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. I love this recipe! My husband asks me to make this on a weekly basis! I add a little bit of Cajun seasoning or Cumin (whatever I have on hand) for a little kick. It saves us so much time with our twins an still tastes great after being frozen. Once, the twins are old enough to eat it, I will take the spicy seasoning out.

  2. If you are using an 8 x8 pan, how many does it feed? I have 2 sons and a husband. .

    1. i am wondering this as well - does anyone know how many servings this makes?

  3. It would not let my Sincerest Thank You for all your hard work.
    Thank you most sincerely and keep those posts coming, your blessing us here in Northern California and you did not even know it! Please don't stop posting your recipes! I especially like the ones that freeze well!

    Just me, Donna

  4. Hello Joyful Momma! My bible study is enjoying your recipes since we have two families in need of food brought in.
    I found you through a Pinterest post! Thank you so much for all this wonderful cooking and baking you do! Keep up the great
    Work, we need some good cooks like you around! In fact we could use you on http://www.justapinch.com
    It's a great recipe site and I won a blue ribbon for my Tri tip steak recipe!

    There is only one thing I change about your recipes, I put all foods in the fridge to thaw till bake time due to
    Stomach upset from bacteria overload!

    Otherwise I going to enjoy your sight baking and cooking for the sick in my neck of the woods! You sure can cook!

  5. Divie up into muffin tins and pop out when frozen to store in ziplocks. Takes up less room in freezer and easier to portion control when reheating. Reheating can then be done in oven with 20 min thaw time or microwave.

  6. i doubled this recipe to make one for myself and one for a friend who is having a baby...it makes A LOT!!! I had to use a large stockpot to mix all the ingredients together. Just be prepared with LARGE bowls if you are going to double the recipe. It smells really good!

  10. We have a similar recipe that I grew up eating, as did my dad before me. It is seasoned with chili powder and a whole onion diced and cooked with the ground beef, and has an American cheese topping, but otherwise is very similar. We just call it "More" - when I asked why, I was told "because you want more when you finish it"

  12. So this is the first goulash recipe that is close to my family's goulash recipe. Only difference is that we use thin spaghetti noodles and mix in sour cream as well. We also do not add the corn! I really need to try it this way!

  13. Ang, yes, the noodles are uncooked when you measure out the 2 cups. I will edit the post to say that 🙂 Thanks!

  14. Silly question, but is it two cups elbow macaroni as measured after it's cooked, or two cups measured before you cook it? Thanks!

  15. If you don't want to use foil pans, when freezing casseroles I just line my pan with foil both ways, fill, fold the foil down and freeze. Once frozen solid, I remove from my pan, label and return it to the freezer. This way I don't have a pan sitting in the freezer when I need it.

    1. I was just thinking that I would need to go buy some of these foil pans and how much room they would take up in my freezer. GREAT idea! Thanks! I need my pans 🙂

  17. It also depends on what you freeze it in. If it is frozen in a bag, it will thaw fastest.

  18. I do like to put it either on the counter to thaw for 2 hours or in the fridge for the day to thaw. It will be still frozen in the middle but just up the cooking time a bit.

  19. How long do you plan for thawing? Do you just pop it in your fridge that morning you want it for dinner or do u pull it out an hr or so before you cook it. Trying to decide how much time to plan for thawing.

  20. This sounds yummy! Do you put the ground beef in uncooked? Might be making it this week 🙂 Thanks!

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