My grandma’s old fashioned goulash recipe (we also interchangeably called it Johnny Marzetti, but it’s also known as American goulash or American Chop Suey) was one of the signature dishes of my childhood.
NEW! Due to popular demand, I’ve converted this recipe for your Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker. Check out my Instant Pot Goulash recipe!!!
There’s just something so warm and comforting about a big bowl of grandma’s old fashioned goulash with some melty cheddar cheese on top. Honestly, I could eat the stuff every day and never get tired of it!
Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe
Unfortunately, I don’t have my grandma’s old fashioned goulash recipe and she sadly passed away a couple years ago. Boy, do I miss my grandma!
I had to do a little experimenting in the kitchen to get the recipe tasting the way I remember it as a child.
It’s all about coming up with just the right combination of red sauce, spices, pasta and ground beef to make the perfect goulash. Luckily, this dish is pretty forgiving and leaves you plenty of room to tweak the recipe to your own personal preferences.
This easy goulash recipe is also a big hit with the kids. My son and daughter are just as excited about having this goulash for dinner as my brother and I were on days when my grandma made it.
In other words, you simply can’t go wrong when you make this easy, old fashioned goulash for dinner. Trust me, your whole crew will love it!
This is also the type of recipe that tastes great as leftovers throughout the week. As a busy mom, it’s super important to me that my dinner recipes get plenty of miles. Being able to warm this goulash up on days two and three is such a timesaver.
Actually, I think this recipe tastes even better the second day. Isn’t it funny how that works? Am I the only one who prefers leftovers in some cases? ????
Be sure to watch our tutorial video below, and let me know in the comments if you love this recipe! Also, you definitely want to be following me on Instagram because I have some amazing recipes to share there this week!
Old Fashioned Goulash
This old fashioned goulash (or Johnny Marzetti) is the perfect crowd-pleasing family dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup beef broth
- Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, saute the ground beef over medium-high heat, until no pink remains. Break up meat while sauteing; spoon off any grease.
- Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and one cup beef broth, along with the tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 4-5 minutes. Pasta will cook a bit more when you remove from heat. IMPORTANT: be careful not to cook your pasta too long, mushy goulash is not good!
- Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves. Serve warm and top with shredded cheddar cheese.
