Jonny’s American Goulash

Jonny’s American Goulash–an easy weeknight Instant Pot dinner made with ground beef, elbow macaroni in a tomato base.

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Jonny’s American Goulash

Last week Skyler’s friend, Jonny, told me that I should make “American goulash” in the Instant Pot. I asked him what this was and he told me it’s something his mom and grandma make and he loves it. I’m always up for dinner ideas in the Instant Pot so I asked his mom if I could have the recipe. Here’s what she told me about it, “Of course! It’s nothing special. I’m not even sure if it’s actually goulash or if that just sounded like a good word to my grandma :). And I don’t actually have a recipe, but this is what we do! It’s 16 oz of macaroni noodles cooked until almost done and drained. Then returned to the pot. 1 pound of ground beef browned with one diced onion in with it. A couple cloves of diced garlic thrown in with the hamburger and onions when they are almost done cooking. Then dump the hamburger mixture in with the noodles. Pour in probably 2 quarts of tomato juice. My mom used to can it from our garden and that was the best but Campbell’s tomato juice works just fine. I haven’t tried V8 but it might also work? Then probably about 1 Tablespoon of dried parsley flakes and a generous amount of salt that is probably about 1 teaspoon and ground black pepper to taste. Warm it up until it’s bubbly but before the noodles are mush. I’ll sometimes need to add a bit more juice if it’s dry. It should be thoroughly moist but not much juice that is loose at the bottom. It is especially good the next day when it is reheated!”

This recipe translated perfectly into a one pot Instant Pot meal. I invited Jonny over to tell me what he thought about my version. He said he loved it and it was so good! I am happy to take that gold star from Jon and put it in my pocket. I hope you enjoy this too!

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Lean ground beef–I used 93/7. You can also use ground turkey.
• Onion–or shallot
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder–or 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
• Paprika–or smoked paprika if you like heat, but only use ½ tsp
• Tomato juice–V8 juice
• Elbow macaroni–or any small pasta like small shells or rotini
• Balsamic vinegar–or a splash of Worcestershire sauce
• Cheddar cheese–this is optional

Steps

Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onion. Brown for 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Pour in the tomato juice and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot. 

Sprinkle in the macaroni evenly, don’t stir.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. 

When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

Stir in the balsamic well.

Serve and enjoy! Top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired. 

Notes/Tips

• Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.
• Want more veggies? Stir in chopped spinach, shredded zucchini or canned/frozen corn after cooking.
• I used my 4 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3, 6 or 8 quart pot.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. This can be frozen, but the pasta will soften.
• Other recipes you can make with tomato juice are Instant Pot Southern Chicken Spaghetti and Italian Parmesan Pot Roast.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.