Delicious One Pot Cheesy Goulash

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe

This one pot goulash recipe is the perfect dinner recipe. This cheesy comfort food meal is made with ground beef, noodles, cheese, spices, and no peppers, just like Grandma used to make. It’s got plenty of flavor without a lot of spice so it’s a kid friendly meal the whole family will like. Enjoy this American take on a classic Hungarian dish.

Goulash is an easy meal to make and very versatile. It can be easily scaled up to serve at a larger party. Scaled down if you’re only feeding two. It’s a classic comfort food that will take you back in time. Add some extra spice if you like things spicy. This recipe is flavorful but not spicy as I can’t handle anything spicy and have a toddler to attempt to feed as well.

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The real secret that makes this recipe stand out from other goulash recipes or simple hamburger and noodles is the adobe seasoning. It gives this dish a unique and delicious taste that will have everyone begging for more.

You can buy store bought adobe seasoning but I have yet to find any that are as good as making your own. Whip up your own quickly with this adobe recipe and you’ll have plenty for several batches of goulash.

Perhaps my favorite part about this dish is that it’s a one pot meal! Anything that involves few dishes is my kind of cooking! There’s no chopping, dicing, peeling, or cutting involved. Simply combine all the ingredients and let them combine into a delicious meal in just 30-45 minutes.

Tips for making the perfect Old Fashioned Goulash

This recipe calls for minced garlic which is one of my favorite kitchen hacks. I am terrible at chopping things and I hate having my fingers smell like garlic for days. I love garlic, I just don’t want to smell like it.

Instead, we keep a giant jar of minced garlic in our fridge and simple spoon it out when we’re cooking. It saves a lot of time and keeps my fingertips garlic free. We get this giant one from Costco but it’s available on Amazon as well.

Another favorite kitchen shortcut of mine is Better Than Bouillan. My family has been using this stuff for years. It’s essentially a concentrate you use to make chicken, beef, or vegetable stock. The containers are small so you won’t lose a bunch of space in your pantry to cans or boxes of stock. I also find it to be cheaper than buying the pre-mixed stock. One little jar will last a long time so you won’t need to run to the store for it very often.

Goulash Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 15oz cans tomato sauce
• 2 15oz cans petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups elbow pasta
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Seasonings

• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp adobo seasoning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp seasoned salt

How to make One-Pot Goulash

Brown ground beef (or turkey if desired) in a large stockpot. Drain off excess grease if desired. Add minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. (Add chopped onion as well if desired)

Add water, beef broth, tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, & spices. Bring to a boil.

You can use chunkier tomatoes if you prefer. I’m not a big fan of tomato chunks so I like the use the petite diced version. I generally use the diced tomatoes with no added salt to make it a little healthier.

Reduce heat to medium/low. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes for the flavors to mix.

Add elbow pasta and cook 7-12 minutes longer until pasta is at desired tenderness.

Fish out the bay leaves if possible. Next, add the cheese in batches and allow to melt. Top each bowl with a little extra cheesy garnish if desired.

We generally serve ours in a bowl but you could also serve it in bread bowls or on a bun sloppy joes style.

I hope this cheesy one pot goulash recipe is as big a hit with your family as it is with mine. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you liked it and tell us your favorite way to customize it for your family’s tastes.

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