Goulash packs satisfying flavors in a single pot

Did you love Hamburger Helper as a kid? This onepot dinner is basically a homemade version that checks all the comfortfood boxes: saucy macaroni, crumbles of ground beef and generous pockets of creamy, melted cheddar.

When you hear the word “goulash,” there’s a chance you envision something a little different than a pot loaded with ground beef and macaroni. That’s because there are two distinctly different styles of goulash: classic American goulash and Hungarian goulash.

American beef goulash is what you see here: a one-pot meal made with ground beef, pasta, tomato sauce and cheese. Hungarian goulash, on the other hand, is more of a stew, prepared with cubes of beef (often chuck roast) and vegetables swimming in a paprika-kissed tomato broth.

Here are a few tips for making beef goulash:

Swap the water for broth.

While some onepot pastas call for water, this version swaps in broth to bring even more flavor to the table. Beef or chicken broth both work well here; use whichever one you have handy.

Don’t forget to stir.

After adding the macaroni to the pot, don’t forget to give it a good stir every once in a while, and scrape the bottom and corners of the pot. This will guarantee that the pasta doesn’t stick or clump together.

Grate the cheese yourself.

It can be tempting to grab a bag of cheddar to minimize prep, but the pre-shredded stuff contains stabilizers, which means it doesn’t melt nearly as well. You’ll have much better results if you start with a block of cheese and grate it yourself.

JOE LINGEMAN This one-pot goulash is easy to make on a busy weeknight.