Instant Pot American Goulash

Ladle of Pressure Cooker Goulash over Instant Pot.

Instant Pot American Goulash

Super simple, hearty, and flavorful meal - perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

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 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

Once you add your liquid to the pot (in this case chicken broth), add the pasta on top, and then DO NOT STIR! Here's why... As the pasta begins to cook, it will absorb the liquid and expand in size. If too much of the pasta is touching the bottom of the pot, you will definitely get a burn notice. Even if it's not actually burning.
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! It cooks exactly the same way. The only difference (other than taste) that I've noticed is after the pasta is cooked. I find that gluten-free pasta absorbs much more liquid than traditional wheat pasta, especially those made with rice. So the longer it sits, the drier the dish becomes. When using gluten-free pasta, I recommend adding some chicken broth before reheating the leftovers.

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