American Chop Suey is a classic New England comfort food consisting of ground beef (or lighten up with turkey), vegetables and a tomato base. If the name isn't familiar, you might know this recipe as Goulash.
I use elbow macaroni in my chop suey but feel free to make it your own by using any short pasta shape. Shells might work well!
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I don't know what it is about the combination of ground meat and pasta but even picky kids tend to eat it. Case in point, my Taco Pasta and my Cheeseburger Pasta are my kids absolute favorite dinners. So, it is really no surprise that American Chop Suey is a kid favorite too!
A quick note about the name, American Chop Suey. This is what I grew up knowing this recipe to be called. It was only as an adult that I learned it is a New England thing. The rest of the country call it American Goulash. Throw a third option in the mix which is Hungarian Goulash which typically is cubed beef. Moving through this post I will be calling it American Chop Suey.
The reason I love this recipe is that I make it more of a kitchen sink type recipe. Somewhat of a "clean out the fridge" recipe. I try to sneak in as many vegetables as I can.
Mushrooms about to get tossed, throw them in.
Zucchini not looking like it can last another day? Toss it in.
Make it your own. This is pretty much the point behind the blog tagline right? "I'm JUST Cooking". It means, don't always follow the rules, don't be afraid to make it your own.
If you want to lighten this up a little bit, use ground turkey. If you still want that beefy flavor, use ground beef. My kids don't notice the difference so I typically use ground turkey.
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American Chop Suey (Goulash)
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Cup diced yellow sweet onion
- 2 Cloves garlic minced
- 1 Rib celery finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 4 Ounces mushrooms chopped
- 1 Pound ground turkey or lean ground beef
- 14½ Ounces can stewed tomatoes not drained, or can use diced
- ¾ Cup tomato sauce or leftover pizza sauce
- 6 Ounces tomato paste
- ½ Teaspoon paprika
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ¼ Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 16 Ounces elbow macaroni prepared to according to package
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or pot. Add onion, celery, pepper, garlic and mushroom (or whatever vegetables you choose). Cook, stirring occasionally, 3-5 minutes. Add ground turkey, stirring to break up the meat and cook until no longer pink in the center. If using beef, drain fat from pan before moving on to next step if needed.
- Add stewed tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, paprika, salt and pepper, stirring well to combine.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer, covered for about 10 minutes.
- Add drained pasta to pot and mix well to coat all pasta and serve.
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