American Chop Suey
Over 300 5-star reviews should tell you this American Chop Suey Recipe is the BEST one to make!
A Classic New England dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes and made with simple ingredients like ground beef, elbow macaroni, hearty veggies, and a robust tomato sauce that packs both flavor and nostalgia.
What is American Chop Suey?
I’m not sure if it’s a New England thing because I could probably eat my weight in American Chop Suey. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s pure comfort food, or maybe it’s the perfect balance of flavor, but either way, I freaking love Chop Suey!
So, I wanted to share my recipe with all of you, hoping you’ll love it too! And it seems like you do since almost 1 million readers have enjoyed it since I first published it in 2018.
We call it American Chop or Chop Suey here in New England, but you may have also heard of it called goulash or macaroni hamburger and tomato, depending on where you live.
So either way, the recipe has the same basic components and is a classic dinner most of us grew up eating.
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Tomato-y with notes of herbs and beef.
Texture: Soft noodles and browned ground beef with chunks of peppers and tomatoes.
Ease: 3/10
Pros: Makes a lot, tastes great, easy!
Cons: Doesn’t freeze well.
Would I Make This Again? We make it all the time! I love chop suey because when it’s cold, I want comfort food, and I think this is a super cozy dish, and it’s really easy to make, too!
American Chop Suey Ingredients
American Chop is traditionally made with ground beef, elbow macaroni, green bell pepper, white onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper.
The dish is also similar to American goulash, but the most noteworthy difference between the two is that Chop Suey doesn’t include paprika, or, at least not the way I make it.
Some people also call it Chili Mac, but I don’t make mine spicy either. But sugar is one key ingredient that can’t be left out.
In my opinion, the best chop suey is one that has a slightly sweet tomato sauce; the sauce should be loose enough to coat but thick enough to stick to the noodles.
The sugar sweetens up all that tomato goodness and makes for a really delicious sauce. The green pepper and onions should always be sautéed before adding any of the tomato-based ingredients.
How To Make American Chop Suey From Scratch
This is one of those great recipes to make, not just because it tastes delicious but because it’s quick and easy! You’ll find the full measurements and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Step 1: Cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. *You can either finish cooking the pasta and leave it in a colander and use the same pot for the sauce, or you can start making the rest of the recipe in a separate pot while the pasta is cooking.
- Step 2: In a separate pot or the one from the pasta (see the note above), add the butter and onion to the large pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent – about 4 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the garlic to the onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Step 4: Add ground beef and cook until browned; you can cook this in a separate pan if you’d like less fat and add it to the onions after cooking.
- Step 5: Add green pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Step 6: Add the diced tomatoes, sauce, juice, paste, sugar, spices, and Worcestershire Sauce. Cook until evenly heated.
- Step 7: Stir in the cooked pasta and stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or package up and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How To Serve American Chop Suey
This recipe is delicious all on its own; no side dishes are required. However, it does pair well with homemade yeast rolls and butter.
How Do You Freeze American Goulash?
I would not recommend freezing this dish. Once thawed and reheated, the pasta will be mushy.
How Long Is It Good For?
This recipe makes a huge batch of food, so it’s great for big families and reheats well in the microwave. I love making this recipe on Sunday afternoons, especially in the fall and winter, and then I reheat it for lunch all week long. Package up any leftover chop suey in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I can’t tell you how delicious this meal was.
The recipe makes 4 quarts of heaven.
I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It’s addicting.
– John S.
Old Fashioned Chop Suey Recipe Variations
- Ground Turkey – If you’re looking to lighten things up? You can try swapping ground beef for ground turkey.
- Cheese – If you’re used to cheese in your chop suey, you can simply stir in some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese; about 2 cups or so should do just fine.
- Peppers – Green bell peppers are a staple in this classic recipe. Therefore, I wouldn’t remove them completely but feel free to try out red, orange, or yellow instead.
- Mushrooms – So you’re a mushroom lover, are ya? Well, you can easily add them in. You can use either a small can or 1 cup of fresh chopped mushrooms; just add and saute them with the green peppers because you’ll want them to be nice and soft.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Mac and Cheese
- Spaghetti al Limone
- Homemade Baked Ziti
- Sheet Pan Lasagna
- Turkey Florentine Pasta
- Baked Spaghetti Pie
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
American Chop Suey Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 14 ounce diced tomatoes
- 5.5 ounces 100% tomato juice
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce optional
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, salt the water and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. *You can either finish cooking the pasta and leave it in a colander and use the same pot for the sauce or you can start making the rest of the recipe in a separate pot while the pasta is cooking.
- In a separate pot or the one from the pasta (see note above), add the butter and onion to the pot and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, you can cook this in a separate pan if you’d like less fat and add it to the onions after cooking.
- Add green pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, sauce, juice, paste, sugar, spices, and Worcestershire Sauce. Cook until evenly heated.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and stir to coat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- Serve immediately or package up and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- I would not recommend freezing this dish. Once thawed and reheated, the pasta will be mushy.
- Recipe Variations:
- Ground Turkey – If you’re looking to lighten things up? You can try swapping ground beef for ground turkey.
- Cheese – If you’re used to cheese in your chop suey, you can simply stir in some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, about 2 cups or so should do just fine.
- Peppers – Green bell peppers are a staple in this classic recipe, therefore I wouldn’t remove them completely, but feel free to try out red, orange, or yellow instead.
- Mushrooms – So you’re a mushroom lover, are ya? Well, you can easily add them in. You can use either a small can or 1 cup of fresh chopped mushrooms, just add and saute them with the green peppers because you’ll want them to be nice and soft.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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This is the most comforting and delicious meal! I loved it. We will be making it over and over!
Packed full of amazing flavors! This was a huge hit at my house!
This is so delicious and very tasty! My family and I love love loved this recipe! Such a great recipe to throw together and great for dinner!
Yummy! This is different from the chop suey I ate growing up – mine had egg and stir fry veggies and rice noodles in it. It’s awesome reading some comments and seeing people’s experience with this iconic dish. Your recipe was delicious and a new favorite.
My grandma used to make this without a recipe. So glad I found this one to follow. My fam loves it!
First time ever making this and it was really good. Pretty easy too! Will be making again 🙂
This recipe is great! Thank you for sharing!! I didn’t have tomato juice so I opted for beef broth instead and it worked great! This is definitely going to be a staple here. We topped it with Colby jack cheese and it was perfect!
So so good! This is this dish I’ve been searching for! We ate this all of the time growing up in the 70s. Thanks so much for posting
I tried this recipe and I have to say this one hits it out of the ballpark from the rest. Takes me back to school lunch cafeterias and the corner store precooked meals in New England. The only thing I would do different next time is to cook the bell peppers in after the onions and not after the meat. The peppers take longer to cook with the meat in it.
Since I am the only person in the household I cooked the sauce and pasta separately. I only cook just enough pasta for myself. I freeze the rest of the sauce in freezer ziploc bag for future. All I have to do is boil pasta next time and just thaw the bag in warm water then reheat the sauce in pot.
So glad you enjoyed it and a great idea for keeping the pasta and sauce separate!
I feel the same as many others here that have commented! I grew up on this! I have fond memories, as well. The only difference that I remember from this recipe, is that my mom would add 2 cups water after the meat and tomatoes and spices were cooked through and then add 1 cup elbow macaroni noodles and it would cook all together into wonderful delishiousness! I’m going to make it today for my daughter and son-in-law here in WA with their brand new baby girl!!
Congrats on your new granddaughter! I hope they enjoy this dish as much as we do!
Great recipe! I grew up in Massachusetts and this was one of our regular family meals, as well as, pot roast and boiled dinner. I love this recipe and so do all my grandchildren. I retired from the military and have been living in Virginia since 1998 and am always trying to introduce New England recipes to my family. I plan on moving back to New England someday soon but for now, I’ll be content with great recipes like this one. I have to agree with the comments regarding soy sauce. I would never add soy sauce to this recipe. For me, it will always be Worcestershire sauce in this dish. I just finished making a pot of this recipe and the family is all enjoying it very much.
I am going to make this for a soup kitchen. Can you tell me the size of each portion?
It would be about 1 – 1 1/2 cups per person. You can go on the lower end if you are also serving this with dinner rolls or other sides.
Thank you for this yummy recipe!! I have tried and made various versions over the years and this one is ranks very high on my list. I love the consistency!
I grew up in Michigan and my mother’s version of goulash had macaroni, beef, bell pepper, onion, salt, pepper, and her home canned stewed tomatoes. So simple, but so tasty. I don’t can so I miss adding those to my goulash.
Thank you again!
I grew up in Massachusetts and live in NH. My mother, aunts, cousins, all make my grandmothers recipe which always has soy sauce in it. ALWAYS.
Soy sauce is NOT used in American Chop Suey. It’s an ingredient in Chop Suey – the one made with veggies and bean sprouts. Soy sauce in American Chop Suey would taste awful.
I Ike adding Italian sausage to mine….I like hot my wife likes sweet..
I was born in Nashua NH, raised in Manchester NH, and spent summers on the family farm in ME, but I’m shackled to the AZ desert for 3119 more days! I miss the food from home, but there is some wicked good Southwest eats I cannot get back East. My daughters are always watching me cook and I find it a great stress reliever. I’ve started to incorporate more East coast dishes now that their starting to get into the teens and their pallets have developed a bit more. I’ve made American Chop Suey twice in the past 30 day by demand! This recipe is spot-on from the way Ma made it! I made some minor deviations. I use fresh oregano and basil. Back home we use pine cone tomatoes in a can. I cannot get that here in the desert. A great substitute has been fire roasted tomatoes. I slow roast my garlic in oil for many dishes this one is no exception. I work in sports medicine with a few doctors from the East Coast as well. One from Connecticut the other from Boston Mass. I brought both of them two separate recipes that I had made. One with beef the other with mild Italian ground sausage. We spent the rest of the day talking about our misspent youth in New England! This is a great recipe and a wicked great taste of home! A wicked thank you!
Hi Jared, Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment and sharing this recipe with your friends and coworkers, I’m so glad it was able to bring you all a little taste of home and that your daughters enjoyed it as well! Take care!
This recipe is awesome
So glad you enjoyed it, Bob!
I would like to mention here that this recipe is missing an ingredient that is imperative to making it American chop Suey, as the name Implies.. otherwise in my family it would be goulash. The missing ingredient is Soy sauce.. I was born and raised in Connecticut and grew up on this.
Hi Terri, I grew up on it too and have never used soy sauce. Goulash is just another name for this dish. Originally, the only seasoning for American Chop Suey was salt and pepper, nothing else, and families have adapted it over time. I’ve always added Worcestershire Sauce to mine, maybe your family used soy sauce instead.
Nope! I grew up in Mass and we never put Soy Sauce in it. I have relatives in Maine and they never put Soy Sauce in it. I have lived in NH for decades and have never met anyone here who put Soy Sauce in it. Some call it American Chop Suey; some refer to t he same dish as Goulash.
Terri and Cath – Sorry but you’re mistaking American Chop Suey for Chop Suey which are two totally different things – google it. American Chop Suey originated in New England and has more similarities with goulash that it does Chinese food. It used to be served with rice instead of pasta which is the only nod to the Chinese sounding name. Definitely use Worcester sauce over soy sauce – soy sauce just sounds nasty in this.
Yep! You are correct. Soy sauce in American Chop Suey would be as bad as adding hot sauce to whipped cream! Bleh!!!
I enjoy making this as I had it as a child in New England. I added all of these ingredients plus mushrooms but the only thing we do different is we fry up salt pork and cook the onions and peppers in the grease after removing the salt pork. It adds a lot of flavor to the recipe. I freeze half of the sauce without the macaroni.. Then mix the macaroni with the leftover sauce.
Excellent!! Reminded me of my childhood, easy recipe and tasty!
Followed the recipe exactly! Everyone loved it. Great as a leftover as well;)