Pressure Cooker American Goulash
A quick and easy, family friendly Pressure Cooker American Goulash recipe. Whether you make this in your Crockpot Express or other brand of electric pressure cooker, this is one meal your family will ask you to make again and again.
Today’s post is a guest post by Nicole Burkholder. Nicole blogs at Simple and Seasonal and created this Pressure Cooker American Goulash using her Crockpot Express pressure cooker. Take it away Nicole:
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Crockpot Express / Pressure Cooker American Goulash
Authentic Hungarian Goulash (also spelled Gulyas) has very little in common with American Goulash. We had a sweet little Hungarian lady in our church years ago, and she would make Goulash for potlucks. It had rich flavors and a deep red color. She even made fresh pasta dough to add to the soup before serving.
This Crockpot Express American Goulash is not anywhere on the level of it’s overseas cousin, but it is delicious, kid-friendly and quick.
My name is Nicole Burkholder and my website is called Simple and Seasonal. I publish recipes, household tips and ideas for kids with a special emphasis on making holidays special all year long. I love a good party!
Lately, I’ve been publishing lots of Crockpot Express recipes because I’ve just fallen in love with this amazing appliance!
The Crockpot Express is very similar to the Instant Pot.
It has the same basic functions and works in the same way. There are a few differences, though.
- The Crockpot Express has a non-stick inner pot instead of stainless steel.
- CPE does not have a “manual” button-instead you select a preset button and then adjust the pressure or time if needed
- CPE comes in the 6 quart size only
- From my experience, the CPE seems to cook a bit faster than the IP
- CPE is less expensive than IP
Please come visit me at Simple and Seasonal for more great Crockpot Express recipes or just ideas for making life simpler and holidays happier! If you’re already a Crockpot Express owner, we’d love to have you join our Crockpot Express Community on Facebook.
Crockpot Express American Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups large elbow macaroni (dry)
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Press Brown/Saute (then start) and add the ground beef, pepper, garlic and onion. Cook on high until the meat is browned and crumbled. Press Start/Stop. Drain excess fat. Return meat mixture to the pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, set the steam release valve to closed. Press Steam (high pressure) and adjust time to 4 minutes.
- When cooking cycle is done, do a quick pressure release. Open the lid and stir. Remove the bay leaves. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 721mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 20g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
Thanks Nicole for sharing what you love about the Crockpot Express Pressure Cooker with us. This Pressure Cooker American Goulash recipe looks like a must try.
I also need to try your Crockpot Express Spaghetti, Crockpot Express Refried Beans, and Crockpot Express Apple Fritter Cake.
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Love, love, love this dish! Known as “goulash” when I was growing up. We still call it that.:), Thank you! Have a good week too.
That’s so great to hear – thanks Beth!
I made this recipe tonight as my first attempt at using the Crock Pot Express I received this Christmas. I did change a couple of things up. Since I’m allergic to basil, I of course left that out, and by some oddity I only had about a cup of elbow noodles left in the pantry, so I substituted medium shell pasta instead and added 4 minutes to the steaming time. Dinner turned out wonderfully and my husband loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s great – thanks Tracy!
Hello! I made this tonight, not exactly to the recipe. I had nearly 2 pounds of ground beef, no green peppers, and had a jar of marinara, not 2 cans of tomato sauce. I think it was less saucy than the photo, but it still tasted great! Oh, and I had whole wheat pene, not elbow macaroni. It was super easy and fast, and I’ll definitely add this to the repertoire 😋 Thank you for your contribution.
Thanks Jessica – glad it was a hit!
Please, I beg of you, change the name of this dish. I am an American living in Budapest for the past 15 years. Gulyás is a soup typically made from beef, sometimes pork. Your recipe, and it is quite similar to something I make, chili mac, can’t be even considered gulyás because it is missing a critical element, paprika (which is the Hungarian word for pepper).
It would be like making Chicken Marsala with dry, white wine. Hungarians laugh at us for not being able to make such a simple soup. Please, call it something else.
Thanks for the info Haywood. Sorry I won’t change the name, but agree paprika would be a great addition. Enjoy!
As mentioned in the very first paragraph of this post, it’s not anything like it’s Hungarian namesake. We are well aware of that, however, for some reason that’s how this type of recipe has come to be known. It’s also called American Chop Suey, Chili Mac and several other colloquial names. We aren’t trying replace or even mimic the original-it’s just an homage. 🙂
Ideas on modifications to use cabbage instead of the pasta? Thanks.
Hi Cheryl – You won’t need as much water if you’re not using the pasta, so I would reduce the water to 1 cup and then at the end if you need to, you can thicken the dish with a cornstarch slurry.
Just made this for dinner tonight. It was simply delicious. My husband loved it. I made it in my IP and used the steam button and adjusted to high pressure for 4 minutes. Should I have used the manual button for high pressure adjusted to 4 minutes on the IP, or are they both about the same? I was a little unsure of what setting to use on the IP. It turned out perfect using the steam button. Your Electric Pressure Cooker cookbook is my go to book. I have suggested it to anyone who has asked for my opinion on what cookbook to get. Thank you for your website and book.
Thanks Jan – glad you enjoyed it. Manual and Steam are about the same. Steam heats up without cycling on and off as much but once they’re at pressure they cook the same.
Just made this, sooo delicious, super fast & easy! Thanks Nicole & Barbara for sharing! For those with smaller pots (I use a 3 qt. IP), the recipe halved perfectly. The only change I made was I used rigatoni because that’s all I had similar to elbows & I used Rotel instead of diced tomatoes because I just can’t help myself, ha!
It was so fun learning about the Crockpot Express & the CEX vs IP comparison chart was so very helpful Nicole, very well done! Your star sliders are screamin’ cute & I want to try your recipe. Great website & thanks!
I love that you made it already. Thanks for sharing your tips on making it in the Mini Jan.
Wow, that was FAST! I’m so glad you liked it (even if you did use Rotel instead of diced tomatoes.) 😉 I appreciate the note on halving the recipe as well!
Nicole, this looks delicious and I’m sure it is.
Any ideas of the changes one would make to create an authentic Hungarian Goulash like that “sweet little Hungarian lady” used to make? I’m looking for a more authentic version of the goulash.
Thanks.
This is the recipe straight from our church cookbook (it’s poorly written as far as recipes go, but it should give you a good place to start!)
-1 pound beef (no details on what kind, but it’s NOT ground beef. That’s an insult to the recipe. 🙂 Stew meat would be good.
-1 large onion, chopped
-oil for sauteing
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tbsp. red paprika powder (this is different than regular paprika, and is found in all Hungarian Goulash. It’s bright red and adds a robust flavor)
-1 tsp salt, pepper
-pinch of thyme
-3 carrots, diced
-4 medium tomatoes, diced
-3 stalks celery, diced
-1/2 green bell pepper, diced
Water
Cut up meat into small pieces. Saute onion in oil for 1 minute. Add the meat, garlic, salt and pepper, red paprika, thyme and 1/2 cup of water. Now, here’s where it gets tricky. The recipe also says “tomato juice” in there, but there’s NO tomato juice listed in the ingredients, and most Hungarian goulash does NOT use tomato paste or sauce. There are just the fresh tomatoes. So your guess is as good as mine when it comes to what that means. Maybe she used tomato juice (like V8 or something) as some of the liquid because hers was more like a soup.
So, decide what to do with that, then simmer on low for 1 hour, adding water in small amounts as needed. After an hour, add vegetables, more water if needed, and cook until veggies are done. Add pasta and cook for 5 more minutes.
Pasta for soup: 2 eggs, 1 1/2 c. flour; make a very hard dough (Ha! I have no idea what that means, so good luck) 🙂 Tear into small pieces and add to soup.
Have Fun!!!
Great recipe! Easy and delicious!
That’s great – thanks Carolyn!
That’s my kind of meal. My Mom used to make something like this back in the day and called it “American Chop Suey”. She did it on the stove top so hers was drier. It was definitely a dish of “comfort” that’s for sure. Your goulash looks delicious!
That’s a fun name. It’s my kind of meal too. Thanks Carol!
I almost called it that, but more people seem to know it as Goulash. (It’s supposedly regional.) I don’t care what you call it, as long as it tastes good. 🙂
Thank you so much for allowing me to share this recipe with your community of readers!
Thank so much for sharing it Nicole!