Cheesy American Goulash is a hearty old-fashioned baked casserole that's easy to make with ground beef, spicy tomato sauce, and pasta casserole with lots of cheese. One of my favorite classic cafeteria comfort foods from the 1950s is economical and made with pantry ingredients.
♨️Ingredients
Ground beef—may substitute ground turkey or chicken.
Pasta—Elbow macaroni or similar
Onion and garlic
Tomatoes—sauce and diced
Cheese—cheddar and mozzarella
Pantry ingredients—basil, seasoning salt, and black pepper
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- ♨️Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Cheesy American Baked Goulash—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 🥣Variations and Options
- 👨🍳To make classic American goulash (no cheese)
- 🥣Baking dish sizes
- ↕️Adjusting the recipe for goulash for two or a crowd
- 📋Other recipes you will love
- 🍽️Serving
- ❄️Storage and reheating leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comment by Anne:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Just the greatest Dr. Dan!! The ingredients are budget-friendly, and this was an easily prepared dish...We will enjoy this many times. Thanks for sharing."
This cheesy American-style baked beef goulash recipe has been a staple in school cafeterias for decades. Now you can make your own like the lunch lady. The cheesy topping is not always used, but it makes it special. This easy, tasty everyday recipe will be a favorite of kids and the whole family.
I like to make a double batch for extra leftovers. It freezes well but is easy to make as goulash for two if you wish.
👨🍳How to Make Cheesy American Baked Goulash—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Cook the pasta to al denta while working on the meat sauce.
2. While the meat is browning, chop onion and mince or crush garlic and add to the meat while browning.
3. Brown ground beef over medium-high heat, adding the onion halfway through and the garlic near the end.
4. Mix spices with tomato products in a baking dish.
5. Add the ground beef along with the pasta and mix well.
6. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese.
7. Top with shredded mozzarella.
8. Bake until golden brown—about 30 minutes.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🥣Variations and Options
Any pasta can be used, but elbow macaroni is traditional.
You can use ground turkey or chicken to replace the ground beef.
You can vary the cheese any way you want. I added cheddar to the casserole and topped it with mozzarella, but all cheddar is more than I had in the '60s.
There is already some paprika in the seasoning salt. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of paprika if you want a more Hungarian-type taste.
You can make an Italian version using Italian sausage, jarred spaghetti marinara sauce, and changing the cheese to mozzarella and Parmesan.
Other spices, like oregano, rosemary, or thyme, may be added for different flavors. You can also try some Worcestershire sauce or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.
While mixing the sauce, add other vegetables, like chopped bell pepper, celery, corn, drained black or kidney beans.
👨🍳To make classic American goulash (no cheese)
Just eliminate all the cheese. Without the cheese, you can turn it into an easy one-pan dish.
- Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic, then drain.
- Add all the sauce ingredients to the meat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Lastly, add the pasta and continue to simmer until tender, usually about 10-12 minutes, depending on the pasta.
🥣Baking dish sizes
A full recipe makes just over 8 cups and needs a 2 ½ quart casserole, or any bigger dish where the ingredients will fit will work. A full-size cake pan or casserole dish will be fine.
A half recipe will fit in a 6X8, 8-inch round or a 1 ½ quart casserole dish.
A recipe and a half will fit in a standard-size cake pan or full-size casserole. A double recipe will not fit a standard baking pan that most home cooks will have.
↕️Adjusting the recipe for goulash for two or a crowd
This recipe is easy to adjust to the size you need. A full recipe makes just over 8 cups for 6 servings.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- Use the pan size discussed above and cook to goldern brown.
📋Other recipes you will love
For other comfort food casseroles, you may enjoy Easy Chili Mac, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Cheesy Jambalaya, Baked Chicken Spaghetti, and Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole.
🍽️Serving
Serve with a nice bread like Stand Mixer Lunch Lady Rolls or Honey Wheat Rolls. Add a green salad or hot vegetable to round out the meal.
❄️Storage and reheating leftovers
Like many casseroles, it is a little better warmed up the next day.
Stored in an airtight container, it is good refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
To reheat: Thaw first if frozen—reheat in the microwave or the oven covered.
❓FAQs
Some other names for American goulash or similar dishes are American Chop Suey, chili mac, beef with macaroni, Slumgullion, Johnny Marzetti casserole, or just goulash.
They are not even close to the same thing.
Hungarian Goulash is a thick stew with lots of meat and vegetables heavily seasoned with paprika as the primary seasoning.
American goulash is more of a casserole, usually with ground beef, elbow macaroni, and a seasoned tomato sauce that is not too heavy on paprika. Frequently with cheese, but extra vegetables are optional.
📖 Recipe
Cheesy American Goulash
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup dry elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 onion - small or ½ medium
- 2 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 14 ½ oz diced tomatoes - not drained
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 2 teaspoon seasoning salt - Lowery’s suggested
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Heat water and start cooking 1 cup of pasta to al denta.
- Chop 1 small or ½ medium onion and crush or mince 2 garlic cloves.
- Brown 1 pound of ground beef over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the ground beef about 5 minutes into cooking, and the garlic the last minute of cooking. Drain the cooked beef.
- Prep a 2 ½ quart baking dish with PAM cooking spray. Alternate baking dish sizes are discussed in the post.
- To the baking dish, add one 15 oz can of tomato sauce, 14 ½ oz diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of basil, 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt (I used Lowery's), and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Mix well.
- Add the ground beef along with the pasta and mix well.
- Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Top with ½ cup of shredded mozzarella.
- Bake until golden brown—about 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A full recipe uses a 2 ½ quart casserole dish, but it will be fine as long as it fits in the dish.
- The post discusses pan size and instructions for half and larger recipes.
- You are cooking to the browned top, not by time.
- To make classic American goulash, you can skip all the cheese. Use these instructions, or see the post for a one-pan method.
- If you feel "goulash" must have more paprika than what is in the seasoning salt, add 1 teaspoon of paprika.
- Optional ingredients and seasoning are in the post.
- It is good refrigerated for 4 days and will freeze well for 4 months.
- Nutrition is based on a serving size of about 1 ½ cups.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Editor's Note: Originally published November 16, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, video, and a table of contents to help navigation.
jeanne says
this is NOT goulash Wheres the papika? Goulash is made with chunks of beef and lots of paprika I dont know what this is but you should not label it goulash Cheesy Mac, maybe
DrDan says
In the seasoning salt... OK, not a lot. Ground beef is commonly used in the American version. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_goulash
So this is like all those American school lunches.
Shelley says
Should you add more tomatoe when re heating casserole next day?
DrDan says
Hi Shelley,
I have never thought it needed it.
Dan
Mary anne says
Can I make on stove top as my oven is out (thank you GE). How does the cheese taste the day after
DrDan says
That probably won't work well. The "sauce" needs to simmer some and the oven does that in this recipe. And the pasta tastes better after some simmering in the sauce.
The cheese does do quit well the next day for when your oven is fixed.
Judy Uhl says
This will be perfect for today. I haven't made this in a long time! Cole slaw on the side!
DrDan says
Hi Judy,
This one always takes me to the school cafeteria except I think mine is better.
Have a good day and thanks for the note.
Dan
Heather Jernstad says
I grew up having this, but my mom added kidney beans as well. Thank you for the recipe!
Joyce says
Delicious....good cool weather recipe....family loved it...
Always asking me to make it and its easy.
DrDan says
Thanks Joyce, I haven't done this ou one this fall yet. As you said, cold weather comfort food. I see it in the near future.
Dan
Dave says
Ok, great, thank you very much!
Dave says
Hey Dan, question, for the diced tomatoes ( I'll be getting a can), do I include the juice? Or do I strain it out and put in just the tomatoes?
DrDan says
Add the tomatoes with the juice.
Dan
DrDan says
Hi Tina, I haven't done or even thought of this recipe for several years, I do love it on a cool fall day. I especially love having the leftovers. I'm scheduling it for October.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Tina Marie says
I made this and everyone loved it! thanks for sharing :)
Stephen says
I like adding some basil,paprika and bacon to give a nice smokey flavor
mj stone says
I like using Amish noodles instead of pasta...
Uummm Uuummmmm better
Judy Uhl says
Just made today, I used low sodium seasoned salt and dreamfields pasta. It smelled great cooking in the oven! Can't wait for supper!
Dan Mikesell says
Thanks, I hope it works well for you
LunaTechChick says
OH EM GEE!! This is DEF happening! Soon. Yay!
Heidi Menocal says
oops. my mistake. I see it now.
Pat Bischoping says
Excellent recipe. I have to blend the tomatoes since I have a picky eater who doesn’t like chunks of tomato.
Heidi Menocal says
You forgot to mention adding the pasta. It is in the pictures, just not the recipe.