Veggie Loaded Beef Goulash
Comfort Food with Veggies
For weeknight dinners, who doesn’t love a big bowl of comfort food? This one pot American goulash feels so reminiscent of meals from when I was younger. The spiced tomato meat sauce with macaroni shaped noodles is something little Laura would have adored. The difference between this recipe and the goulash of my younger years: this one is loaded with lots of sneaky vegetables. My mom would be so proud! I’ve substituted the paprika that’s typically in goulash with fresh, chopped red bell pepper, added extra moisture with shredded zucchini, and then I added chunky diced tomatoes for extra texture. It’s a meal that I am so happy to incorporate into our weeknight rotation. Who wouldn’t want a meal to serve their family that’s filled with protein and veggies?
Veggie Loaded Beef Goulash Recipe Tips
When you make this American style beef goulash loaded with sneaky veggies, here are a few tips to make it extra delicious:
- I like to keep the onion and red bell pepper diced very small for this recipe. That way the ingredients almost melt into the sauce, giving you a perfectly seasoned bite with every forkful.
- The noodles should still be a bit “al dente” or have a little bite to them when you finish cooking them. They’ll continue to cook for another minute as you stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, meaning they could easily overcook during this step. If they’re slightly under when you stir in the cheese, they’ll be perfectly cooked through when you’re ready to serve!
- When picking your ground beef for this recipe, opt for the meat to fat blend you typically grab for when cooking. I’m a fan of the 85/15 or 90/10 ratio if you need a suggestion on what to buy if you don’t cook with ground beef often!!
Recipe Details
Kicking off this recipe requires a bit of prep work. All of those delicious veggies chopped or shredded to help create a delicious base to the tomato sauce or cook quickly into the dish. Once your veggies are prepped and your other ingredients are measured, you can begin the cooking process!
To begin, you’ll sweat the chopped onions, red bell pepper, and garlic in a large dutch oven. Sweating the onions allows them to soften without gaining any brown color. This creates a sweet layer of onions and peppers that will almost melt into the sauce when it’s done. To this vegetable base, you will add the beef and chili powder to begin browning the beef. Once the beef has gained color and has cooked through, it’s time to add the next vegetables (or fruit): the tomatoes. I’ve added tomatoes in two ways, first with tomato paste. Adding paste to begin creates a really deep tomato flavor right away. Once the tomato paste has deepened in color, you will add the shredded zucchini and dried pasta noodles and toss both to coat in the sauce base.
Once your base is complete you’ll add the liquid to bulk up the dish and cook the pasta. This includes a can of diced tomatoes, vegetable or beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and a bit of milk. Let this mixture simmer until the flavors meld and the noodles are just about cooked. Take the dutch oven off the heat and stir in a bit of cheddar cheese, if you’re interested, and then you’re ready to serve! Divide the goulash into 4-6 servings and store any leftovers in the refrigerator. I hope you love this dish as much as I do! If you make this one pot American goulash I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
One-pot American goulash with ground beef and loaded with extra veggies, this dinner comes together with minimal dishes and in about 30 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight meal.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 lb short noodles, like macaroni
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 cup vegetable or beef broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese, optional
Preheat a dutch oven or large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat the olive oil and then add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic to the saucepan. Sweat until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Crank the heat under the pan to medium and add the beef and chili powder. Break up and brown the beef, about 5-7 minutes.
Add in tomato paste, and stir to coat the beef. Cook until the color of the tomato paste darkens slightly, about 2-3 minutes.
Pour the grated zucchini and short noodles. Toss to coat in the vegetables.
Add in the chopped tomatoes,worcestershire sauce, broth, and milk. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer the pasta, stirring often, until the noodles are cooked through, about 8-9 minutes. Once it’s done simmering, taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper levels as needed.
Take off the heat and stir in the shredded cheddar cheese if you’re opting to use it. Once the cheese has melted, divide into bowls and enjoy right away!
