This easy, budget-friendly chili mac goulash can be ready in 30 minutes or less and it’s definitely a classic worth making any night of the week! So tasty and comforting!
This is an excellent recipe smash up of chili and goulash together.
Both always reminds me of the days when I was younger at home and we had it often, because it was filling, cheap, delicious and it went a long way to feed a family of 6 nicely, with some additional second helpings!
This Chili Mac Goulash is very versatile!
OMGoodness, let us count the ways! So many ways to enhance the flavors just by increasing spices or changing up the cheese to a blend of mozzarella and cheddar or monterey jack!
Add in extra spices like taco seasoning, cumin, black beans, corn, and a mexican blend of cheeses, for a southwestern flare. Top with some sliced jalepenos and some sour cream to take it next level!
Cooking the macaroni separate from the rest of dish is our preferred method when making this dish because it needs to be cooked al dente or a little under cooked.
A lot of recipes will have you add the pasta to the pot so you have a one pot meal. Besides the pasta getting mushy, you also have to deal with constant stirring to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan, making it high maintenance in my book!
Cooking the pasta separate, you can control the pasta not becoming mushy, especially if you have leftovers you’re warming up later. Mushy pasta of any kind just ruins the whole dish and no one wants that! Do you?
To Cheese Or Not To Cheese?
You don’t have to add the cheese at all if you don’t want to. If you want to watch the cheese intake, each person can add cheese separately for how much cheese they want. Then just pop it into the microwave to melt it.
Otherwise, just sprinkle cheese over top of your chili goulash and cover with the lid for a minute or two, or until the cheese has melted and serve.
You can also put this dish in a 9×13 dish and add the cheese on top and bake it to the get the cheese bubbly on top.
We like this dish a little soupy once it’s made, because after sitting, the juice from the chili goulash sucks up into the macaroni. If you want a heartier sauce, add in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. It will make it thick and sticks to the pasta nicely.
Try this Country Classic Chicken Rivel Soup, this Easy Turkey Spanish Rice, this Awesome Tuna Casserole, and this Smoked Gouda Sundried Tomato Mushroom Pasta for some more heart-warming comforting food!
I’m sure you’ll agree this Quick Chili Mac Goulash is perfect for those busy week nights. Don’t forget the butter bread on the side! It’s the best!
Quick Chili Mac Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 small onion diced
- ½ green pepper diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 20 oz + 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce puree or crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth can also use water
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups elbow macaroni pasta cooked al dente (measure out 2 cups uncooked macaroni, then cook it)
- 1 can dark red kidney beans drained well
- 1 to 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or cheeses of choice
- Optional add-in ingredients: 1 teaspoon cumin seasoning black beans, pinto beans
- Toppers: Fresh chopped green pepper onion, jalepenos , sour cream, monterey jack cheese, mexican cheese, parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare water for macaroni and do not overcook, should be a al dente. Drain macaroni and set aside.
- In a large pan, brown ground beef or ground turkey with salt and pepper over medium heat.
- Drain excess fat.
- Add onion, green pepper and garlic and seasonings and cook until vegetables are slightly tender.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, seasonings and kidney beans to meat mixture and bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer while stirring occasionally, until the chili thickens (about 10 minutes).
- Add cooked macaroni, stir well and continue cooking for a minute or two
- Sprinkle cheese over top of your chili goulash and cover with the lid for a minute or two, or until the cheese has melted and serve, or let person add as much cheese they would like and microwave.
- Serve with any additional add-ins you would like and don't forget the butter bread!
Notes
Can substitute chopped onion for 2 teaspoons onion powder.
If you want a heartier sauce, add in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. It will make it thicker and sticks to the pasta nicely.
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