Ground Beef and Noodle Goulash

Although there’s nothing authentically Hungarian about this dish, it’s a reasonable replication of the dish called goulash that was a favorite in the ’50s and ’60s in North America, often served at roadside diners. Once the ground beef’s been cooked, chop it into small chunks (instead of shreds) so the dish is more like a casserole rather than a stew. There’s nothing like good paprika. It has a peppery flavor and isn’t just a red coloring agent. You need not (and probably shouldn’t) use “hot” Hungarian paprika here, but a better bottling of ground paprika will make all the difference. If your paprika is more than a year or so old, trade up!

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Dinner, Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

30-60 min

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook

Keywords

30-60 min, 4-6 servings, beef or chicken broth, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, contributed, cook 27 min, diced tomatoes packed in juice, dinner, easy, fennel seeds, frozen ground beef, main course, max pressure cook, mild paprika, modern, no‑yolk, or gluten-free dried egg noodles, prep 5 min, pressure cook, regular, stemmed and minced fresh oregano leaves, table salt, whole jarred roasted red peppers

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

27 min

Servings

4-6 servings

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes packed in juice
2 cups beef or chicken broth
2 whole jarred roasted red peppers
1 tbsp mild paprika
2 tsp stemmed and minced fresh oregano leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp table salt
1 lb frozen ground beef
12 ounce regular, no‑yolk, or gluten-free dried egg noodles

Instructions

Stir the tomatoes, broth, red pepper strips, paprika, oregano, fennel seeds, and salt in an Instant Pot. Set the chunk of ground beef into this sauce. Lock the lid onto the pot.
Option 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 12 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Meat/Stew or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 15 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. The valve must be closed. Option 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Meat/Stew or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 15 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. The valve must be closed.
Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back tonormal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Use the edge of a large metal spoon and a meat fork to break the ground beef chunk into small, bite-sized bits, about like tiny meatballs. (The meat will still be pink or red inside.) Stir in the egg noodles and lock the lid back onto the pot.
Option 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 3 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Meat/Stew or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 4 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off. The valve must be closed.
Use the quick-release method again to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Stir well before serving.

Notes

Beyond
• For a richer stew, stir up to 1/2 cup heavy or light cream into the goulash after opening the cooker in step.
• Or for brighter flavor, stir up to 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar into the goulash after opening the cooker in step 7. (But do not use both cream and vinegar— the cream will curdle.)
• Add up to 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables: Scatter them over the top of the dish after you stir in the noodles in step 7. (That way, they’ll steam on
top of the dish without dropping the temperature of the sauce too much.
• Garnish the servings with ground black or red pepper, if desired.

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