The BEST Easy American Chop Suey Recipe (Made In 25 Minutes)

This American chop suey recipe is the ultimate comfort food. It combines seasoned ground beef with tender veggies, macaroni noodles, and a sweet and savory sauce that's out-of-this-world delicious. Plus, it's super quick and easy it is to make too. In fact, you can have this American chop suey recipe done and on the table in under 30 minutes!  

My Take American Chop Suey

If you've never heard of American chop suey before, get ready to discover your new favorite pasta recipe! Macaroni noodles are mixed with seasoned ground beef, tender cooked veggies, and a seasoned tomato sauce to make a dish that's to die. It's a little savory, a little sweet, and a whole 'lotta delicious.

Also, just like this cheeseburger casserole recipe, it kind of reminds me of Hamburger Helper but taken up a notch. The biggest difference comes from the homemade sauce that you just can't get anywhere else. Honestly, it's so good I could eat it by itself with a spoon - in fact I usually do.

In addition to tasting incredible, this American chop suey recipe is also a breeze to whip up. You basically just have to cook the pasta, beef, and veggies, then add your sauce ingredients to the skillet and let it all cook to perfection. 

By the way, since this recipe comes together so quickly, I usually like to whip up something to go with it - like these Texas Roadhouse rolls. They're delicious dipped in the rich homemade tomato sauce that comes along with this recipe.

Ingredients

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it's made with all really common ingredients. Honestly, you probably have most - if not all - of them in your pantry or kitchen already!

Anyway, here's what you'll need to make it:

• 8oz. elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 0.5lb. ground beef
• ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 8oz. can chopped tomatoes, with juices
• 8oz. tomato sauce
• 2 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pretty simple stuff, eh?

By the way, if you're looking for more ground beef recipes, I definitely suggest you check out this beefaroni, ground beef vegetable soup, or this epic beef lasagna recipe next! You can use a few of the ingredients from this American chop suey recipe to make 'em.

My Suggestions For Ingredient Substitutions

Now, when I make this chop suey recipe, I always use the ingredients listed above since I just think it tastes best that way. However, you definitely can make some adjustments to it if you'd like to put your own spin on it.

For instance, this recipe calls for ground beef, but if you'd rather use ground turkey or ground chicken instead, then you certainly can. It will taste a little different than classic American chop suey, but it'll still turn out just as delicious!

Now, I think this recipe is already loaded with flavor, but if you want to pack even more into it, then you easily can. I suggest adding grated parmesan cheese, diced tomatoes, fresh herbs, or crushed red pepper flakes. Just remember to go easy on the additional ingredients so they don't overpower the American goulash.

How To Make American Chop Suey

Now it's time for the fun part, it's time to make some American chop suey!

And, again, this recipe couldn't be easier to make. Honestly, you've probably cooked all of the components in this recipe a bunch of times before, so it'll be a breeze to put together.

Anyway, let's stop wasting time and get cooking!

Step 1: Cook The Noodles

First things first, you'll want to begin by cooking the elbow macaroni noodles according to the package directions. Then, when they're done, you can drain the pasta and set it aside while you continue to work on the rest of the recipe.

Step 2: Cook The Beef And Veggies

While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the meat and veggies. Begin by melting butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter has fully melted, you can add the onions and cook 'em for about 4 minutes until they're tender and slightly translucent.

Then, you'll want to add the ground beef and garlic powder to the skillet with the onions. I recommend breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon once you add it to the pan. Also, just so you know, you'll want to cook everything together until the beef has just started to brown slightly on all sides. Once it does, you can add the green bell pepper to the skillet and cook everything for an additional 5 minutes or until the bell peppers are soft.

Step 3: Make The Sauce

Now that you've cooked the beef and veggies, you can add the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, basil, Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of salt and pepper to the skillet. Then, you'll want to give everything a mix so it combines into a sauce, and continue to cook everything together until the sauce warms up.

Step 4: Add The Noodles And Serve

Last but not least, you can add cooked pasta to the skillet with the rest of the ingredients and give it all a big mix to combine. For what it's worth, I usually transfer everything to a large pot - it just makes everything way easier to mix.

Finally, you'll want to serve your American chop suey warm.

Enjoy it!

My Recommendations For Storing American Chop Suey

This recipe for American chop suey makes 4 servings, but I honestly wouldn't expect to have any leftovers. It's that good! 

However, if you do happen to end up with leftovers, you can store 'em in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Alternatively, if you want them to last longer, you can freeze your American goulash in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

My Recommendations For Reheating American Chop Suey

Once you're ready to enjoy your leftovers, they're definitely best warmed up.

So to reheat your leftover American chop suey, I recommend using the oven or stovetop. If you want to use the oven, put the leftovers in a baking dish and warm them at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes, or until it reaches your desired temperature.

As I mentioned, you can also reheat your leftovers on the stovetop. Simply put a large skillet over medium heat,  then add the chop suey to it along with a little water or beef broth, and warm the pasta for a few minutes, stirring it occasionally to reheat it evenly.

Lastly, to warm it up even quicker, you can use your microwave. Just heat it up in 1 minute increments until it's hot.

FAQs About This American Chop Suey Recipe

What's in American Chopsuey?

Traditionally, American chop suey is a pasta dish made with macaroni noodles, ground beef, and a seasoned tomato sauce, along with some veggies like peppers, onions, and diced tomatoes.

What is the difference between chop suey and American Chopsuey?

American chop suey is typically made with ground beef and macaroni noodles in a sweet-and-savory tomato sauce. Regular chop suey is more like a stir-fry, made up of meat and noodles with vegetables like bean sprouts, baby corn, cabbage, and broccoli.

What is the difference between goulash and American Chopsuey?

Technically speaking, American goulash and American chop suey are two names for the same dish. Both are made with macaroni noodles and seasoned ground beef in a flavorful tomato sauce. The only difference is goulash is usually topped with some sort of cheese.

My Final Thoughts

Well, that's how to make American chop suey!

As far as comfort food recipes go, it honestly doesn't get much better than this - at least I don’t think it does. Not only is the combination of flavors flat-out delicious, but when you see how easy it is to make, I just know you'll fall in love with this recipe.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this American chop suey as much as I/we do.

As always, if you give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes in the comments below.

More Of My Favorite Comfort Food Recipes

If you liked this pasta dish, we’ve got a ton of other easy comfort food recipes on the blog for you to try next!

Here are some of my personal favorites:

• Ham loaf
• Chicken divan
• John Wayne casserole
• Loaded baked potato casserole
• Chicken and rice casserole

Oh, and if you're looking for even more delicious recipes, be sure to check out our TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. We post new recipes on 'em every day!