Goulash (Freezer Meal)

ByAlexis
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Let's make dinner easy!  This Goulash Freezer Meal is a one-pot meal ready to serve in 30 minutes and freezes wonderfully.

Large laddle with Goulash and text overlay for Pinterest

American Goulash {Freezer Meal & One Pot Recipe}

Beefy macaroni with diced tomatoes, corn, tender noodles, and tomato sauce perfectly seasoned.  Simple, easy comfort food the whole family will love.

This Goulash recipe is the ultimate comfort food at our house.  Made in one pot with just one pound of ground beef and basic ingredients and on the table in 30 minutes.

What is Goulash?

There are two types of Goulash.  Hungarian Goulash is made with meat and vegetables in a hearty stew and American Goulash is a nostalgic recipe like my Grammy used to make.  Most of the American Goulash recipes consist of ground beef, tomato-based sauce, and macaroni.  Think homemade Hamburger Helper.  We also always add sweet corn.

What spices are in Goulash?

I love using Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, and fresh garlic. I always add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity, and it really amplifies the sweetness of the corn.

Ingredients for American Goulash

I love that I ALWAYS have the ingredients on hand to make this easy go-to recipe.  Usually, the hardest part is remembering to thaw the ground beef 😂. 
White Cast Iron. Pot with Goulash and a large laddle holding a scoop of Goulash
  • 1lb lean ground beef
  • ¾ cup diced yellow onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced (about 1 ½ tsp)
  • ½ Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt {Lowry’s or Jonny’s}
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 15 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
  • 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning 
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni pasta
  • 15 oz can of sweet corn, drained 
  • Shredded cheddar cheese for serving

See the recipe card for detailed instructions and quantities.

I make my freezer meals 2 ways:

One way is to just make them all in a 2 day process. Compile my list, shop, and do meat prep. Then the next day I assemble them.

The other way I like to do it is over the course of a week or two. I buy the ingredients enough to double the recipes, then I make one for dinner and just double it and put one away in the freezer.

Then by the end of about 2 or 3 weeks, you have 10 meals frozen in the freezer ready to go for later. Your meals will do well in the freezer for 2-4 months. 

Freezer Foil Pan with Goulash label and instructions for baking

Instructions for Goulash Freezer Meal

Goulash has a funny name, but as a child it was one of my all time favorite meals.  I think all kids love this meal. 

  1. In a large Dutch oven or  heavy bottom pot, sauté ground beef, onion, and garlic until browned and fragrant.  This will take about 5 minutes at medium high heat. 
  2. Add in Worcestershire sauce and seasoning salt and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes (juice and all), tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and sugar to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Place lid on pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove lid, turn down to medium heat, and add uncooked elbow macaroni.  Keep lid off the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes stirring every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Remove pot from heat and stir in drained corn.  Cover with lid to warm through.
  6. Serve in a bowl and top of each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese.

How To Freeze Goulash

To Freeze the casserole, let it cool completely and freeze in a 9x13 pan.  Double wrap in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.  For best results, thaw the casserole completely and then bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until heated through.  You can add cheese on top the last 5 minutes for extra "wow" factor.

Storage

Store the leftover Goulash in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated.  This reheats wonderfully in the microwave.

Freezer meals are a great way to get ahead on meal prep during busy seasons.  My favorite recipes
for the freezer can be found below:

Do you need more One Pot Meal recipes?

I have 7 more that are wonderful:

American Goulash {Freezer Meal & One Pot Recipe}

By
Beefy macaroni with diced tomatoes, corn, tender noodles, and tomato sauce perfectly seasoned.  Simple, easy comfort food the whole family will love.
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Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, sauté ground beef, onion, and garlic until browned and fragrant. This will take about 5 minutes at medium high heat.
  2. Add in Worcestershire sauce and seasoning salt and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes (juice and all), tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and sugar to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place lid on pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove lid, turn down to medium heat, and add uncooked elbow macaroni. Keep lid off the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes stirring every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Remove pot from heat and stir in drained corn. Cover with lid to warm through.
  6. Serve in a bowl and top of each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese.
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34 Comments

  1. This look SO good! And easy! I just wish there was a picture so I can pin it and come back to it for my once a month cooking.

  2. Do you have any idea what the cooking time would be straight from the freezer. Would be making it for new parents and as you know, even planning to thaw out food for dinner can seem daunting with a new baby in the house! Thanks! 🙂

  3. I'm from Czech Republic where goulash is almost a traditional meal and I've got to say that the original recipe is completely different.

    1. yes, this is a very "Americanized" version. I've never heard it called anything else, so I'm not exactly sure where the crossover came from

  4. Question for ya -- I've read not to freeze noodles because they turn to mush? Therefore, I typically don't make any type of casseroles WITH noodles for any kind of freezer meals...though I'd really love to. Do you cook them al dente or do you jsut cook them til their done? Curious.

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