Goulash (Keto, No Pasta, 9g Net Carbs)
- Total time
- 1 hour 5 minutes
- Makes
- 6 servings
- Net carbs
- 9g
- Calories
- 518
American goulash is the one-pot dinner a lot of us grew up on: ground beef, onion and garlic simmered in a thick tomato sauce, with elbow macaroni cooked right in the pot. It is cheap, it is filling, and it tastes even better the next day.
The macaroni is also where nearly all the carbs are. A classic recipe lists about 29g of carbs a serving. This goulash keeps the beef, the tomatoes and the herbs exactly where they belong and uses shredded cabbage in place of the pasta. The cabbage turns soft and silky in the sauce and gives every spoonful something to chew on. A generous serving comes to 9g net carbs.
Two things decide how good the pot is. Let the sauce simmer for its full 20 minutes before the cabbage goes in, so the tomatoes lose their raw edge and the herbs soften. And add the cabbage at the end, for 5 to 10 minutes only, so it stays in strands instead of cooking down to mush.
Why This Keto Goulash Works
Cabbage stands in for the macaroni. Shredded thin, it wilts into the sauce in minutes and carries it the way pasta does. Ten ounces of cabbage in the whole pot has fewer carbs than a single cup of cooked macaroni.
The beef fat stays in the pot. The onion and garlic cook in it, which is where a lot of the flavor comes from. With no pasta to soak anything up, that richness is what makes the dish feel like a full dinner.
Two kinds of canned tomato. Tomato sauce makes the base smooth and thick. Diced tomatoes add pieces to bite into. Neither needs any added sugar.
Soy sauce deepens the sauce. A tablespoon and a half disappears into the pot and leaves a savory, slow-cooked taste behind. Nobody will pick it out.
Recipe Overview
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Net Carbs: 9g per serving
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
| Ground beef | 2 lb | 80/20 |
| Yellow onion | 1 large | Chopped |
| Garlic | 4 cloves | Minced |
| Canned tomato sauce | 1 can (15 oz) | No sugar added |
| Canned diced tomatoes | 1 can (14.5 oz) | With their juice |
| Soy sauce | 1½ tbsp | Or coconut aminos |
| Dried oregano | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried basil | 2 tsp | |
| Bay leaves | 2 | Dried |
| Kosher salt | 2 tsp | Plus more to taste |
| Black pepper | ½ tsp | |
| Green cabbage | 10 oz | Shredded |
| Sharp cheddar cheese | 1 cup | Shredded, for the top |
Use 80/20 ground beef. The fat is part of the sauce here. Leaner beef works, but the pot will taste a little flatter and the numbers in the card will change.
Read the tomato sauce label. Plain canned tomato sauce should list tomatoes, salt and spices. Some brands add sugar, and jarred pasta sauce often does.
Shred the cabbage thin. Ten ounces is about a quarter of a large head. Cut out the core and slice the leaves into ribbons about as wide as a pencil, so they soften in a few minutes. A bag of plain shredded cabbage works too.
Go easy on the salt at first. The soy sauce, the canned tomatoes and the cheese all bring salt of their own. Two teaspoons of kosher salt is a safe start. Taste at the end and add more if the pot needs it.
Recipe Timing
| Stage | Time |
| Chop the onion and garlic, shred the cabbage | 15 minutes |
| Brown the ground beef | 8 to 10 minutes |
| Cook the onion and garlic | 8 minutes |
| Bring the sauce to a boil | 3 to 5 minutes |
| Simmer, covered | 20 minutes |
| Cook the cabbage in the sauce | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Melt the cheese | 2 to 3 minutes |
| Total | About 65 minutes |
How to Make Goulash, Step by Step
1. Brown the beef
Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with the back of a spoon, until no pink is left. Do not drain the pot.
2. Cook the onion and garlic
Stir in the chopped onion and the garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Build the sauce
Add the tomato sauce, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the soy sauce, oregano, basil, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir well and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
4. Boil, then simmer
Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat. Then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will darken a little and thicken.
5. Add the cabbage
Stir in the shredded cabbage. It will look like too much at first, and it sinks into the sauce within a minute or two. Simmer for 5 minutes if you like the cabbage with some bite, or up to 10 minutes for cabbage that is soft like cooked pasta.
6. Melt the cheese and serve
Take the pot off the heat and fish out the bay leaves. Sprinkle the cheddar over the top. If your pot is oven-safe, slide it under a hot broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese melts. If it is not, put the lid back on and let the pot stand for about 5 minutes instead. Spoon into bowls and serve hot.
Tips and Variations
- Do not rush the simmer. Twenty minutes with the lid on is what turns canned tomatoes and dried herbs into a sauce that tastes cooked.
- Keep the heat low once the lid is on. A thick tomato sauce catches on the bottom of the pot if it boils hard. Stir it a few times.
- Use zucchini instead of cabbage. Chopped zucchini is the other common stand-in for the macaroni. It needs longer, about 20 minutes in the simmering sauce, to turn soft.
- Add bell pepper. A diced green bell pepper is a classic addition. Put it in with the sauce ingredients. It will add a few carbs.
- Use ground turkey. It is leaner, so add a tablespoon of mild oil to the pot before you cook it.
- Skip the cheese for a dairy-free pot. The goulash underneath is complete without it.
- Like cabbage with beef and tomato? Our keto cabbage rolls put the same three things together in a baked dish.
What to Serve With Goulash
Goulash is a meal in a bowl, so the sides can stay simple. The classic partner is cornbread or garlic bread for wiping the bowl. For a low-carb table, a square of keto cornbread made with almond flour does the same job.
Something cold and crisp is good next to a rich, tomatoey dish. A green salad with a sharp dressing works, and so does a spoonful of creamy keto coleslaw on the side. A little sour cream on top of each bowl is another easy finish.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: let the goulash cool, then store it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Like most tomato and beef dishes, it tastes even better on day two.
Reheat: warm it in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, until it is hot all the way through. Add a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened. A single bowl reheats well in the microwave.
Good to know: the cabbage keeps softening as it sits in the sauce. If you plan to eat the goulash over several days, cook the cabbage for the shorter 5 minutes so it still has some texture when you reheat it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is goulash keto?
The classic American kind is not, because of the elbow macaroni. A typical recipe has about 29g of carbs a serving. Take the pasta out and the rest of the dish, which is beef, tomatoes, onion and herbs, is fairly low in carbs. This version uses cabbage instead and comes to 9g net carbs a serving.
What can I use instead of macaroni in goulash?
Shredded cabbage and chopped zucchini are the two most common choices. Cabbage cooks in 5 to 10 minutes and stays in strands that feel a little like noodles. Zucchini takes longer and turns soft and tender.
Is this the same as Hungarian goulash?
No. Hungarian goulash is a slow-cooked stew of beef chunks, onions and a lot of paprika. American goulash is a quick one-pot dish of ground beef, tomatoes and macaroni. This recipe is a low-carb take on the American kind.
Where do the carbs in this recipe come from?
Mostly from the tomatoes, the onion and the cabbage. The beef and the cheese add almost none. That is also why it matters to buy tomato sauce with no added sugar.
More Low-Carb Ground Beef Dinners
- Stuffed Pepper Skillet — ground beef, bell peppers and cauliflower rice under melted mozzarella, in one pan.
- Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet — ground beef, zucchini and tomatoes with mozzarella, ready in under 30 minutes.
- Salisbury Steak — beef patties in an onion and mushroom gravy, 6g net carbs.
- Sloppy Joes — saucy ground beef made with no ketchup, 5.4g net carbs.
- Hamburger Soup — ground beef, tomatoes and turnips in beef broth, 6.2g net carbs.
Recipe Card
The full ingredient list and the method in short are in the card below.
Keto Goulash
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven oven-safe if you plan to broil the cheese
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef 80/20
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can (15 oz) canned tomato sauce no sugar added
- 1 can (14.5 oz) canned diced tomatoes with their juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 bay leaves dried
- 2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 10 oz green cabbage shredded
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded, for the top
Instructions
- Brown: Cook the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink is left. Do not drain.
- Soften: Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Build the sauce: Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with their juice, soy sauce, oregano, basil, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- Simmer: Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cabbage: Stir in the shredded cabbage and simmer for 5 minutes for cabbage with some bite, or up to 10 minutes for softer cabbage.
- Finish: Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and broil for 2 to 3 minutes until melted, or cover the pot and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Keep cooking
