough liquid, or your dish will be dry.
- Don't keep pasta dishes on the warm setting for long periods of time. If your people will be eating at different times, your later diners will wind up with mushy pasta. This is not a drawback for everyone, just something to keep in mind. For staggered serving times, cook the pasta stovetop and add it to each individual serving.
Pro tip
Know your slow cooker
Every slow cooker is a little different. The first time you add pasta to a slow cooker, check on it every few minutes after the first 15. Once you know how long it takes for your slow cooker to make al dente pasta, you can apply that to any recipe!
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish. The pasta will not hold up well, and the texture will be off.
- If you do freeze, allow leftovers to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then gently reheat in the microwave.
- Pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so it will likely thicken in the fridge. Add a splash of water or beef broth when reheating to loosen it up.
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Serving ideas
This dish is perfect with some shredded cheddar cheese melted on top or a dollop of sour cream!
It is also great served with:
- A side salad
- Whole roasted cauliflower
- Rice
- Riced cauliflower
- mashed cauliflower
- A heel of crusty bread
This is the only goulash recipe I use now!!
- D
😉 Tips from my kitchen
- Freeze in meal-size containers for easy reheat-and-eat future meals.
- For a saucier finished dish, add 4 cups of broth rather than 3.
- In the market for a new crockpot? I love mine!
- Easy dinner idea: Use a slow-cooker liner when making this dish. You will have almost zero clean-up to deal with.
- Don't forget to turn on and PLUG IN your slow cooker!!
Good to know
Yes! But fat is harder to drain - especially if you are cooking with other ingredients. Use the leanest ground beef you can find to avoid having to drain excess fat.
Yes! Dried pasta will cook in about 15 - 30 minutes when added to a hot slow cooker. Make sure you have enough liquid in your recipe, as pasta absorbs about 1.5 times its weight in liquid. Serve promptly to avoid mushy pasta.
A 16oz box of pasta will require about 4 cups of liquid to cook properly.
This recipe is flavorful but not spicy as written. If you are a fan of heat, try adding extra chili powder and smoked paprika.
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker American Goulash - One Pot Recipe
(Click on the stars to leave a rating)
Print Pin Rate SaveAll nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- parchment paper or slow cooker liner (optional)
- Mixing Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef uncooked
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, with all juices
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅔ teaspoon chili powder
- 16 oz elbow macaroni uncooked
- salt and pepper to taste
- shredded cheddar cheese optional
- sour cream optional
Instructions
- Place 2 lbs ground beef into a well greased slow cooker. Use a hamburger choper to chop the meat up.
- Add 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, with all juices, 1 15 oz can tomato sauce, 1 cup chopped onion, 2 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1.5 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and ⅔ teaspoon chili powder to the beef.
- Stir to fully combine making sure that any remaining clumps of beef are broken up and mixed in.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for for 3-4 hours.
- After cooking, stir again and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste
- Stir in 16 oz elbow macaroni . Cover and cook until the pasta is al dente. This should take about 15 minutes on high and about 25 minutes or so on low. If you leave the pasta cooking longer, it will start to get mushy.
- Serve promptly.
Final Step
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Notes
- This dish can get mushy if it sits. We like it that way! But if you prefer al dente pasta, cook it separately according to the package instructions and add it in when serving.
- If you prefer browned beef, cook the ground beef stovetop or in a slow cooker with a browning feature before adding it with the remaining ingredients.
- See above write-up for serving suggestions
- Nutritional values shown do not include cheese or sour cream.
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
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Kata says
This is not goulash. Neither the taste nor the look.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Sorry to hear this recipe isn’t what you were looking for. This is my own slow cooker version of American Goulash. All the recipes here are based on my own personal interpretation of the originals. They are meant to be easy and delicious rather than authentic.
Dustin says
I've made this at least 10 times now.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Dustin, That's so awesome to hear! I am so glad you love it enough to make it on repeat. Thanks for sharing!
Susan