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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Very good, used extra sauce instead of tomato juice. Lots of cheese
OUTSTANDING W/ a couple small twists …
A very authentic and flavorful dish. Just like mamma used to make.
Great 👍
VERY GOOD SIMILAR TO MY OWN BUT IDON’T USUALLY ADD GARLIC IT WAS A NICE ADDITION
Just delicious! Have tried several online recipes for this and this is the closest I’ve found to the way my mom made it. Thank you for helping me recover this good memory.
You are so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it and we were about to bring back that cozy feeling for you!
Love this recipe, but I’m curious about the amount of salt. I couldn’t bring myself to add a whole tablespoon. Is this what it should be?
That’s what we like, but you can add salt to taste 🙂
I was out of elbow macaroni so used some penne… 16 oz box.
I swear this is enough for 20 people!! And I can’t freeze it?? Leftovers for almost a week!
You can freeze it. The texture just won’t be as good as when it’s fresh.
I noticed you said you wouldn’t recommend freezing it because of the pasta but what about freezing just the sauce with the peppers and onions in it?
That would be fine. You can make everything except the pasta and freeze it then prepare the pasta fresh and add the thawed and reheat sauce to it.
Absolutely delish and pretty quick to make!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful recipe. Made today for heavy snow day and was a hit. I had a 1.3lb of ground meat so adjusted the sauce portion a bit more to accommodate. I let the sauce simmer a few hours leading up to dinner to let everything incorporate. I also added about 1tsp red pepper flakes. Delicious! We served with a French loaf 🙂
Oh yes, my husband loves adding red pepper flakes!
This is by far the best Chop Suey recipe I’ve made! It’s one of favorite comfort foods, bringing me back to childhood memories of grade school lunches in New England.
The trick is to cook the macaroni till just al dente, saving 1+ cup of the starchy cooking water to add to pot when finishing all together in the pot to prevent it from becoming too thick/heavy. I also add about 1/4 cup of yellow mustard because I love the flavor it adds. Try it, you’ll be glad you did!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Will have to add Mustard next time I make it!
My mom used to used to make this for us as kids. Great recipe, just like mom made.
now a family favorite
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello,
I would love to have this recipe for two..(since sadly I am a widow now, will have it for two days meal) thank you!!
I’m so sorry for your loss, Nina.
If you would like to scale down the recipe, just hover your cursor over the number under the “servings” section of the recipe card and toggle it over to 2 servings. This does reheat well for several days also, if you wanted to make a half batch that serves 4 and enjoy it for the week 🙂
Made this today and it is the best I have ever made!! Thank you for sharing:)
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a comment to let me know!
Excellent – we loved it.
I’m so glad you liked it!
I call this “Hamburger Helper Upgrade”! Thanks for the upgrade on a childhood favorite!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Lol so many Westporters using this recipe. I live right over by Pete’s nursery. Anyways, great recipe. Exactly the same as my grandmother’s and she used to cook it for me all the time. I use this as a reference just to make sure I’m remembering correctly.
Glad everyone liked it!
Really Really Good. I tripled the meat sauce because we love sauce and doubled the Pasta for leftovers- I may have added too much f the green pepper ( i wanted to use the entire 2 very large peppers) so i had to trickle in more sugar- which for this very big pot ended up being about 1 TSP. That is the only change i made. It will be my American Chop Suey recipe going foreword.
I so glad you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy the leftovers! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!