Instant Pot American Goulash

American pressure cooker goulash with ground beef, tomatoes, and elbow macaroni.

Instant Pot American Goulash

American-style goulash with ground beef, elbow macaroni, tomatoes, green bell pepper, and onion. The pasta cooks in the sauce in one pressure cooker.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 249kcal

Author Gary White

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
½ cup yellow onion diced
½ cup green bell pepper diced
3 tsp. sea salt divided
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic minced
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 lb. elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped

Instructions

Using sauté setting - add beef, onions, peppers, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to cooker. Cook until meat is thoroughly browned, stirring frequently to break up meat.
Then add Worcestershire and garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, and sugar. Mix well. Finally, add pasta, then chicken broth. DO NOT STIR. Close lid and set manual timer for 3 minutes at high pressure. (Time could be different based on the pasta you choose. Divide time on box in half, then subtract 2 minutes.)
Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure and open lid. Add parsley and mix well. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Spread the pasta over the tomato and beef mixture, then pour the chicken broth over the pasta. DO NOT STIR. Keeping the tomato mixture and pasta from being stirred down against the bottom helps reduce the chance of a burn notice.
I recommend using lean ground beef for this recipe, meaning no more than 10% fat. And the reason for that is so that you don't need to drain the beef after it's browned. However, if you use ground beef that's 15% or higher in fat, you may want to drain off about half of it.

Can I use ground turkey instead of beef? Absolutely, yes. And there's not really any modification that you will need to make.

Can I use gluten-free pasta? Yes, gluten-free pasta can work with this method, but timing and texture vary by brand and shape. Use the package cooking time as a starting point for the pressure-cooking adjustment in the instructions. Rice-based pasta can absorb more liquid as it sits; add a splash of chicken broth when reheating leftovers if needed.

Why is there sugar added to this recipe? Tomatoes are very acidic. We add sugar in order to help balance the flavor. Almost all of the store-bought tomato-based pasta sauces in grocery stores add sugar for this very reason. So there is a purpose, but you can leave it out for dietary needs.

Nutrition