Looking for a quick and tasty meal that you can make in your slow cooker? Make this crockpot goulash with ground beef, it is a simple comfort food that uses pantry staples.
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I love recipes that use ground beef because you can make so many tasty budget-friendly meals like these ground beef sliders with onion soup mix, this tasty Korean ground beef rice bowl, this hearty and easy beef chili bean soup, or these puff pastry sausage rolls.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe makes a thick and flavorsome meaty tomato-based dish that will have them coming back for more.
- This hamburger goulash in slow cooker recipe is quick and easy to make and packed with veggies.
- Crockpot goulash is budget-friendly.
- You can bulk it up and make it go further by adding extra veggies.
- It is a simple dish that can be made ahead and tastes even better the next day.
- And because you can make it ahead of time it is great for taking to potlucks, serving on occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
What Is Hamburger Goulash
Hamburger goulash is a dish that combines elements of a traditional goulash with ground beef or hamburger meat.
Hamburger goulash also known as slumgullion or American chop suey, is an American variation that is seasoned with Italian herbs, uses ground beef instead of meaty chunks, and is served with pasta.
This one pot dish can turn out quite starchy and thick if not consumed soon after making because the pasta tends to soak up all the liquids.
But this can be remedied by cooking and serving the pasta separately, like in this recipe.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Ground beef (beef mince), use lean ground beef, or drain off any excess fat after browning the meat.
- Brown onion or white onions are best don't use red onions as these will make the dish sweet.
- Bell pepper (capsicum)
- Garlic, you can use garlic cloves or garlic paste
- Tomato paste
- Stock powder, vegetable, beef or chicken
- Pasta tomato sauce, jarred or canned, use your favorite brand
- Tomatoes use canned diced tomatoes.
- Mushrooms, canned, you can use sliced or whole mushrooms
- Sweet corn kernels, frozen or fresh
- Worcestershire sauce
- Italian seasoning, or to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt
- Elbow macaroni noodles, uncooked, or another short variety like a spiral, or bow tie pasta.
Equipment
- Large frying pan or skillet
- You will need a 6 liter, 6 quart slow cooker.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet and saute the onion and bell peppers until the onions turn translucent.
Add the beef and garlic, cook until the meat is no longer pink, and break ground beef into small pieces as you cook it.
Step 2
Transfer the ground beef mixture to the slow cooker. Add the tomato paste, stock powder, pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, canned mushrooms and its liquid, sweet corn, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and salt. Mix well.
Cook on high heat for 2 hours or on low heat for 4-5 hours.
Step 3
At the end of cooking time, taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
To serve, you can mix the cooked pasta into the sauce or serve the pasta and sauce separately.
Expert Tips
Most recipes for hamburger goulash will have you mix the pasta into the sauce, which is fine if it is eaten soon after it is made.
However, when you mix pasta into any liquid and leave it to sit for some time, the pasta soaks up the liquid and makes the dish thick and dry.
We recommend is to cook and serve the pasta separately from the sauce, like we do for our hamburger soup with macaroni.
By doing this you will always have a rich and velvety sauce to serve over your pasta.
Serving Size
The serving size for this recipe is about 1 cup of hamburger goulash and 113 grams/ 4 ounces cooked pasta.
Calories Per Serve
A serving of this slow cooker hamburger goulash is about 567 calories.
Serving Suggestions
This crockpot goulash recipe can be garnished with:
- Freshly chopped parsley
- A dollop of sour cream
- A sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese
And it can be served with:
- Fresh dinner rolls like this quick no knead dinner roll recipe and butter.
- Buttered vegetables
- Corn salsa
- Brussel sprouts
- Mashed sweet potatoes
- Butternut squash
- If you don't have pasta, you could serve this slow cooker goulash with steamed jasmine rice, mashed potatoes, or cauliflower potato mash, thick chunks of homemade focaccia bread.
- This beef goulash is a thick sauce but if you would like it more liquidy, you can add an extra ½ a cup of beef broth or water to thin it down.
Storage
Refrigeration – Allow the beef goulash to cool completely, then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
If you have mixed the macaroni noodles into the pasta, this dish will thicken up because the pasta will soak up any liquid and is best to be consumed within 2-3 days.
Freezing – You can freeze the goulash without the pasta for up to three months. Allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container.
Meal Prepping
- If you have an early start and don't have the time to brown the ground beef the day of cooking, you can do the precooking the night before, cool the mixture, and store it in the fridge overnight.
- The next day place everything into the slow cooker (except the pasta) before you leave for the day.
- The pasta can be cooked the night before, cooled, and stored in the fridge overnight.
- If liked add the cold cooked pasta to the hot goulash in the last 10 minutes of cooking or until the pasta is warmed through.
- If you don't like mixing the pasta into the sauce, warm it up by placing it in a large pot of boiling water for a few minutes to heat through, then drain.
FAQ
Yes, you have to brown ground beef before putting it in the slow cooker, brown the meat not only gives it flavor, it allows you to break the meat down into smaller pieces.
There are two types of goulash. Hungarian goulash is made with chunks of meat and is served with homemade dumplings called Nokedli, and American goulash, is made with ground beef, Italian herbs, and pasta.
Allow the goulash to cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container, store it in the fridge for up to three days.
American chop suey or American goulash is a delicious easy recipe made with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, pasta, and Italian herbs.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Slow Cooker Recipe
- Slow Cooker Dulce de Leche
- Gelatinous Bone Broth With Chicken Bones (Slow Cooker Recipe)
- Chinese Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup Slow Cooker Recipe
I do hope that you try this recipe for hamburger goulash in the slow cooker. If you do, please come back and leave a comment below because I would love to know how you went.
Recipe
Crockpot Goulash With Ground Beef
Equipment
- Large frying pan or skillet
- 6 liter, 6 quart slow cooker
Ingredients
1
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 bell pepper capsicum, diced
- 500 grams (1 pound) ground beef, lean
- 2 cloves garlic minced
2
- 60 grams (2 ounces / 4 tablespoons) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons beef stock powder
- 400 grams (14 ounces) of tomato pasta sauce jarred or canned
- 400 grams (14 ounces) diced tomatoes canned, do not drain
- 400 grams (14 ounces) of mushrooms canned, do not drain
- 400 grams (14 ounces / 2 cups) of sweet corn, frozen or fresh
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning or to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
3
- 400 grams (14 ounces, 2 cups) pasta shells, uncooked
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet and saute the onion and bell peppers until the onions turn translucent. Add the beef and garlic, cook until the meat is no longer pink, and break ground beef into small pieces as you cook it.
- Transfer the ground beef mixture to the slow cooker. Add the tomato paste, stock powder, pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, canned mushrooms and its liquid, sweet corn, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and salt. Mix well.Cook on high heat for 2 hours or on low heat for 4-5 hours.
- At the end of cooking time, taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Remove the bay leaf before serving.Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well. To serve, you can mix the cooked pasta into the sauce or serve the pasta separately.
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