This Healthy Goulash recipe is the ultimate comfort food. This goulash is easy to make, delicious and perfect for a busy weeknight or a cozy Sunday dinner at home.
This healthy goulash is the ultimate comfort food and one of those quick dinner ideas that you will want to make over and over again. It just goes to show you that you can have those favorite dishes that make you feel good and still eat healthy at the same time.
This goulash is perfect with a large, green salad on a cold winter night. Oh and maybe a glass of this Slow Cooker Mulled Wine or this Spiked Apple Cider.
This recipe is part of my cookbook, The Everything Wheat-Free Diet Cookbook. If you like my cookbook, please leave me a positive review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
This healthy goulash recipe is actually one of those meals that my whole family will eat and actually enjoys. My kids are all really great eaters, but they each have one or two things that they can be picky about.
If you want some other healthy dinner recipes, you will love this Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup, Healthy Mexican Casserole and Creamy Cauliflower Soup!
Why You Should Make This Healthy Goulash
This healthy goulash is one of those dishes that looks like your spent hours preparing it, but it really is super easy to make. And it's so versatile, you can use any type of macaroni you'd like, any cheese you'd like and whatever seasonings you have in the house.
This healthy yummy goulash is lightened up from the typical classic version and less inflammatory since it's gluten free. Remember, portion size is still important even when dishes are made healthier.
This is also one of those recipes that freezes really well and can be reheated easily on those busy weeknights. I like to freeze portion controlled goulash in individual containers and just pull one or two out for a quick dinner.
This helps prevent overeating (which is easy to do with this!) and makes it more convenient. My kids can also take one serving of this goulash out of the freezer, defrost and heat up on their own.
Recipe Ingredients for This Healthy Goulash
- Ground beef - I like to use 90% lean, 100% grass fed organic ground beef for the best quality and taste. You can easily substitute ground chicken or ground turkey if you'd like.
- Tomato sauce - Read your ingredient list on your tomato sauce. I buy this one that is organic and contains no added sugar or salt.
- Diced tomatoes - Same as the tomato sauce above, please read the ingredient labels. I use these organic diced tomatoes.
- Soy sauce or liquid aminos
- Worcestershire sauce - Make sure that the one you use is gluten free. My favorite is this one.
- Sharp cheddar cheese - I like to buy a block of cheddar and shred it myself. It's really easy to do and it's super fresh. Also, some pre-shredded cheese contains some additives and fillers.
- Elbow macaroni - I use this gluten free elbow macaroni but any one that you like would be perfect in this goulash.
Related Recipes
Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Keto Chili Mac from All Day I Dream About Food
Gluten Free Zucchini Ravioli from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Gluten Free Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Mama Knows Gluten Free
Please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram! Thanks for stopping by!
Healthy Goulash
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef ground chicken or ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 cups water
- 2 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce gluten free
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup white sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups elbow macaroni gluten free
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, cook and stir the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown, about 10 minutes. Skim off excess fat, and stir in the onions and garlic.
- Cook and stir the meat mixture until the onions are translucent, about 10 more minutes.
- Stir in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, paprika, dry mustard and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the macaroni, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and top with shredded cheese. Mix well and serve.
AnnMarie Johansson
How much salt ?
Lauren Kelly
I would say salt to taste- basically meaning use how much as you like. You don't even need to add any if you don't want, it's flavorful enough without it.
Matt
I love a good goulash recipe and this one is fantastic! It is so flavorful and super easy to make. The ultimate comfort food indeed.
Sha
This is soooo good! So hearty and even the picky loves it!
Anna
What is the size of a serving?
Lauren Kelly
There are 8 servings so I usually divide them into 8 right after it's cooked. Thanks for stopping by!
Journa Liz Ramirez
This goulash recipe is one of our go-to comfort food recipes. It is so easy to make and satisfyingly tasty. Excited to make this must-try recipe again!