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+ servings
white bowl filled with pasta in red sauce

One Pot Goulash

Natalia-Flavorful Home
This one-pot goulash is the easiest comfort food you can serve at the dinner time! This is the perfect recipe for these days when life gets busy but you still want to put a homemade meal on the table.
5 from 3 votes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion (large Vidalia, sweet kind)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 lb pasta Conchiglie shell-shaped pasta
  • 26 oz finely chopped tomatoes
  • 24 oz Passata sauce
  • 2 cups cheese cheddar

Instructions
 

  • Cooking meat. Turn the instant pot to "saute" settings. Add ground beef and diced onions and cook until browned but still slightly red. Break large chunks of meat with a wooden spoon. Turn the "saute" mode off. Add water, salt, and Italian seasoning, stir.
  • Adding pasta. Add uncooked raw pasta, add a layer of diced tomatoes, and passata. Using a spatula slightly press pasta down so it's covered with sauce but avoid stirring.
  • Pressure time. Cover the pot and seal the lid. Set the setting for 4 minutes on high. It will take time for pressure to build up. Once it beeps, turn the pot off, release the air following the instant pot instructions. Open, stir, taste to make sure it has enough salt. 
  • Serve. Add grated cheese and serve.

Notes

Amount of meat and pasta. I like to make this recipe using two pounds of meat. Feel free to adjust based on your preferences. 
Pasta choice. I used an orecchiette pasta shape; feel free to use macaroni or fusilli. 
For best texture, make sure that meat is still slightly red and not completely cooked when adding pasta.
The amount of liquid is important since pasta will absorb a lot of it.
To avoid mushy pasta, do a manual release after the timer is up: avoid letting pasta sit in the sealed pot longer.
For firmer pasta, set the Instant Pot to cook for 3 minutes instead. 
Since beef has plenty of flavorful fat that we are not draining, we are not using additional oil and using water instead of broth.
This recipe makes enough food to feed 8-10 people; adjust it accordingly. The Instant pot pressure time will still be the same.

Nutrition

Calories: 509kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 28gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 662mgPotassium: 539mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 332IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 223mgIron: 3mg
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