American goulash with corn is an easy one-pot meal that the whole family will love. Mom will love it because it's so quick and easy to prepare, Dad will love it because it's cheap and economical, and the kids will love it because it tastes so good. You'd better make a huge pot of this American goulash - everyone is going to want second helpings!
Because everything is cooked in the same pan, the noodles soak up all the flavours of the sauce.
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A family favourite
I've been cooking this dish for years. When my children were younger it was the one meal that was absolutely guaranteed to deliver empty plates. Of course, living in South Africa, we didn't call it American goulash - we just called it 'That Meaty Pasta'. But it's truly a dish that has stood the test of time.
When you're a single mom with three children under the age of 10, and working a full day at the office, the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen. Yet you still want to make wholesome and healthy meals to fill empty tummies.
That's where this recipe comes in.
- This goulash is quick to make, you can have everything prepared in 5 minutes and then it's just a matter of getting it on the stove and leaving it to cook away until it's ready.
- It's healthy - you can hide any vegetables in it, just cut them small enough and no one will notice.
- It's really tasty. The rich sauce coats the pasta beautifully, and because the pasta is cooked in the sauce, all the delicious flavours get soaked up.
- If you make a big enough pan full, you can freeze the leftovers for another meal, so it saves even more time in the kitchen.
Now that I'm older and living in the UK, with children having long flown the nest, I say to hubby 'What would you like for supper tonight?'. And he often answers 'I feel like something quick and easy - why don't you make that meaty pasta?' So I do!
This recipe is made with ground beef. If you are looking for a goulash made with chunks of steak, why not take a look at my Hungarian Goulash recipe, served with homemade spaetzle (noodles)?
I've noticed a spate of recipes for American goulash on the internet recently, and I thought I'd share my version too. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
What you will need
**Get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this American goulash recipe on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
To make this American goulash, you will need a total of 17 ingredients, which sounds a lot, but isn't really, because they are all pantry staples that you probably use every day anyway.
Pasta - For this recipe, I've used elbow macaroni but you can use whatever small pasta shapes you happen to have in your cupboard. Small shell shapes (conchiglie) work well, as does the twisted fusilli noodle as the sauce and ground beef cling to these shapes nicely.
Ground beef (or beef mince) - if possible use ground beef with a low fat content. I normally use 5% fat as you don't want the dish to be greasy. If you have meat with a higher fat content, drain away any fat that is left over from browning the meat.
Vegetables - this is where anything goes, but I would recommend using onions and tomatoes in addition to any other vegetable you want to add. If you don't have fresh tomatoes, it's perfectly fine to substitute them with canned tomatoes. I normally add diced mushrooms and a small can of corn kernels. You could use fresh corn kernels cut directly from the cob. Sometimes I vary the recipe by substituting the corn with frozen peas.
Cheese - Cheddar cheese is good to use because it melts easily into the dish, but you can use your favourite cheese.
Sunflower oil (not pictured) you will need this for frying the meat and onions.
Flavourings
- Salt and pepper - salt is optional and to your own taste, but I would definitely recommend at least using pepper.
- Sugar - I always add a teaspoon of sugar to my dishes when cooking with tomatoes. I find it cuts through the tartness and helps bring out the flavour, and the small amount used doesn't make the food taste sweet.
- Paprika and mixed herbs to add flavour.
- Ginger and garlic - you can use fresh garlic (finely minced) and fresh ginger (finely grated) or use ready-crushed ginger and garlic from jars.
- Finally, the stock. I normally use 2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water and then mix in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. The tomato paste should not be confused with tomato ketchup or tomato sauce. Tomato paste is highly concentrated tomatoes sold in tubes or small cans in the supermarket. It is sometimes called tomato puree.
How to make American goulash
Just a few simple steps.
Before you start, chop up the vegetables into fine dice. I normally cut them into approximately 1cm (or just under half an inch) pieces.
Dissolve the stock cubes in 2 cups of boiling water and stir in the tomato paste and the Worcestershire sauce.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan and add the ground beef, salt, pepper, paprika, herbs, sugar, ginger and garlic). Stir well over medium heat until the meat is crumbly and separated.
Add the onions and let them soften. I find the fastest way to soften the onions is to cover the pan with a lid and let them sweat for about 5 minutes on low heat.
Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and continue to stir fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down and the mushrooms start to soften.
Pour in the prepared stock, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and leave for 10 minutes, then stir in the pasta and an extra cup of water.
Cover the pan with a lid and leave on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in the cheese and corn, stir well and leave on the low heat until the cheese has melted. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Spoon into serving dishes and serve. To turn this into a more substantial meal, serve with a fresh green salad and slices of garlic bread.
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Tips and FAQ
Yes, any leftovers can be frozen in a plastic freezer container for up to three months.
To use, defrost (either in the refrigerator or if you are in a hurry in the microwave) and then tip into a saucepan and heat until piping hot.
Note - if you do freeze this dish the cooked pasta will have absorbed more moisture and consequently will be very soft once the dish is defrosted.
You can make this dish using half ground beef and half ground pork. The pork adds an extra layer of juiciness to the dish.
You could also substitute the ground beef with ground chicken or turkey.
Other vegetables you may like to try include grated carrots, finely chopped celery and even grated sweet potato. I've made this with great success by adding diced bell peppers (red, yellow, green or orange).
And as I mentioned earlier I like to swap out the corn for peas.
I would steer clear of softer vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower as these would tend to overcook and turn mushy before the pasta has softened.
Absolutely, the flavours intensify on standing.
Make it up to three days in advance and store covered in the refrigerator.
Reheat either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
To be perfectly honest, this dish even tastes good cold. I've been known to take a container of this dish to work and eat it cold for lunch.
Save for later
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📋The recipe
Easy American Goulash with corn
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Large frying pan with lid
Ingredients
- 8 ounces / 250 grams small pasta shapes
- 1 pound / 450 grams ground beef
- 1 cup onion (chopped) approx 1 large onion
- 1 cup white mushrooms (chopped)
- 1 cup tomatoes (chopped) approx 4 medium tomatoes
- 4 ounces / 125 grams) grated cheddar cheese approx 1 cup
- 1 small can corn kernels (drained) 198 grams (7ounces)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon mixed herbs / Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic approx 2 cloves
- ½ teaspoon finely grated ginger 1" piece
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato puree not ketchup
- 2 beef stock cubes dissolved in 2 cups of boiling water
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Peel the onions. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Wash the tomatoes. Cut them all into approximately 1cm dice.1 cup onion (chopped), 1 cup white mushrooms (chopped), 1 cup tomatoes (chopped)
- Dissolve the stock cubes in 2 cups of boiling water and stir in the tomato paste and the Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato puree, 2 beef stock cubes, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan or saucepan and add the ground beef, spices, ginger and garlic. Stir well over medium heat and break the meat up with a spatula to ensure that it browns all over and turns crumbly. Tip away any excess fat that may have cooked out.1 pound / 450 grams ground beef, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon mixed herbs / Italian herbs, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, ½ teaspoon finely grated ginger, 2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
- Add the chopped onions and let them soften. I find the fastest way to soften the onions is to cover the pan with a lid and let them sweat for about 5 minutes on low heat.
- Now add the chopped mushrooms and tomatoes and let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
- Pour in the prepared stock, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and leave for 10 minutes, then stir in the pasta and an extra cup of water.
- Then tip in the pasta, and an extra cup of water, cover and leave to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the liquid has been mostly absorbed.8 ounces / 250 grams small pasta shapes
- Finally, stir in the cheese and corn, stir well to mix, and leave on the low heat until the cheese has melted.1 small can corn kernels (drained), 4 ounces / 125 grams) grated cheddar cheese
- Spoon into serving dishes and serve. If you want to turn this into a more substantial meal, serve with a fresh green salad and slices of garlic bread.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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James says
Thanks for the recipe.