Slow Cooker Goulash Recipe (2024)

This slow cooker goulash is a quick-to-put-together American-style goulash that cooks slowly without oversight and turns out so delicious and hearty. Forget blah and bland - this is an incredibly flavorful goulash that will have your family begging for seconds!

Makes a hearty, satisfying meal that's great served with a side salad and bread of your choice. I suggest you try my yummy Cheese Toast and Mediterranean Cucumber Salad.

💖 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Easy - Like most slow cooker recipes, this Crock Pot goulash is so easy. All you need to do before throwing it in the slow cooker is brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic - then you let your slow cooker do all the work without checking on it until time to add the pasta and cheese. Just as easy and delicious is my Chicken Divan Crock Pot recipe.
• Everyone Loves it - Because it's full of pasta and chunks of meat and loaded with cheese - that's why! All my pasta recipes are crowd pleasers!
• Satisfying - This pasta dish really sticks to your ribs, and you and your family will come away from the table completely full and satisfied.

🥘 Ingredients

What You'll Need for Slow Cooker Goulash:

Ingredient Notes:

• Ground beef: I recommend 80/20 ground beef, which means it has no more than 20% fat content. Having some fat increases the flavor, but you will be removing most of the fat. The higher the fat content, the less meat you have once it's cooked.
• Cheese: I used sharp cheddar in this recipe, but you could use any cheese that melts readily and your family likes. Consider Pepper Jack for a spicy kick, Swiss, or Gouda. I wouldn't use mozzarella, as it just doesn't have as much flavor as these other cheeses.
• Pasta: I used rotini pasta, but you could certainly use any short pasta you have on hand such as elbow macaroni, penne, or shells. I love the way the sauce and cheese fills in the creases of the rotini.

(See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions)

📖 Substitutions / Variations

• Cheese: Feel free to use a different cheese if you'd like, such as pepper Jack, Gouda, or Swiss - as long as you know it will melt readily and your family likes it.
• Meat: Although this is a beef goulash slow cooker recipe, you can use ground turkey in place of the ground beef if desired. Just make sure to add a bit of oil to the pan before browning since ground turkey is low in fat.
• Onion & garlic: You can use powdered onion and garlic in place of fresh if you want to save some time and/or use what you have in your pantry. I would substitute 2 teaspoons of onion powder and ½ teaspoon of garlic powder for the fresh in this recipe.
• Herbs: You can use oregano, marjoram, and basil as listed in the recipe card, or you can use any Italian seasoning blend that you have on hand. Likewise, if you don't have any of the herbs listed, you can add more of another. For example, if you don't have basil or marjoram, you can use 1 Tablespoon of oregano (3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon).

🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Add the ground beef, onions, and garlic to a large skillet.

Step 2: Cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic mixture until the meat is browned and the onions and garlic are softened. Drain off any excess fat.

Step 3: Add meat mixture, salt, black pepper, paprika, oregano, basil, marjoram (or Italian seasoning mix), tomato paste, diced tomatoes (un-drained), and broth, and stir to incorporate. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 5-6 hours.

Step 4: During the last 30 minutes of cook time, you will add the uncooked pasta and turn the heat down to low (if it was on high). Cover and let cook 30 minutes.

Step 5: Once pasta is done, turn heat off, add the shredded cheese, and cover for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melty.

Step 6: Serve right away with your favorite bread and side salad.

(Scroll down for full recipe and print capabilities)

💭 Expert Cooking Tips

• It's better to brown the ground beef before adding to the slow cooker. This will give you a nice browned meat that doesn't brown as readily in the slow cooker, and you will have the chance to drain off any excess fat.
• For the pasta, it's best to add it to the slow cooker uncooked. It will cook nicely in the broth and come out very flavorful. If you add cooked pasta to the slow cooker, your meal will end up with too much liquid.
• Also, for the pasta, since it doesn't take long to cook, you should wait to add it during the last 30 minutes of cook time. If you add the pasta at the beginning of the cook time, it will get too done and be very mushy.

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