Goulash, eaten at the Yule Ball, has many varieties. This recipe is hearty comfort-food at it’s best made in only one pot for easy cleanup.
Jump to RecipeGoulash is one of the foods that is mentioned briefly in Harry Potter but never described further. During the Yule Ball, Professor Dumbledore orders pork chops by talking to his plate. The only other item that we know must have been on the menu that night was goulash. A few paragraphs later, Harry is laughing into his plate at a comment Dumbledore makes to Professor Karkaroff.
Harry snorted into his plate of goulash.
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Goulash is one of those dishes that can be made in a variety of ways, depending on where you are from and what style you are cooking. Being in the United States, I made an American version of the dish. I’m sure it’s a bit different than what Harry would have eaten at the Yule Ball.
Goulash originated in Hungary and was more of soup than a stew. Almost everywhere else you go in Europe, goulash is a rich stew with hearty meat in it. Either way, goulash always has paprika in it. Of course, being American and the way things tend to work here, our goulash doesn’t use paprika, and we use cheap meat (ground beef) instead of the steak that most Europeans use.
Goulash in the United States is a comfort food that originated in the midwest and the south using simple ingredients thrown together in one pot. Every American goulash recipe I’ve seen has elbow macaroni in it, which is a massive deviation from the Hungarian original.
Whether you agree with changing so much from the original or not, this Americanized version is absolutely delicious! You can make it in one pot, and the leftovers reheat for lunch with no problem!

Goulash Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 30 oz diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 30 oz tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 16 oz elbow macaroni (uncooked)
Preparation
To make American goulash, brown the ground beef in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Make sure it’s cooked all the way through and no longer pink. If you used meat with high fat content, you might need to drain the meat. I always buy the leanest meat possible, so there was so little fat I didn’t worry about draining it.

Add the onion and garlic to the meat and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until they are soft and the garlic is fragrant.

Throw in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, and uncooked macaroni noodles. Mix everything together and bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the stew simmer, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and soft. Remove the stew from the heat and serve immediately! You could also add a dollop of sour cream or a bit of mozzarella cheese to the top if you want.


Recipe
Originally Published On: June 23, 2018
Last Updated On: July 27, 2023

Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 30 oz diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 30 oz tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 16 oz elbow macaroni (uncooked)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven brown ground beef over medium heat until cooked through
- Drain any excess grease and add the onion and garlic
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is soft and garlic is fragrant
- Add all other ingredients and mix well
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low
- Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until macaroni is cooked
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately
- Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or mozzarella cheese if desired
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More Harry Potter-Inspired Recipes to try
- Butterbeer: A Harry Potter Party Essential
- Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
- Crystallized Pineapple: A Sweet Treat with Only 3 Ingredients
- Harry Potter’s Treacle Tarts Recipe: Sweet and Vegan
- Canary Creams from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes
- Sorting Hat Cupcakes
- Sweet and Creamy Butterbeer Ice Cream
- Soft and Sweet Treacle Fudge
- Rock Cakes that Won’t Break your Teeth
- Paczki: Polish Doughnuts
- Pumpkin Juice
- The Welcoming Feast Roast Beef
- One-Pot Goulash
- Kreacher’s French Onion Soup
- Nearly-Headless Nick’s Deathday Cake
- Chocolate and Caramel Cockroach Clusters
- Dumbledore’s Apple and Sage Pork Chops
- Pumpkin Pasties from the Hogwarts Express
More Pasta Recipes with Red Sauce
- Chicken Tortellini Skillet Dinner with Pasta Sauce
- Pasta Sauce: Homemade in under 30 minutes
- Simple Tomato Basil Chicken Pasta Recipe with Hidden Carrots
- Meaty Marinara Sauce in the Slow Cooker
- Spaghetti with Homemade Meatballs
- Baked Ziti
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Herbed Tortellini (or Ravioli)
- Easy Chicken Parmesan
- One-Pot Goulash
- Classic Stuffed Shells
Great recipe! Goulash is definitely one of our favourite winter comfort foods and I love the fact that there are so many different variations to enjoy!
This was our first time making it and I really liked the recipe!
I love me some ONE POT WONDERS!!! I am so going to try this, with spaghetti squash! 🙂
Oh that sounds good, too! One-pot dinners are the best!
I’ve never has goulash but it looks like the perfect comfort food! Will try it!
I hadn’t before making this, too. There are so many variations, but I really enjoy this one!
One pot meals are my favorite!! I’m not great in the kitchen and I love a delicious simple meal.
I love one-pot meals, too. Simple and not many dishes to clean up when you’re done!
This looks so yummy! And something my kids actually love! I will have to try this recipe.
XO-Lisa
It’s always a winner if the kids will eat it!
We make a variation on this theme that I learned from my mama, who learned it from HER mama – but I want to try yours sometime, because it looks tasty as well! 🙂
Family recipes are the best! This was our first time trying it and I was impressed.
this reminds me of my trips to budapest and austria! The are obsessed with goulash and I can totally see why. So hearty and filling!
I bet it’s so good there since it originated in that area!
Being a mom of 4, one pot meals are a huge life savor for me. It likes one of those meals that just warms your soul on a cold winter night.
I hear ya! And this makes a lot already, so it would be enough for a big family, too.
This is something my kids really would like. Plus I am liking anything that is one pot on the stove top this summer./
It’s such an easy meal to put together, and one pot meals are the best!
This is one of our favorite meals in my house – Its so yummy
We’ve had it a few times and it’s such a great meal.
Mmmm I could totally veganize this & make a simlar dish! I will have to try this recipe in the coming weeks. I cant help but love any dish with pasta in it!
I have made it a vegan recipe before when my vegan friend was over. I like having the beef to make it a bit heartier for us, but it was still delicious without it, too.
This is a dish I would be happy to have time and time again. It looks absolutely delicious. I know I would love it with my daughter.
It’s such a great dinner. For only two people, I would cut it in half. Or just know you’ll have leftovers to reheat the next day.
I’ve heard of Goulash tbh but I never tried it before! I would love to make it, seems so delicious.
I wasn’t so sure what it was when I first made it, too, but it’s really good!
I havent had this befre but it looks like something I would love! Love the little ramekins!
It was new to me when we made it, but I loved it! The ramekins were a Christmas gift last year and we’ve used them so much since then.
This looks so delicious! I know my kids will love it and I love that it is made in one pot!!
One-pot meals are some of my favorite! They are so easy and I hate washing a lot of dishes after dinner.
ohh this sounds delicious! Definitely something I would want on a cold day. I love that you’ve remembered it from one line in Harry Potter!
It’s so perfect for cold weather! I’ve read HP so many times, I know all the little lines 🙂
Oh my goodness! I would love to try this recipe. Perfect for the weekend recipe. Yummy!
It’s such a great, warm meal, perfect for the colder weather.