Hearty Goulash Soup with Ground Beef

Brown the beef and onions first—the second part is when it gets interesting.

Why You’ll Love This Beef Goulash Soup

Takes 42 minutes total and feels like it took way longer because it tastes so deep. Not a quick-fix soup. Actual comfort food soup.

Pasta goes in at the very end so it doesn’t turn into mush. Macaroni stays with a bite. That matters.

The smoked paprika does something most soups don’t—it adds a warmth that sits in the back of your mouth. Not spicy. Just there.

Works cold the next day, maybe better. Flavors keep settling.

One pot. Cleanup is actually nothing.

What You Need for Beef Goulash Soup

Two pounds ground beef. Not lean. You want the fat to render and carry flavor.

Yellow onion—one medium, diced. White works. Red doesn’t. Just doesn’t.

Three garlic cloves minced. Not a garlic press. Minced so they break down into the broth instead of staying as chunks.

Six cups beef stock. Homemade is better. Store-bought works fine either way.

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes undrained—keep the juice. One 15-ounce can tomato puree. One tablespoon tomato paste. They layer differently. All three matter.

Frozen corn, one cup drained. Canned works. Fresh is too watery.

Worcestershire sauce—one tablespoon. Soy sauce doesn’t taste the same. Don’t swap it.

Smoked paprika two teaspoons. Regular paprika is flat. Not worth it.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. More than the teaspoon-and-a-half listed—you’ll need extra at the end.

Elbow macaroni one and a half cups. Tiny pasta breaks apart. Bigger shapes don’t distribute right. Elbows are the shape.

Cheddar cheese optional but not really. Sharp cheddar. The mild stuff dissolves into nothing.

How to Make Beef Goulash Soup

Get a large pot and set it to medium heat. Brown the ground beef with the diced onion—six to seven minutes, stirring sometimes but not constantly. You’re waiting for the pink to disappear and the onion to go soft and smell sweet. That smell is when you know it’s close.

Drain the fat. All of it. Grease in the broth makes it slick and dulls everything else. You can save a little bit if you want—there’s enough fat in the beef itself—but drain most of it out.

Put the pot back on medium. Add the garlic, stir constantly. Forty-five seconds to a minute, just long enough for it to bloom in the fat and smell different. Stop before it browns because brown garlic is bitter garlic. You’ll feel the timing after the first time.

Pour in all six cups of beef stock. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon—get all those brown bits up. They’re where the taste is. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, the tomato puree, and the tomato paste. Stir it all together. The paste will seem stubborn at first but it melts in.

Corn goes in next—one cup, drained. Worcestershire sauce after that. One tablespoon. It doesn’t taste like much on its own but it deepens everything.

Smoked paprika. Two teaspoons. Stir it in so it doesn’t clump. This is what makes it taste like goulash instead of just tomato soup.

Salt and pepper now—a teaspoon of kosher salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. You’re going to taste it at the end anyway so don’t oversalt right now.

How to Get Beef Goulash Soup to the Right Texture

Watch for a rolling boil—big bubbles breaking the surface, steam coming up. That takes maybe five minutes depending on your stove.

Once it boils, stir in the elbow macaroni. Turn the heat down to medium-low. A gentle simmer now, not a raging boil. A raging boil will splash the sides and also overcook the pasta before the broth gets its flavor right.

Cook uncovered for about 12 minutes. Start checking the pasta at eight minutes. You want tender but with a tiny bit of bite—what people call al dente but honestly just means it doesn’t feel mushy. That bite makes it taste fresh instead of sad.

Taste the broth while the pasta cooks. It should taste savory and a little acidic from the tomato. If it’s too sharp, a tiny pinch of sugar or a teaspoon of honey will calm it. Not sweet—just balanced. Add salt and pepper bit by bit at this point. You can always add more.

Beef Goulash Soup Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t skip draining the fat after browning the beef. Sounds annoying but it’s the difference between something you want to eat and something that coats your mouth.

The pasta goes in late on purpose. If it goes in with the liquid from the start, it gets mushy and absorbs too much broth. Timing matters here.

Smoked paprika is specific. Regular paprika tastes like nothing. If you can’t find smoked, honestly just buy it online. One container lasts forever.

Tomato paste in a tube is worth it. A can that you open and use one tablespoon from is a waste. Get the tube.

Corn should be drained. Canned or frozen both work but drain either one or the soup gets watery.

Don’t walk away from the garlic. That minute when it’s sizzling—stay there. Burnt garlic ruins it.

Hearty Goulash Soup with Ground Beef

By Emma

Prep:

20 min

Cook:

22 min

Total:

42 min

Servings:

12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 6 cups beef stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes 28 ounces, undrained
• 1 can tomato puree 15 ounces
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen corn drained
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more
• 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese optional

Method

1. 1 Brown ground beef with onions in a large pot over medium heat until no pink remains; onions soften and smell sweet, about 6–7 minutes. Drain fat thoroughly to avoid greasy soup; too much oil makes broth slick and dulls flavor. Return beef and onions to pot over medium heat.
2. 2 Add garlic, stir constantly. Listen for that sizzle and smell the garlic start to bloom in the fat—about 45 seconds to a minute only, no browning or it turns bitter.
3. 3 Pour in beef stock. Stir to deglaze pot; scrape up browned bits stuck to the bottom—they carry depth. Add diced tomatoes with juice, tomato puree, and tomato paste. Stir to combine; tomato paste melds acidity, thickens broth subtly.
4. 4 Toss in drained corn for bursts of sweet crunch that cut richness. Splash Worcestershire sauce—balances savory notes, adds umami that deepens slowly.
5. 5 Add smoked paprika; gives smoky warmth, more aromatic than plain. Season with salt and pepper cautiously now—you can adjust later.
6. 6 Bring soup to a rolling boil. Watch for big bubbles breaking the surface, swirling the pot for even heat distribution.
7. 7 After boiling, stir in macaroni. Lower heat to a moderate simmer—you want gentle bubbles, not a furious boil which splatters and ruins pasta texture.
8. 8 Cook uncovered for about 12 minutes; test the pasta texture often after 8 minutes. It should be tender with a bit of bite, no mush. Memorable bite means you’re done.
9. 9 Taste broth—add salt and pepper bit by bit, adjusting depth. If too acidic, a pinch of sugar or honey calms it.
10. 10 Serve hot, ladled into bowls, topped with cheddar if you want creamy dairy richness melding with spice. Fresh cracked pepper over cheese adds great contrast.

Nutritional information

Calories

365

Protein

25g

Carbs

28g

Fat

15g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Beef Goulash Soup

Can I make this soup without the pasta? Yeah. It’s still a beef soup with corn and tomatoes. Works. Tastes more like a regular beef stew that way. The pasta is what makes it goulash soup specifically but nothing stops you from leaving it out.

How long does it keep in the fridge? Four days easy. The pasta keeps absorbing broth, so it gets thicker. You can add water back in if it’s too thick. Freezes okay too—just thaw and reheat.

What if I don’t have smoked paprika? Then it tastes like beef tomato pasta soup instead of goulash soup. Regular paprika doesn’t carry the same weight. Worth a trip to buy it if you have time. If not, skip it and add a teaspoon of Worcestershire instead.

Can I use ground turkey or chicken? Chicken tastes too light for this. Turkey might work but it changes the whole thing. Beef is the flavor here. Don’t bother with a swap.

Should I brown the beef separately? You could. Most people don’t need to. Browning it in the pot with the onions saves a step and tastes just as good. The onions start rendering fat as soon as they hit heat so the beef has enough fat to brown properly.

Can I add other vegetables? Celery or carrots would work. Add them with the onion so they cook the full time. Bell peppers get mushy so add them at the end if you want them. The corn is doing the vegetable sweetness already though so you might not need more.

What does the cheddar do? Melts into the hot soup and makes it creamy. Sharpness cuts the tomato acidity. It’s optional but recommended. Mild cheddar disappears and tastes like nothing. Gruyere would work too if you have it.