American Goulash – American Chop Suey

This delicious, comforting dish named American Goulash, aka American Chop Suey, aka Beef and Macaroni, has simple, economical, filling ingredients. Such as lean ground beef, green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and seasoned with herbs that are reasonably family-friendly and super simple to find at any market or local grocer.

 

 

If you grew up in the ’50s, ’60s, and 70’s across America, there is a 95% chance your parents or grandparents made this recipe for American Goulash at least once in your childhood.  Now, some of you may know this recipe by the name American Chop Suey or even Beef and Macaroni with tomatoes. Whatever name you prefer to call, it is okay.

 

 

 

I spent part of my childhood in the Mid-West, Warren, Ohio, to be exact; in the ’70s, and our family called it American Goulash. Back then, our family recipe didn’t have cheese added to it, so I guess some of the recipes I have seen on the net are variations of the old-school method that my parents used. I’m not  100% sure, so if you feel the need for cheese, feel free to add some cheese to your American Goulash – American Chop Suey recipe.

 

 

 

My father was the one who would usually whip this recipe up at least once every two weeks or so. How could he go wrong with us children? Did we love it?  American Goulash is so yummy, simple, economical, and reasonably quick to throw together for dinner. There were no serious complaints from his peanut gallery that night; that’s for sure. We went back for seconds every time.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients needed for American Goulash 

• One and 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef 

• A splash of Worcestershire sauce

• A few pepper flakes

• 1/4 of a teaspoon of Hungarian paprika

• Kosher salt to own taste

• Freshly cracked pepper to own taste

• One large yellow onion chopped

• One large green bell pepper diced

• Two teaspoons of minced fresh garlic

• Two-14.5-ounce cans of organic fire-roasted diced tomatoes

• One -8-ounce can of organic tomato sauce

• One tablespoon of organic tomato paste

• 1/2 of a teaspoon dried garlic powder

• 1/4 of a teaspoon dried onion powder

• One teaspoon of Italian herbs

• 8 to 12-ounces of dry macaroni noodles cooked al dente

• Chopped parsley for the garnish, optional

 

 

 

Tips for the American Goulash – American Chop Suey recipe

1. Use lean ground beef of 93/7 to keep the fat content to a minimum in your recipe.

2. Splurge and use a quality Worcestershire sauce if possible

3. Do not use smoked Parika; the taste is too overpowering for this recipe.

4. Organic tomatoes are preferred in this recipe due to the regular tinned tomatoes being too acidic and bitter.

5. Be sure not to overcook the macaroni noodles. Follow the package instructions on the box for the al dente method of cooking.

 

 

Method

1. In a large deep metal skillet on medium heat, add lean ground beef, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a few pepper flakes, Hungarian Paprika, kosher salt, and pepper to own taste, and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the lean ground beef as you go.

2. Add chopped onion, diced green bell pepper, and minced garlic to the metal skillet over medium heat and cook until ground beef is completely done. Drain the ground beef if necessary.

3. Add two cans of organic fire-roasted diced tomatoes, one can of organic tomato sauce, organic tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and pepper to own taste, to metal skillet; stir to mix ingredients with ground beef—Cook for about 15-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook 8-12-ounces of macaroni noodles al dente, according to package directions. Drain the noodles, and do not rinse noodles. This helps the pasta to adhere to the noodles better.

5. Combine the macaroni noodles and tomato beef mixture in a large serving dish, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately while hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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