Easy Goulash in the Instant Pot
Have you ever heard anyone call a meal “Americnaized?” There is no better example of Americanizing food than goulash. In fact, we can enjoy this dish by making an easy goulash in the Instant Pot.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipes: This easy Instant Pot recipe comes together with almost no effort at all.
- Feeds a Crowd: Most pasta recipes are perfect for families since they produce a good amount to share, just like this one.
- One-Pot Meal: We can brown the ground beef using the sauté setting, making clean-up a breeze.
- Quick Recipe: This easy goulash in the Instant Pot is good any night of the week.
What is the difference Between American and Hungarian Goulash?
Easy goulash in the Instant Pot is an American goulash version filled with flavor and makes a hearty meal picky eaters can enjoy. Goulash comes from the Hungarian gulyás. However, it has multiple names, like American chop suey or simply American goulash.
The question is, how was this dish “Americanized?” The dish originates in Hungary and is even a symbol of the country. The earliest use of the recipe recorded is from the 9th century when shepherds would make a meat and veggies stew.
Traditional gulyás is made with pork lard, onions, Hungarian sweet paprika, stew beef, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, beef broth, bay leaves, and crushed caraway seeds. This stew is hearty and filled with flavor, which is the best part.
However, Americans took the recipe and replaced the potatoes with macaroni noodles, removed some of the veggies, and called it beef goulash. It is an easy recipe that still provides people with a comforting meal.
American goulash uses ground beef, though the California version uses sirloin steak, cubed and broiled. Ground meat is not only cheaper but easier to work with, hence why it is used in American goulash.
Hungarian goulash uses any sort of beef; we would call it stew meat at the grocery store. Essentially, it is just chunks of beef in the stew. This Instant Pot goulash recipe calls for ground beef. However, you can switch it up if you’d like to try something different.
Use stew meat, ground turkey, beef cubes, ground chicken, or stick with lean ground beef. American-style goulash is comfort food that sounds perfect to the entire family for dinner tonight.
Traditional Hungarian goulash is still worth trying, but it is almost unrecognizable in the American version. History buffs may like to know that the first American goulash recipe was printed in a 1909 California newspaper.
Then, we advanced in technology, and thus, we have a pressure cooker goulash with this easy goulash in the Instant Pot. Try this version, and it will become one of your family’s favorite recipes.
Instant Pot Goulash Ingredients
- Olive Oil – Browning the meat in your Instant Pot needs a little push from some olive oil.
- Ground Beef – Ground beef is the meat we use in this easy goulash in the Instant Pot recipe. However, you can substitute almost any meat you like.
- Yellow Onion – We need to keep some veggies in the recipe. Onions will add some flavor and bulk to the dish.
- Garlic – Garlic is pretty much in every recipe that is savory. It is easy to work with and very forgiving.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Yup, this pasta dish requires Worcestershire sauce. It helps make these pasta dishes savory and delicious.
- Italian Seasoning – The savory sauce can benefit greatly from some Italian seasoning.
- Paprika – Traditionally, sweet Hungarian paprika would be the best bet. However, that isn’t in every grocery store. Regular paprika will get the job done.
- Diced Tomatoes – Diced tomatoes help compliment the dish with a bit of acidity.
- Tomato Sauce – We want a classic pasta sauce base so we use tomato sauce to give us that.
- Macaroni Pasta – Any type of pasta can be used here. Macaroni is the traditional American way.
- Beef Broth – Beef broth is not something you usually find in a pasta sauce. However, it adds more savoryness to this dish.
- Shredded Cheese – Give us an example of a savory pasta dish that doesn’t benefit from cheese. Go on, we’ll wait.
- Parsely – Parsely ties everything together. However, this is optional.
- Salt and Pepper to Taste – Lastly, we can’t disappoint Gordon Ramsay. We must season our food, which means salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Easy Goulash in the Instant Pot
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add olive oil, ground beef and chopped onion and sauté until meat is brown.
- Add garlic, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined for about 2 minutes.
- Turn off sauté mode and, add diced tomatoes tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Next, add macaroni pasta and beef broth, and do not stir. Make sure the macaroni is covered with liquid. You may add a little water if needed, but only to the top of the pasta.
- Place the lid on the instant pot and make sure the valve is sealed.
- Press the pressure cook button and set it to high for 5 minutes. The instant pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure, and then it will cook for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release with the pressure valve at the top with a spoon. Make sure pressure is released, and then open the lid.
- Stir in cheese and garnish with parsley if preferred. Enjoy!
How to Store Leftover Goulash
This is a dish that won’t hold well in the freezer. It is best to store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. You can still enjoy it the next day, but you should aim to finish it within 3-4 days. Instant Pot pasta won’t be as great after that.
Easy Goulash in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Lb Ground Beef
- 1 Small Yellow Onion
- 2 Tsp Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Can Tomato Sauce
- 1 Lb Macaroni Pasta
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheese
- Chopped Parsley (Optional)
- Salt u0026 Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Turn Instant pot to sauté mode. Add olive oil, ground beef and chopped onion and sauté until meat is brown.
- Add garlic, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, paprika and salt and pepper. Stir until combined for about 2 minutes.
- Turn off sauté mode and add diced tomatoes u0026 tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Next add macaroni pasta and beef broth and do not stir. Make sure the macaroni is covered with liquid. You may add a little water if needed but only to the top of the pasta.
- Place the lid on the instant pot and make sure the valve is sealed.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high for 5 minutes. The instant pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and then it will cook for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release with the pressure valve at the top with a spoon. Make sure pressure is released and then open the lid.
- Stir in cheese and garnish with parsley if preferred. Enjoy!
Notes
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