When you combine perfectly cooked Macaroni in an irresistible tomato-based meat sauce, you have what’s come to be known as the classic American Chop Suey. Even better? It’s all gonna be done in one pot thanks to the Instant Pot.
Depending on the region of the US one resides, it also falls under the names of American Goulash or Johnny Marzetti. Whatever you wanna call it, this dish is quick, easy, flavorful and a home-run for the entire family. I’m talking kids of all ages approved.
If you want to make a Chili Mac, try my Chili recipe and serving it mixed in with some pre-cooked macaroni!
Instant Pot American Chop Suey (American Goulash)
Yield: 6
Instant Pot American Chop Suey
When you combine perfectly cooked Macaroni in an irresistible tomato-based meat sauce, you have what's come to be known as the classic American Chop Suey.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Additional Time
10 minutes
Total Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or meatloaf mixture (veal/pork/beef)
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8-ounce can tomato sauce (not the same as pasta sauce)
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
For An Optional Creamy Finish
- 5.2-ounce package of Boursin or Alouette (or 4 ounces of a brick of cream cheese), cut into cubes
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot, hit Sauté and adjust so it's on the More or High setting. After 3 minutes of the oil heating add the onion and pepper and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until lightly softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
- Add the ground beef and, using a mixing spoon or spatula, break it up until the meat begins to crumble and lightly brown - about 3 minutes. It shouldn't be fully cooked at this point (that's what the pressure cooking is for). Do not drain any juices released - we want them in there for more flavor!
- Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, hot sauce (if using), seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, dried basil and nutmeg. Stir everything together well.
- Add in the macaroni but DO NOT STIR. (Why? Well, there's lots of meat in there already. If you stir the pasta in, you run the risk of clogging the pot when it tries to come to pressure.) Just smooth it out so it's lightly submerged in the sauce.
- Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position, hit Keep Warm/Cancel and then hit Manual or Pressure Cook for 5 minutes at high pressure. Quick release when done.
- Give everything a final good stir and, if you want that optional, subtle, creamy finish, stir in the Boursin or cream cheese now until melded. Let rest 5 minutes for everything to come together. If you'd rather keep it dairy free and a bit lighter, forgo this and just serve as is!
Jeffrey's Tips
If you want to make a Chili Mac, try my Chili recipe and serving it mixed in with some pre-cooked macaroni!
The leftovers freeze great!
Diane
Hi Jeffrey,
Could you use whole wheat macaroni in this? If so, what would be the time adjustment? Thanks!
Zach
Just made it with Barilla whole grain elbows. Came out perfect using 4 minutes.
DeeDee Brown
Another wonderful recipe to add to the list!!!
I always share your recipes with my sister to try.
Thank you for teaching many of us how to use the InstantPot without failures!!
James
Can’t wait to try this, thanks
Norina Bourget
American chop suey, one of my favorite meals growing up… why didn’t I think of trying it in my instant pot?
hubby was watching YouTube and said yum…why don’t we have this for supper? …and it’s in the pot!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Carey Daste
Delicious! Except I got a food burn thing like I almost always do with things. I did not stir the pasta in. I patted it down. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. But I love it! I added the Boursin cheese and it is fantastic!
Jeffrey
Hmmmm. If your pot burns frequently, it may be faulty. This recipe should not burn as written. I suggest contacting IP customer care.
Jeffrey
Should not have happened. What size is your pot?
Carey Daste
Thanks! I just might do that. Because I do get the burn thing fairly frequently, but I seem to be doing everything just as I should. Anyway I’m so thrilled to have found you and your recipes! 🤩
Tim
Make sure you deglaze the pot after you brown veggies and meat. I usually do this with red wine but can also do with the beef stock. Bring to a boil on saute setting and scrap the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon until smooth. Then do everything else. Never burn for me.
Darrell
Jeff,
Okay, made this gem tonight and my two teenagers are like piranhas shoveling it in.
I asked, “On the regular schedule for meals?
Unequivocal “Yes”
Dad Win!
Dianne
It could be because the recipe says to add tomatoes and sauce before the broth. I always add broth first to avoid the burn 🔥 notice.
JOHN STANKEY
Is there a calorie per serving somwhere
Laurie Betcher
Can I use a red or orange pepper instead of green?
Sirfuller
I used a small green pepper and a small yellow one. It turned out great!
Poe Garza
My local supermarket sells diced tri-color pepper mix, as well as diced yellow and/or sweet onions. This works great for all the recipes I have tried.
Sirfuller
This was really good and easy as I pretty already had most of the ingredients. My family always called this concoction or slum goulash.
This also makes a lot. Very economical. I froze half of it. Thanks for all your hard work — love your recipes and cookbook. Looking forward to the cookbook in April. Need to get my beach body lol! 😆
Tonya B Felder
I made this today for my lunch and it is amazing! I used the bourin cheese but I didn’t have the nutmeg or green bell pepper but it still tasted great! I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
Jerrel Basley
Can you substitute another pasta? Like a Rotini?
MaryAnn
I just made it and used casarecce pasta. I checked the IP 101 site for different pasta cooking times and their formula was halve the pasta’s cook time and subtract 1, then cook for that time. Casarecce al dente is about 12 minutes, so half is 6, minus 1 is 5, and it came perfect.
https://instantpoteats.com/instant-pot-101-how-to-cook-different-grains/
Jaime
Really simple and so good. I forgot the hot sauce though I meant to use it and it was still good but I will be sure to add it next time. It made a lot, looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. The Boursin is a great addition! Thanks!
David Gill
Yet another great Instant Pot recipe from Jeffrey. So simple; yet, packed with flavor. Thank you Jeffrey for making meals in my home a hit. I take all the praise, but I always give PressureLuckCooking.com the credit.
Can’t wait to receive your cookbooks from Amazon. I am absolutely sure they be used a lot. They most likely will have signs of wear from my heavy usage and stains on the pages from my saucy fingers in no time.
David Griffin
Love this recipe! Amazing flavor! I might even add more cheese next time.
Any suggestions for bell pepper substitutions? Peppers are not always very kind to my stomach. I could try omitting them but they added good flavor.
Susan
I find that it is the skin of the peppers that causes me digestive issues. I recommend roasting your peppers either on a gas burner, a grill, or under your broiler. Keep turning until you get some char on all sides and then put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about 5 minutes. Then you should be able to peel the skin off easily with a spoon or a butter knife. If you don’t have time to peel freshly roasted peppers, use a few jarred roasted red peppers instead. Yes, they will probably turn to mush or disintegrate BUT you will still get the pepper flavor. Or you may find that red, yellow or orange peppers are easier for you to digest instead of green.
Angie
Making this right now. Can’t wait to try it
Marie
I’m wondering is 1TBSP of seasoning salt too much? It seems like a large amount of salt! Making this tomorrow and don’t want to ruin it
Sylvia
Start with less you can always add more “to taste!”
Paula
Would there be a time adjustment if I am using gluten free elbows?
Christy
Yes please! I don’t switch all pasta to g/f version but wonder about adjusting time for it.
Don
One of the best American chop suey recipes I ever had…thanks again
Ann Bartholomew
Shouldn’t the Boursin cheese be melted instead of melded?
Jeffrey
It melds (or blends) into the sauce
Jaime
I just made this for the 2nd time. This is the best Goulash I’ve had. My kids have always eaten my goulash but this is the first time they’ve gone back for more. This is on repeat in my house. I used ricotta cheese this time at the end because it’s what I had, really good. Thank you so much for all of the great recipes.
Ruth Cooney
I’m gonna try with ricotta.
Ruth Cooney
I’m gonna try with ricotta.
MaryAnn
Just made, and ate, this. Delicious! The store was out of boursin so I used cream cheese, and their regular peppers weren’t that good, so I used the striking Aloha peppers instead. And I used casarecce pasta, which cooked perfect in the 5 minute cook time. Yum! Thanks for another great recipe.
MaryAnn
Making this for the 3rd time; used ground pork 2nd time, ground pork and turkey this time. It’s all been good. The elbows were a bit too soft for me at 5 minutes, but still tasted good, so I’m trying 4 minutes this time. And the Boursin puts it over the top!
Karen Trudeau
Growing up we sometimes used chopped celery instead of peppers.
Good luck.
Nicole Frost
This came out perfect for me!!! Wonderful recipe. Whole family loved it! Thank you
Jan
Awesome stuff! I will probably cut the hot sauce in half next time, but dump in the whole 15 oz can of tomato sauce like I accidentally did this time! Really good!
Sherri
Do you think ground meat substitute (like Impossible or Beyond) would work for us vegetarians?
Jeanette B Gilder
Do you think I could double it in my 8 quart Duo Nova? Thanks you all of your hard work and sharing these delicious recipes with us!
Pam Bagley
I want to make this tonight but do not have crushed tomatoes. I do have the right about in petite diced tomatoes. Will that work?
L wilson
Recipe sounds great. Want to make this, but I need to know how long to pressure cook if I use gluten free pasta. Husband has celiac disease. So this is important that we use the gluten free options.
Pat
This is what is known in our house as “goulash”! I cooked for/raised 8 boys and goulash was a fave! So it can be chop suey or goulash……..whatever you call it, it’s delish!
Merrilee
My dad was in the Navy and brought home the recipe for “John Mazuma”. We always called it that, but I assume it’s a take-off from Johnny Marzetti.
Kathy
How many servings? Calorie count per serving?
Thanks!
Laura
Apologies if I missed this question. Can I cut this in half? There are just two of us, and we’re not prolific leftover eaters! This looks like a BIG batch, but I really want to make it!
Jeffrey
Sure can! Same cook time!
Cathy
Can leftovers be frozen? Just hubs and me. I should have made 1/2 the recipe. It’s really good. Going to order all 3 of your books tonight!
Jeffrey
Sure can! And thanks for getting the books!
Deanna
Made this last night & it was perfection. I didn’t have nutmeg so I left that out but otherwise made it exactly as written here, adding Boursin at the end. We had it with a green salad & garlic bread. It was so good I’m going to eat leftovers for lunch.
Thanks for another great recipe!
SNK Social Fame
Very well written post you share here valuable information you will be share with us, it’s really helpful for me I like to read this article.
Carlita
Made this last night. It was killer. Used one large anaheim chili instead of green bell and 15 oz tomato sauce, 3 oz cream cheese at the end and everything else the same. Dynamite recipe and will be making this again. Curious if you can freeze leftovers? Thanks for posting, Jeffrey!
Mary
Would goat cheese (chevre) be a decent replacement for cream cheese ? I have a peppercorn variety I love to eat and was hoping it might work.
Toby Whitehead
Made this one again tonight and added a 15oz can of stewed tomatoes along with 2 ribs of celery- just delicious. My husband is always a little bit nervous about pasta in the pot – but even he was raving about how great this recipe came out! Thanks for another hit!!
Ruth W. Thomas
This recipe is truly amazing. I tried it and it turned out very nice.
Doug R
Since getting this recipe in March 2022, I’ve made this at least 10 times! I use 1 lb of each: ground chuck, ground pork & ground sweet italian sausage and it all fits in my 8 qt Instant Pot. 8 oz of cream cheese to top it off!
Slope Unblocked
Today is very meaningful when I read your article, it helps me to know more things, very useful to me, thank you for your dedication to write such a good article.
Slope Unblocked
A very excellent blog post.Thank you so much for such a well-written article.
kristi czarnecki
I have made this so many times! It is a family favorite! I don’t add the Boursin (too rich for us), and I use Barilla Cellentani noodles. The corkscrew shape really clings to the meat/sauce. YUM!!
I also sub poblano pepper for the green pepper. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Cynthia Patrick
First time making and I didn’t have any stewed or canned tomatoes. What I had was a 15 oz jar or mediums salsa and a pint of cherry tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half and used the salsa……OMG. Husband fell in love. I added Jeff’s herbed cheese spread to mine and it was terrific. Thanks again for another Keeper recipe for life ❤️. Thanks for changing my life, xo
Jeffrey
Fantastic!
Pia
A tablespoon of seasoned salt seemed crazy. I did a teaspoon and that was enough that my salt fiends didn’t add any more.
Jeffrey
Different tastes!
Sherry
this is my first recipe with Jeffery. as a base recipe it’s. great start. this is the first time I’ve used the meatloaf meat. different from what is usually use. I think k ill is this as my base starting point but for my meats I’ll use sweet and spicy Italian sausage, hamburger and pepperoni for my meats. I’ll also add a veggie like corn and skip the hot sauce. thank you for making this great recipe. without it I wouldn’t have learned the technique of oozing the noodles with the rest of the meal.
Sherry
this is my first recipe with Jeffery. as a base recipe it’s. great start. this is the first time I’ve used the meatloaf meat. its different from what is usually use. I think I’ll this as my base starting point but for my meats I’ll use sweet and spicy Italian sausage, hamburger and pepperoni for my meats. I’ll also add a veggie like corn and skip the hot sauce. thank you for making this great recipe. without it I wouldn’t have learned the technique of cooking the noodles with the rest of the meal in my ninja foodi.
Cari Petrella
This is good and quick but a few thoughts. Season the ground beef directly as well as the overall spices. I’ve tried this recipe twice with elbows. The first with the 5 minute pressure setting, the 2nd with a 4 minute pressure setting. Too soft for us. Next time I’ll either try 1 or 2 minutes or pick a different pasta.