The Best Venison Goulash Recipe For Ground Meat
As a young girl one of the meals that I remember my grandma making was goulash. While she made it with a little bit of this, and a bit of that, this hearty venison goulash recipe reminds me of her. Even better, this American venison goulash is a one-pot meal, making it easy to create a hearty meal that’s perfect for a cold winter’s day (or any time of the year).
What is American goulash?
Like many classic American dishes, American goulash is a far cry from it’s Hungarian recipe roots. American goulash is typically made with ground meat, most commonly ground beef, a tomato-based sauce and elbow macaroni. Hungarian goulash is more like a thick broth based stew with plenty of Hungarian paprika.
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Why use ground venison?
Philip is an avid hunter, working hard each year to ensure our freezer is always full of plenty of deer meat. Venison is an extremely lean protein. To make ground venison a little easier to cook with, we add 20% fat to it as we process the harvest. While venison is our go-to protein for this recipe, it’s delicious with ground pork and
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
How to Make Venison Goulash
First thing you need is a large pan. I use a large 12″ cast iron skillet. I’ll warn you, this pan is barely large enough to make this dish. However, I prefer using it because I like a pan with a lot of surface area. If you don’t have a large skillet, use a stock pot instead. Even in my large skillet, I add water slowly, one cup at a time, and allow the water to be absorbed by the pasta before adding more.
Chopped onions and minced garlic.- After ground venison is cooked through, add 1 cup of water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and spices.
- Add elbow macaroni to the sauce.
- Stir occasionally. Add more water as the pasta absorbs it.
- The last cup of water has been added; notice how full the 12″ skillet is.
- Finished venison goulash.
Comfort Food All Year Long
Venison goulash is a hearty, “warm-you-up” meal that’s perfect for winter. However it’s one of the staple dishes in our menu rotation! It’s a great meal for a crowd that everyone loves!
Our Favorite
Venison Recipes
FAQ
Ground beef is the most common substitution. However, any ground meat will work! Try ground pork, ground chicken, or any other wild game you choose.
YES, traditional goulash is made with cubed beef shank.
Personally it’s not my preference. Fully cooked noodles don’t freeze well. If you want to batch this recipe for freezing, I have two suggestions.
Option 1: Preparing a venison goulash base: include the ground venison, onions, garlic, canned goods and seasoning, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Save the water and elbow macaroni for the day you plan to serve. Later defrost the base, heat on medium-high heat, add the water and macaroni, and cook as usual.
Option 2: Prepare as described in the recipe; however, cook the pasta to al dente. On serving day, defrost and cook on medium high heat until the pasta is fully cooked.
Sure. If you’re looking to slip in a few veggies that may go unnoticed, grated carrots or zucchini can be added.
Yes they can, but limitedly. Tomatoes are acidic and may strip the seasoning from a cast iron pan.
Venison Goulash
Equipment
- large skillet or stock pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground venison or your preferred ground meat
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups water divided
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
- ¼ tsp italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- sprinkle of fennel optional
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to your skillet. Add diced onions and garlic. Took until the onions until translucent.
- Add ground venison and cook until meat is cooked through.
- Add 1 cup of water, 30 ounces of canned tomato sauce, 29 ounces of diced tomatoes, and spices. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni. Continue cooking on medium-low heat. Stir on occasion. As the pasta absorbs the water and the sauce begins to thicken, add additional water one cup at a time for a total of 3 cups of water. Cook until the pasta reaches your desired doneness, about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves, top with cheddar cheese and serve.
Nutrition
About the Author: Barbra-Sue Kowalski grew up on a small hobby farm. She was always drawn to farm life, however, she was stuck in an urban life far from her roots. Barbra-Sue was a single mom for 13 years, raising her 3 children on her own. She met Philip in 2018 and they married in 2021. Between the two of them, they have 5 grown children and 7 grandchildren. These empty nesters are following their dreams! As they both turn 50, they are building their off-grid homestead to live the life that they dream about. Learn more about Philip and Barbra-Sue here. Contact them here. To leave a comment on this post, please scroll down.
This venison goulash is the definition of comfort food! While we love it all year long, it’s a hearty meal that warms you up on a cold winter’s day!