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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in your 2 ingredient lists there’s no mention of sugar but is in the cooking instructions. how much sugar is added?
It’s listed under tomato paste in the recipe card. Just 1 tablespoon.
Tammy, I live in Westport, MA! Making this dish tonight 🙂
WOW!!! I’m from Westport, MA and have lived away for 40 years now. I’m so excited to make this after all of these years. I’ll probably tweak the name since I’m in the south now. Mmmmmm!!!
This is not only a New England recipe. I live in Houston, TX, and my Mom used to make it all the time until she passed. I make it, too, and it’s delicious!!!
Delicious recipe. Highly recommend. Not for picky children though.
So awesome seeing all of my friends who grew up in the 60s and 70s in the Boston area remembering this as the staple and treat that it was and is. I also remember it being one of my favorite meals in my elementary school lunchroom, and during my years in the Army it was always a good reminder of home, usually in “Chili Mac” form. Now that I’ve gotten a little more into cooking and flavors, I’ll probably try to tweak it a little to my taste; a little more spice and perhaps a little heat- one jalapeno, seeded?
I’m so excited to try this recipe. I’m from Boston and in the late 70’s the school cafeteria served this every other Friday. We LOVED it. I’ll let you know if this recipe hits the spot. 🙂
Yes, definitely a New England recipe.
We love this recipe. My mom used to make this and never had a recipe written down. Now that she has passed I am so glad that I can make it again.
I have lived in MA my whole life and this meal is a classic.
This is definitely a New England recipe. I left Massachusetts over 30 yrs ago working in almost all 50 states. I had forgotten all of the recipe names I had grown up with until retiring in Florida. It sometimes takes weeks to remember exactly the name of the recipe you’re looking for because some are close, but not it. I kept going to hamburger mac with this one because it has elbow macaroni and ground beef, but that’s not exactly it. I finally remembered American Chop Suey (I’m surprised that the name hasn’t been banned as some sort of phobic), and it led me to here. Exactly as I remember it from, OMG 50 years ago now. Thank you!
I’m bfrom boston and my grandma and mom used to make this all the time. Now my kids favorite dinner. I recommend steaming the green pepper first. That’s the way we always did it and I like them softer
For those who claim the “wrong name” of this dish, New Englander’s call it American Chop Suey.
very good recipe, just like mom used to make~my only variation was skipping the tomato juice because I didn’t have it on hand. Happy New Year and thanks for sharing Rebecca
I specifically looked up a recipe for American Chop Suey… not the wrong name where I live… I’ve been in Mass since 1986 and that’s the first time I had it. Loved it ever since! And this is exactly the recipe I was hoping to find. The green peppers DO make it what it is. I’ve tried to leave them out in the past but it is entirely different. Which is weird. But they’re necessary. Thanks for the memorable recipe and for calling it by its local name! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found it!!
I’m so glad it was exactly what you were looking for and that you enjoyed it!
Love this dish. Cut recipe in half and made with light life crumbles. Did not go to the market but used the pasta I has at home. Made a meat version for my hubby. We grew up in Ma and used to eat this all the time.
Seeing you misnamed this dish, it gets ZERO
stars. This is not even close to “American Chop Suey” PLEASE, do your research and change the name to American Goulash as its actually what it is.
The recipe itself is good , but NOT as named. You will confuse more people than help calling it chop suey.
Hi Keith, maybe you didn’t read the post – in New England, it’s called American Chop Suey. It is not misnamed – it simply goes by many names. It’s called American Goulash in other parts of the country, I’m guessing wherever you’re from. Glad you enjoyed the dish though and I hope you’re in a better mood tomorrow.
Sorry – way too much macaroni in this recipe. I would cut it in half. Otherwise – delicious 😋
I was trying to figure out some simple meals to make more often and thought of this from my CT childhood. So glad I found your recipe and just cooked it tonight. I made a couple of small changes: I caramelized the tomato paste with the onions and peppers first before adding the ground beef (it brings out the complexities in paste) and added a touch more sugar because it was still a touch tangy for my taste and added a small container of ricotta I found sitting in my fridge…oh it’s so dang good! Let hope the family feels the same!
I hope your family loved it as much as you did! Thank you fo your sweet comment, I bet the ricotta addition was delicious!
I make this with 1 pound of grated tempeh. YUM.
I love this but instead of using the 4 tomato ingredients here, I delete them and simply use tomato soup. It’s great, and just so simple!!
Too much salt is it really supposed to be a tablespoon? Other than that good and I’ll make it again with that adjusted.