Crock Pot American Goulash
A true comfort meal, this Crock Pot American Goulash is a tasty fix-it and forget-it recipe that the whole family loves!
A COMFORTING, SIMPLE CROCK POT RECIPE
Everyone has that one recipe that really brings them comfort, mine happens to be this Crock Pot American Goulash. With all the flavors combined it is just perfect for a great dinner time meal. This is one recipe that we have been making for years and one that I wanted to try and make in a slow cooker. This recipe is super simple and effortless to put together. I always think the longer a sauce simmers, the better it tastes!
I made this today for supper tonight. It was very good and I definitely will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
– Sue
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This dish goes by many different names depending on region. Some other names include: Slumgullion, American Chop Suey and Johnny Marzetti.
American goulash and Hungarian Goulash are vastly different. American goulash is made with ground beef, macaroni noodles and mixed with an Italian-style tomato based sauce. Hungarian Goulash is a thick stew made with chunks of meat and vegetables that is heavily seasoned with Hungarian paprika.
The simple answer – no one is really sure. There aren’t really any similarities other than the beef. We know the American Goulash we are familiar with today was first mentioned in a cookbook in 1914. So perhaps someone combined a bunch of these ingredients and decided to borrow the name “Goulash” from the immigrant Hungarian community and it took off from there.
I have recipes for making it those ways too! See my recipe for American Goulash to make it on the stove top and my recipe for Instant Pot American Goulash to make it in your electric pressure cooker!
This can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container where it will keep for up to 3-4 days. This can also be frozen. Note: when you freeze food like pasta, the pasta will become a little mushy because it will keep absorbing the liquid. To freeze, place in a freezer bag and lay it flat in the freezer, this will keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight and you can reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef – you can make this with Italian sausage, ground chicken or ground turkey.
- sweet onion
- green pepper – I know some folks have love/hate relationship with bell peppers. If they aren’t your favorite, you can just leave it out.
- garlic – I always prefer fresh garlic over the jarred stuff. You just get a much better garlic flavor but use what is easiest and best for you!
- pasta sauce – I love Rao’s roast garlic sauce but it can get pricey so I usually only grab it when it is on sale. Use what your family enjoys!
- tomato sauce – you can use the low or no sodium kind if you are concerned about sodium for this recipe.
- petite diced tomatoes – if you can find the kind that has seasoning added (like basil, garlic and oregano), that would be a nice boost of flavor.
- water
- Italian seasoning
- granulated sugar – this is just going to help reduce the acidity a bit from all the tomatoes and tomato sauces.
- elbow macaroni – you can use any shape really, as long as you use the same amount.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT AMERICAN GOULASH:
Brown and crumble ground beef along with diced onions and pepper in a large skillet. Cook until meat is fully cooked and onions and peppers are softened. Drain excess grease. Note: Many slow cookers have a sauté option. Please feel free to use this option on your slow cooker for less dirty dishes. Add ground beef mixture into a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
Stir in garlic, pasta sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning and sugar. (DO NOT ADD MACARONI NOODLES YET) Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for about 2-4 hours. Everything is already cooked so we’re basically just letting everything simmer and for the flavors to come together.
During the last hour of cooking, add in the macaroni noodles and stir. Cover again. Cook until noodles are al dente (or softer if you prefer). Then serve!
We enjoy eating this with some fresh garlic bread and a salad.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: March 2011
Updated photos & republished: April 2025
Crock Pot American Goulash (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
- 1 green pepper, finely diced (optional)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 24 ounce jar pasta sauce (I like Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce)
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
Instructions
- Brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef along with 1 small sweet onion, finely diced and 1 green pepper, finely diced in a large skillet. Cook until meat is fully cooked and onions and peppers are softened. Drain excess grease.
- Add ground beef mixture into a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Stir in 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 24 ounce jar pasta sauce, 8 ounce can tomato sauce, 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. (DO NOT ADD MACARONI NOODLES YET)
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 2-4 hours. Everything is already cooked so we’re basically just letting everything simmer and for the flavors to come together.
- During the last hour of cooking, add in 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni and stir. Cover and cook until noodles are al dente (or softer if you prefer).
- Then serve! We enjoy eating this with some fresh garlic bread and a salad.
Video
Notes
- Note: Many slow cookers have a sauté option. Please feel free to use this option on your slow cooker for less dirty dishes.
- This can be cooked on high for 2-4 hours.
- Penne and ziti can be substituted for the macaroni.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
how long does the macaroni take to be done?
You put them in the last hour of cooking 🙂
easy and delicious
Thanks so much Donna!
Back again and making another batch. I’ve gone Keto and noodle substitutes and Stevia are my friends (for the noodles and sugar). It’s smelling good before I start cooking. I’m thinking about getting another Crock Pot just to have two batches on hand for dinner. Things I’ve changed: noodles (low carb), Stevia (3 little packs instead of a tablespoon of sugar), and 3 cans of tomatoes +1 can of mushrooms (I like mushrooms) instead of the pasta sauce and paste. Everything else as far as spices is the same.
First comment left type error on peppers Correction below:
I used rainbow peppers( 1/3 of red, yellow and orange) a sweeter tasting sauce. Love this recipe, put in crockpot (without pasta, will add later)at 830am, planning to eat between 5-6 pm tonight.
I used rainbow peppers( 13 of red, yellow and orange) a sweeter tasting sauce. Love this recipe, put in crockpot (without pasta, will add later)at 830am, planning to eat between 5-6 pm tonight.
If I cook the pasta separately do I need to add the cup of water?
making this now
Excellent, excellent! Husband and kids loved it – such great flavor. Definitely going into the menu rotation – thank you!
it’s in the crockpot now for dinner tonight. can’t wait to give it a taste!
I made this last weekend and I’m still eating it as the main course for dinner every other day. I had a bowl right after cooking while it was still hot and it was pretty good. But let it sit in the frig a few days and it keeps getting better and better. This will be my go-to recipe for goulash going forward.
I’m making this tomorrow but I have to add paprika. How much do you think I should add?
This isn’t Hungarian Goulash (not even close – ha!) so I don’t add paprika so I don’t know what to tell you. You’ll have to experiment. I never like to guess unless I’ve done it myself because I never want anyone to waste ingredients in case it doesn’t work out.
Please, please don’t add paprika. save the paprika for authentic Hungarian food. I did this to an American goulash and it wasn’t pretty. Paprika is for Hungarian authentic dishes. The American version tastes so much better without.
I made this today for supper tonight. It was very good and I definitely will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Making this for my husband and I dinner for tonight. We love American Goulash!
I tried this last night as an alternate meal for my little girl (my husband and I were having your taco soup, but she’s not a soup fan.) It came out great (of course!). The sauce was perfect. The only twist I added was to top it with some shredded cheddar cheese because if there’s one thing my girl likes better than pasta, it’s cheese. Besides, when does anyone need an excuse to add cheese to anything, amirite? 🙂
I did notice one thing that happened, and it’s something that would only happen in smaller families like ours; if it’s eaten all at once, it would be a non-issue. When preparing the dish, I cooked the pasta with the sauce, per directions. My plan was that this would be several meals for her. However, she got some midnight munchies and asked for more. When I heated it up, I noticed the pasta had gotten very soft, to the point it was starting to disintegrate. She prefers more pasta than sauce, so I quickly boiled up a little more elbow macaroni, added it to the heated sauce, and the problem was solved. 🙂 The sauce was delicious, soft pasta or not!
However, that got me thinking, and I wanted to add a suggestion to the freezing tips. This dish was such a success with her (and it was so easy), I’m going to try making up some more. However, instead of adding the pasta at the end, I’m just going to freeze the sauce in portions. The sauce won’t take any time to thaw and heat up, and I can boil up fresh pasta while the sauce is heating. That way, there won’t be any problems with soggy pasta and I can add as much or as little as she wants. It’s just boiling a pot of water, so it’s not even any extra work, really. Just two cents!
Thank you as always for a delicious meal and keeping my daughter happy! Always good news when she squeals and glee’s when she sees supper. 🙂
My thought exactly. Just prepare the pasta separately and cover it with the “sauce” as needed to prevent mushy pasta.
But if you don’t add the pasta, do you still put all that liquid in? Seems like it would be very runny.