In need of an easy Italian goulash recipe? This One Pot Cheesy Italian Goulash is the perfect dinner solution. Made with simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry, this one skillet ground beef dinner is fantastic for feeding your family any night of the week.
This Cheesy Goulash recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner!
This One Skillet Italian Goulash has become one of my go-to weeknight dinners. It comes together in about 20 minutes and is always a hit with my guys! It’s an easy ground beef dinner that is made in one single skillet (no extra pots of boiling water needed), which makes post-dinner clean-up a cinch.
Best of all, it uses simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry, your fridge or freezer and on your spice shelf. I’ve broken down this easy meal into simple steps, which will hopefully get dinner on your table just as quick as it gets to mine.
What Is Italian Goulash? (Hungarian vs. American vs. Italian)
Hugarian goulash is a parprika-flavored beef stew, made very hearty with vegetables and broth. Whereas the American goulash is more of a meat, tomato and macaroni dish. This Italian-American version is made with Italian seasoning, pasta and Italian cheeses like Parmesan Romano cheese.
Ingredients you’ll need to make gound beef goulash
- Ground beef
- Medium size pasta – I used Campanelle, but you can also use penne, rotini, farafelle or rigatoni.
- 1 can, tomato sauce
- 1 can, diced tomatoes
- minced onion (dried, in the spice aisle)
- garlic
- Italian herbs (dried, in the spice aisle)
- garlic salt
- onion powder
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Italian parsley – optional, for garnish
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions, be sure to reference the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredient substutions, recommendations and add-in’s:
- Change the Protein: instead of using ground beef, you could also use ground turkey, or spicy Italian ground sausage.
- Swap the Water for Broth: for a rich, flavor-forward taste, swap the water for beef broth. You can use regular or low-sodium broth.
- Pasta Swaps: instead of regular pasta, you can swap for gluten-free, chickpea or protein pasta to customize for your dietary needs.
- Make it Spicy: love a spicy pasta dish? Feel free to add a bit of cayenne pepper (like 14/ teaspoon) or a few dashes of your preferred hot sauce, like Franks or Cholula.
Here are the simple steps to making Italian Goulash:
Step 1: Brown the Ground Beef
Begin by heating a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the ground beef. While the beef is browning I also like to add in a couple tablespoons of dried, minced onion and some minced garlic.
Cooking this along with the beef gives it some nice flavor and will also add to the other seasonings added in the next step. Drain off any excess fat that the beef may render.
Step 2: Add in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta and seasoning
In the same skillet that you just cooked the beef in, add a can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta (about 2/3 of a box/pound), and seasonings, which include Italian Herbs, garlic salt, and onion powder. Stir these together well, and add about 2 cups of water.
Much of the water will simmer off, but it is necessary to make sure the pasta cooks well. Cover the skillet with a lid, heat on medium, and bring the Italian goulash to a simmer. Once it is simmering, reduce heat to medium low, and continue to simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked to al dente.
Step 3: Add in the Cheeses
Once the Italian Goulash has finished cooking, stir in the shredded Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. The pasta will still be quite hot, and once stirred in, will melt the cheeses almost immediately. Let the goulash cool for a couple of minutes before plating and serving.
What type of cheese should I use for cheesy goulash?
Shredded cheddar, jack or a blend, like Mexican blend, of cheeses is great for a cheesy goulash recipe. For this Italian version, I like to use shredded Parmesan cheese. Mozzarella is great as well.
As you can see, this amazing pasta with meat sauce is saucy, cheesy and loaded with flavor and deliciousness. Best of all, this easy ground beef meal is done in around 20 minutes, which equates to a huge dinner victory.
Frequently Asked Questions for making Italian Goulash
Yes, definitely. Ground turkey is an easy substitution of ground beef in just about any recipe, including this cheesy goulash.
Yes, you can definitely freeze goulash. Let the goulash cool, then add to freezer-safe containers or one large aluminum pan, covered with plastic wrap and foil. When ready to defrost, place in the refrigerator overnight to let gradually thaw.
Place on a microwave-safe plate or bowl. Microwave for 30 second increments, stopping to stir. Continue to heat until steaming and the meat is fully hot.
Yes, feel free to substitute the pasta with your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight containger. When kept refrigerated, the goulash will keep for up to 5 days.
Need ideas for what to serve with goulash? Here are some of my favorites:
When serving, feel free to add a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley for a little green color, and a sprinkling of additional Parmesan cheese. Everyone in the family will love this fabulous dinner, and it will quickly become a new favorite.
More Easy One-Pot Pasta Dinners You’ll Love
- Ground Turkey and Spaghetti
- Beef and Ramen Noodles
- Cheeseburger Macaroni
- Skillet Tortellini and Meatballs Marinara
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Italian Sausage Gnocchi in Creamy Red Sauce
- Skillet Lasagna
- Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
- Ham Cheese & Broccoli Pasta
- Easy Pesto Pasta with Scallops
- Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles
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Easy Cheesy Italian Goulash Recipe – One Skillet, 20 Minutes
Equipment
- Large Skillet This large Anolon 12" Skillet is ideal for making one-pan meals!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef lean (10-15% is ideal)
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced about 2 cloves
- 10 oz. Campanelle pasta or other medium sized pasta
- 1 (14.25 oz. can) tomato sauce
- 1 (14.25 oz. can) diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- Italian parsley for garnish (if desired)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef. While it is cooking add in the minced onion and garlic. Brown completely and drain off any excess fat.
- Continue to heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta, Italian herbs, garlic salt and onion powder. Stir well to combine and add in the water. Bring the ingredients to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover skillet, and cook on medium low heat for 15-18 minutes or until pasta is cooked to al dente.
- Once pasta is cooked, add in the shredded cheeses and stir so that the cheese melt into the goulash. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve with additional shredded Parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of Italian parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I can vouch for the fact that this is a really tasty
recipe. We had some special guests last saturday and sunday so I gave it a go.
Your directions were so great and it did not take as long as I believed it
would to get ready. Many thanks for the amazing recipe
Looks really tasty! Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner Link up!
No boiling and draining the pasta? I love it!
Such a yummy dish. Anything with cheese is a winner. Thanks for sharing at DI&DI.
Looks delicious. Love the idea of only one pot!
Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!
I love one pot dinners that are easy to make. Thanks for sharing your recipe on Merry Monday.Pinned.
We love Goulash and your recipe looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Yum! Thanks for sharing at the #InspirationSpotlight Party.
Looks so tasty and featuring this week on Family Fun Friday!
http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/6-dinner-recipes/
Can you add the water to the ingredients list? Thanks
This looks so good! #happinessishomemade
That looks so good! I often make a similar dish but I like that yours is more saucy. Pinned.
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #ThursdayFavoriteThings this week. Visit me at https://www.marilynstreats.com on thursday morning to see your feature! All hosts choose their own features from the comments left on their blog so be sure to return to my blog to see your feature. I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please don’t forget to add your link numbers or post title so we can be sure to visit!
This looks absolutely delicious. I LOVE one-pot meals, but I don’t have many recipes. Thank you for sharing this one!
And thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
Yum! This looks absolutely delicious. I love one-pot meals, but I don’t have many recipes. Thank you for this one.
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
My mom cooked a similar dish when I was growing up and I always loved it. (What’s not to like about pasta!) I’m definitely pinning so I can give it a try.
Can you add fresh cut mozzarella cheese??
Absolutely you can.
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – have a wonderful weekend.
Ok – this is going on this week’s menu plan! Thanks for sharing!
it looks great! I have to try it! thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Congratulations!
Your awesome post is featured on Full Plate Thursday,447 this week. Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Pinning this! It looks delicious!
Loving the look of this and all for one-pot meals. Definitely on the list for a tasty mid-week dinner. #WhatsForDinner
Hi Erin!
This looks super yummy. I love a tasty one-pot dish. I’m letting you know that you’re one of my features this week at Homestyle Gathering. Thanks for sharing! I hope to see you at the party!
>>>Kim