I’ve always been a huge fan of slow cooker meals, and I’ve always loved pasta mixed with beef. Combine the three things in one recipe and I’ll be first in line to eat it! This goulash recipe, also called American Chop Suey, is a Crockpot pasta with ground beef stew. Nothing makes me happier than macaroni beef. When my family asks for a slow cooker dinner, this is one of the first things I think of.
One of the greatest things about this dinner is how easy it is. I use ground beef, diced onions, frozen peas, salt, pepper, macaroni, onions and peppers all in one dish. It’s like taking all the greatest things in your kitchen and putting them together in one meal. When you’re done, it’s sure to be something delicious.
The other thing I love about this meal is how easy it is to make. It’s not hard at all to combine all these foods together in one slow cooker and set them on low to cook throughout the day. When you come home, the food is basically all ready to eat.
As a parent, I’m always looking for better meal options – meals that my kids will eat. This dish delivers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are many reasons to love this recipe including:
- It goes with anything. You can pair it with a salad, breadsticks, rolls, soup, and on and on.
- You can make it ahead of time and stick it on to cook when the time comes.
- You can easily stick it in the refrigerator and save leftovers for later. The leftovers are divine!
- Kids and adults like this meal. It’s just got something for everyone.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
There are a lot of different ways to make this meal. If you don’t have all the ingredients that I suggest in the recipe, you can always find something to substitute in your kitchen. Even if you have the ingredients but think you could make this meal better – little customizations make this meal fantastic.
Pasta: I personally prefer macaroni to other types of pasta for this recipe, but you can use just about any pasta you like. Penne pasta works well in goulash.
Meat: Goulash is typically made with beef, but you can make it heart healthy with turkey or chicken. If pork is all you have on hand, you can use that too. Want more flavor? Consider using sausage.
Things to consider adding to Slow Cooker American Chop Suey:
- Black olives: Add a slightly salty flavor by tossing in some black olives.
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms add a savory quality you’ll love.
- Carrots: Sometimes adding carrots adds sweetness to your recipe. Carrots also make your goulash more colorful!
Tips for Success
I want you to be successful when you’re making this dish! This is what I’ve learned you can do to make the most of this slow cooker meal:
- Stir occasionally to prevent the food from attaching to the side of the slow cooker.
- Vary the seasonings to taste. You can substitute the seasonings I’ve suggested for seasonings of your own.
- Want to make it spicy? Add some jalapeño peppers or maybe hatch peppers to add mild heat.
- Consider adding cheese to this mixture to give it a creamy quality.
Storage & Reheating
Store your homemade goulash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. When it’s time to reheat, you can put it back in the slow cooker or in a pot on the stove for several minutes. You may also microwave — just be sure to put a paper towel over the dish to prevent it from splattering inside your appliance.
To freeze your Slow Cooker American Chop Suey, allow it to cool and then place it in individualized freezer-safe containers, then freeze. You’ll need to thaw the dish overnight before you can heat it up the next day. Alternatively, you can also thaw the dish in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
I especially love to serve this dish with breadsticks or dinner rolls. I also love to serve this meal with a fresh salad, especially when I have company. Picking the right sides to go with this meal can make it the perfect dish to serve at nearly every occasion.
FAQs
What’s the difference between Hungarian Goulash and American Goulash?
Hungarian goulash often has homemade dumplings instead of pasta. Hungarian goulash also uses stew meat instead of ground beef.
Can you make this meal vegetarian?
You can make this meal vegetarian by leaving out the beef. You can substitute plant-based meats or even tofu for some protein.
Can I make this spicier?
Yes, I love making this meal spicy! You can start by adding in some jalapeño peppers, or you can try spicing it with cayenne pepper. Add spices to taste.
Notes
This is a dish that I’ve been making for so long I don’t even remember where it came from. All I know is that my kids ask for it all the time and I love making it for them. There’s a lot of memories in this dish.
Smoked Paprika & Beef American Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Lean Ground Beef 85/15 or 90/10
- 1 Medium yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves Fresh garlic minced
- 2 cans 15 oz each Tomato sauce
- 2 cans 14.5 oz each Diced tomatoes (with their juices)
- 3 Tbsp. Soy sauce Provides deep, hidden umami baseline flavor
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. Smoked paprika Elevates the dish with a rich, back-end campfire depth
- 2 Dried bay leaves
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 cups Elbow Macaroni pasta
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and chopped onion. Cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking the meat down into small, uniform crumbles, until it develops a deep caramelized crust. Completely drain off any excess fat.
- Reduce the skillet heat to medium-low. Toss the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika directly into the hot meat. Stir continuously for 30 seconds. Pro Tip: Blooming your dry spices in the residual heat of the meat fat activates their oil-soluble flavor compounds, making the seasonings taste much punchier than if they were simply dumped raw into the slow cooker.
- Pour the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce straight into the hot skillet. Use a wooden spatula to aggressively scrape up any dark, caramelized beef bits (the fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour the entire skillet contents into the slow cooker.
- Dump the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with their juices, and dry bay leaves into the crockpot with the meat. Stir thoroughly to unify the sauce matrix.
- Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours (or High for 3 hours). The long thermal window allows the acidity of the tomatoes to break down, mellowing into a sweet, rich meat sauce.
- Exactly 20 minutes before serving, boil your elbow macaroni in a separate pot of salted water. Cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions so they stay quite firm (al dente). Drain them well.
- Fish the bay leaves out of the slow cooker. Toss the hot, drained macaroni directly into the beef sauce. Secure the lid and let it sit on the “Warm” setting for 10 minutes. The starch-starved pasta will quickly drink up the loose tomato juices, locking the noodles and meat together into a perfectly tight, glossy glaze that clings to your fork.
