The Old-School Dinner You Can Make In One Pot

Even for people who love cooking, preparing an entire meal can sometimes feel like a bit much, especially at the end of a long day. This is a big part of why one-pot meals are so popular with people who don't have a lot of time or energy for cooking but still need to put something on the table. And one easy, old-school dish is due for a comeback.

American goulash derives its flavor from savory beef, beef broth, rich tomatoes, diced onions, and peppers (and sometimes Worcestershire sauce), cooked with dry macaroni elbows. Cooking everything in one pot isn't just for convenience; it's crucial for the pasta to soak up the juices of the other ingredients as it cooks for the perfect flavor.

American goulash may be an underrated classic, but as the modifier suggests it is not originally from the United States. The American dish is a simplified derivative of goulash, a traditional Hungarian stew of beef, hearty vegetables, and a lot of paprika — enough to tint the broth a deep red, similar in color to the American version's tomato sauce.

If you think the ingredients in American goulash sound familiar, you may have grown up eating something quite close to it. The fascinating story of Hamburger Helper began in the 1970s, but the basic formula for many of these boxed meals is remarkably similar to American goulash: dry pasta, ground beef, and seasonings, which all cook in a tomato sauce.

In recent years, American goulash has become one of those budget meals that people rarely make anymore. However, sales of American-goulash-adjacent Hamburger Helper has seen a recent spike amid the ever-rising price of groceries (much like the economic conditions during its 1971 national debut), so perhaps this old school classic is due for a comeback.

Despite the availability of Helper, making American goulash from scratch is not particularly difficult. Start with our one-pot American goulash recipe, and tweak to your preference as you become more familiar with the dish.