American chop suey is an easy pasta recipe with ground beef, tomato sauce, bell pepper and spices. Easy dinner recipe that is ready in less than 1 hour!
This is one of our favorite comfort foods to serve for weeknight dinner. Because who doesn’t love flavorful pasta dishes with beef? And I think this is a kid friendly dinner idea.
If you love mac and cheese, this American pasta casserole is delicious, too. This is a classic American dinner recipe that most of us tried with slightly different recipes that come from one household to another.
American chop suey is perfect to make for a big family dinner. Pasta with beef is easy to store, freeze and reheat all week long! This recipe serves up to 4-6 people, depending on the serving size.
Is American goulash and chop suey the same thing?
This pasta dish is often called American goulash and macaroni hamburger. The origin of American chop suey is New England, which is the northeastern region of the USA.
All these names refer basically to the same beef and macaroni recipe!
By the way, classic American chop suey doesn’t have cheese. It’s delicious to serve with grated Parmesan on top, if you wish. But if you cover with cheese and bake like a casserole, it should be called Johnny Marzetti.
Whatever name you like, just make it next for dinner and you won’t regret it!
Is Chop Suey an American dish?
Or is it Chinese? “Chop suey” roughly translates to “assorted mix”. A large pan or wok is used to stir-fry different ingredients with the sauce.
However, Chinese style chop suey is made with vegetables and meat with soy sauce, served over noodles or rice. And this is a totally different dish.
The dish became popular in American-Chinese restaurant and in households in late 19th century. The name was adapted for American chop suey, which actually is more Italian than Chinese!
Ingredients American chop suey
Main ingredients are beef and elbow macaroni, followed with pantry staples like canned crushed tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion, garlic and spices.
To make it a bit leaner, I used olive oil instead of butter. I also cooked the beef mince and discarded the extra fat. I love to get more flavors from spices and not from fat!
And also, it’s a sugar-free recipe! Yes, some recipes use sugar to sweeten the tomato sauce. I used a can of smashed Italian tomatoes that are a little sweeter than regular ones.
The spices are pretty simple that you may already have in your pantry – salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.
You can also make this weeknight dinner with leftover pork chops or pork mince!
By the way, you can make American chop suey gluten free, if you substitute regular macaroni with corn pasta or other gluten-free sub.
You will need a large pot, a large pan, a spoon and a spatula to make this easy dinner for your family!
How to make American chop suey
Start by browning the beef in a hot pan with olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes until beef is no longer pink. Set aside and clean the pan.
Add olive oil to the large pan (I used wok), placed on the medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and chopped green pepper. cook few minutes until slightly golden and fragrant.
Then add cooked beef and spices.
Add a can of crushed canned tomatoes in juice and stir to combine. Simmer meat and tomato sauce 20 minutes on low heat.
Meanwhile, in a large pot with salted water cook macaroni as instructed on package. Drain the pasta and add it to the meat sauce.
If you want, you can mix the pasta in the pot with the beef sauce, if your pan is not large enough.
Stir everything together and enjoy this simple comfort food! Serve it with some chopped parsley on top.
By the way, you can make American chop suey gluten free, if you substitute regular macaroni with corn pasta or other gluten-free sub.
As I already mentioned, this easy recipe serves up to 4-6 people, depending on portion size. It is truly easy and delicious macaroni and beef recipe that we highly recommend for dinner!
Storing and freezing for easy dinners
You can store leftovers in the fridge up to a week and reheat in microwave or on the pan.
Moreover, like other meat dishes, American chop suey freezes well. Cool completely, transfer to the air- tight container and store up to 3 months.
More comfort food recipes with beef
If you need more pasta with beef recipes, check our Rigatoni pasta bake.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes with beef? Check our Beef and broccoli stir-fry.
Need the cozy comforting beef dish? Make our Irish beef stew!
And don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest , Instagram and Facebook ! And if you make this quick dinner recipe, tag us to let us know. We love to see what you are cooking!
How do you make your American goulash, do you have a different recipe that you serve for dinner? Let us know in the comments bellow, we would love to know!
Easy American Chop Suey
- large pan or wok
- big pot
- spoons and spatulas
- 450 g ground beef
- 1/2 onion small, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 can Tomatoes crushed, canned
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
- 1 tsp Oregano ground
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 300- 400 g elbow macaroni 10-14
- 2 tbsp olive oil for frying
- Brown the beef in a hot pan with a spoon olive oil. Cook, stirring for 5-6 minutes until beef is no longer pink. Set aside and clean the pan.450 g ground beef, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Add olive oil to the clean large pan or wok, placed on the medium heat. Add chopped onion.1/2 onion
- Add chopped garlic.2 garlic cloves
- Add chopped green bell pepper, stir together. Cook 2-3 minutes.1 green bell pepper
- Add cooked beef and seasoning. Stir together.1/2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp Oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Add a can of crushed tomatoes in juice and stir to combine. Simmer 20 minutes on low heat.1 can Tomatoes
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot with salted water to boil. Cook macaroni as instructed on package.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the meat sauce. Combine with a spoon and remove from heat.*
- Serve it with some chopped parsley on top.300- 400 g elbow macaroni 10-14
I tried this recipe just today and couldn’t resist a platefull. Absolutely delicious! I had to control myself to not eat more and save some for dinner. The question I have is, does the freezing cause the macaroni to get mushy?
Thanks so much Michelle for sharing your experience! Happy that you loved this recipe 🙂 Regarding your question, it should be fine if macaroni are cooked al dente, so they are not to soft before freezing. Hope this helps!
This recipe reminds me of American Goulash! Super delicious!
Yes, American goulash is the same meal. I wrote about the name in the post above.
I didn’t grow up eating American Chop Suey but it’s become one of my favorite meals and this recipe is delicious. Definitely a family favorite.
That’s great! Simple delicious meal is what we need at family dinner table!
Gave this a try for dinner last night, and it does not disappoint! So easy and delicious; easily, a new favorite pasta dish!
Great to hear that! Thanks for the feedback.
I loved this recipe! I loved the flavors and how easy it was, and I loved that the kids cleaned their plates off!
So happy that your family enjoyed this comfort food, too!
This American chop suey is absolutely delicious! Loved the flavors in this.
Thank you! This is simple and delicious meal for sure.