I am always on the hunt for the very best slow cooker recipes. And this Crock Pot Goulash will not disappoint!
This beef goulash is comfort food at its finest and you will not be disappointed, I can 100% guarantee that!
The Best Goulash Slow Cooker Recipe Ever!
Ok, you guys know that I love myself a delicious Crock Pot recipe, right?? This Goulash Crock Pot recipe is one slow cooker beef recipeslow cooker beef recipe that my family raves over!
And, what’s nice is that since I make my goulash recipe with the sauce separate from the noodles, it’s super versatile, too.
To mix things up, you could even serve part of the crockpot goulash sauce with the cooked noodles, and save part of it to cook over a Crock Pot Baked Potato Bar, Bratwurst, Hotdogs or spaghetti noodles.
The sauce is also delicious with some cheddar cheese mixed in – like uber-delicious!
This is also changing things up a bit because I find that I love to make recipes for ground beef in Crock Pot because I most often turn to chicken. So, if you also love to find ground beef crock pot recipes, this is a great one to pin for later and come back to (or add to your menu this week!)
More Crock Pot Dinners we love:
 The BEST Crock Pot French Dips |
 Crock Pot Ravioli Lasagna |
 Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo |
 Crock Pot Philly Cheesesteaks |
Slow Cooker Hamburger Goulash Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
1/4 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 green pepper, diced
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup water
24 oz pasta sauce
28 oz diced tomatoes canned, do not drain
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon seasoning salt, or to taste
3 cups pasta noodle shells (shape of of your choice) uncooked
Directions: How to make Crockpot Goulash:
Brown ground beef, onions and garlic until no pink remains, drain away the fat.
Add ground beef mixture to Large Crock Pot, I used a 6-Quart Crock Pot. Add all remaining ingredients except the uncooked shells.
Cook in the slow cooker on high for 2 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
Prepare shells al dente according to package directions. Drain well and stir into meat sauce. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes to heat through.
Enjoy!
*If the cooking time doesn’t leave you enough time to have it cook while you’re gone during the workweek, have the sauce cook on a weekend day and assemble the Goulash for your Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night meal! The leftovers are even better than day of!
** When I was making this recipe and taking my pictures for this post, I was making a double batch. So, for one batch, you could get by with using a 4-Quart Crock Pot.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
Ground beef
Two pounds, browned and drained. That is a lot of beef on purpose. This recipe makes a big batch of sauce that stretches across two or three meals.
Onion, garlic and green pepper
A quarter of an onion, three cloves of garlic, and one diced green pepper. The pepper is what makes it taste like the goulash from a church supper.
Tomato paste, pasta sauce and diced tomatoes
Six ounces of tomato paste, a twenty four ounce jar of pasta sauce, and a twenty eight ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juice. Three kinds of tomato give it body and depth.
Worcestershire and Italian seasoning
A tablespoon of each. The Worcestershire is the savory note that makes people ask what is in it. The Italian seasoning is the herbs.
Seasoning salt and pepper
A teaspoon of seasoning salt and an eighth of a teaspoon of pepper, both to taste. The jarred sauce has salt too, so taste before you add more.
Pasta shells
Three cups of uncooked shells, boiled separately. Shells catch the sauce in their cups. Elbows and rotini work too.
Step by Step, With the Details
Brown and drain
Cook the beef, onion, and garlic in a big skillet over medium high until no pink is left. Drain the fat well. Two pounds of beef gives off a lot of it.
Everything into a six quart crock pot
Add the beef mixture, green pepper, tomato paste, water, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt, and pepper. Stir until the paste dissolves.
High for two or low for four to five
Lid on. Two hours on high gets it done for dinner. Four to five on low works if you start at lunch.
Cook the shells
Boil the shells al dente during the last fifteen minutes, drain them well, and stir them into the sauce.
Ten minutes to come together
Lid back on for ten minutes so the shells heat through and take on some sauce. Serve it with shredded cheddar on top.
Why the Pasta Cooks Separately
Pasta cooked in the sauce absorbs it and swells, and the leftovers turn into a brick. Cooking the shells on the stove keeps the sauce loose and the pasta with some bite.
It also means you can keep the sauce and the pasta separate in the fridge and use the sauce for other things, which is half the reason to make this much.
Cheese on Top
A handful of shredded cheddar over each bowl, stirred in so it melts. Some people in my house want it. Some want it plain. Set the bag on the table.
Other Ways to Use the Sauce
Over baked potatoes
A scoop over a split baked potato with cheddar is a full dinner. This is what the crock pot baked potato bar is for.
On hot dogs and brats
Spooned over a grilled hot dog or bratwurst in a bun with onions. It is a chili dog without making chili.
Over spaghetti or spaghetti squash
It is a chunky meat sauce, so it works over any pasta. Over roasted spaghetti squash it is a low carb dinner the kids still eat.
Easy Variations
Italian sausage
One pound of ground Italian sausage in place of one pound of the beef. It adds fennel and a little heat.
Ground turkey
Two pounds of ground turkey works. Add a half teaspoon more seasoning salt, because turkey is milder.
Corn or beans
A cup of frozen corn or a can of drained kidney beans stirred in with the pasta. It stretches the pot and adds a vegetable.
A little heat
A quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the Italian seasoning, or hot sauce at the table.
Leftovers, Reheating and Freezing
In the refrigerator
Store the sauce and the shells separately for up to four days. The sauce is better on day two.
Reheating
Sauce in a pan over medium with a splash of water, shells added at the end. Or everything together in the microwave with a splash of water.
Freezing
The sauce freezes well for up to three months in flat bags. Cook fresh shells when you thaw it. This is the batch I freeze in halves.
Questions I Get About This Recipe
Can I use elbow macaroni?
Yes, three cups uncooked. Elbows are the classic goulash pasta. Shells just hold more sauce.
Can I cook the pasta in the crock pot?
You can stir in dry pasta for the last twenty to thirty minutes on high with an extra cup of water. It works, but the leftovers are thick. The stove is better.
Why is mine watery?
The beef was not drained, or the lid was lifted a lot. Lid off on high for fifteen minutes at the end cooks off the extra.
Can I halve it?
Yes. Halve everything in a four quart crock pot with the same time.
What is the difference between this and Hungarian goulash?
Hungarian goulash is a paprika beef stew. American goulash is this, ground beef and tomato sauce with pasta. Both are good. Only one is ready in two hours.
More Crock Pot Beef Dinners
- Crock Pot Baked Ziti
- Cheesy Beef Goulash
- Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak
- Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
- Easy Crockpot Lasagna
Slow Cooker Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1/4 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 green pepper diced
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 24 oz pasta sauce
- 28 oz diced tomatoes canned do not drain
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt or to taste
- 3 cups pasta noodle shells uncooked (shape of of your choice)
Instructions
- Brown ground beef, onions and garlic until no pink remains, drain away the fat.
- Add ground beef mixture to Large Crock Pot, I used a 6-Quart Crock Pot. Add all remaining ingredients except the uncooked shells.
- Cook in the slow cooker on high for 2 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- Prepare shells al dente according to package directions. Drain well and stir into meat sauce. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes to heat through.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Other dinners you might like to try: