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?
Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!
Great recipe. I looked through many American chop suey/goulash recipes, and liked yours the best. I made mine with ground turkey and added in fresh garden zucchini and some mushrooms. Added a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper and used one of my jars of preserved tomato sauce. Oh man was it good. The wife and my son loved it, as did I. Will definitely be making this again.
This is the only one we make since the very first making.
This was as good as my Mum used to make for us kids. I used 2 # of hamburger meat and this made enough for a family of 6 to have leftovers. Great recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Def makes a HUGE batch, but it’s just my husband and I lol. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is SO good! I made a few revisions to get it exactly like I like it:
Doubled the oregano (I love the flavor)
Doubled the sugar because it tasted a little salty
Doubled the recipe but used 3# of ground beef because I needed to use it
Covered with cheddar cheese and broiled it
Things I’ll try next time:
Halve the salt
Add a red bell pepper and perhaps a shredded carrot to cut down on the sugar
Use olive oil instead of butter and halve the amount
Ground turkey instead of beef
Great recipe. My son in law is from Boston and he says it’s just like his moms
How many portions should I have of American Chop Suey?
I just had this tonight, and loved it!!!!!
Is a serving size a cup?
What’s not to love about this! So tasty and comforting! I added some mushrooms and used rotini pasta. Weeknight winner for sure!
American Chop Suey is really good
This recipe is easier than I thought!
I’m so glad you found it easy and enjoyed it!
This Chop Suey is fantastic! I have had the receipe for at least five years and make it alot in the winter. The best part I like about it is the Worcestershire taste, really picks it up for me. Thanks so much..love it.
I’m so glad you love it, Steve! The Worcestershire really makes all the difference!
Best American Chop Suey I’ve ever made!
Awesome – made with beyond meat. Still got two thumbs up by my carnivorous friends!
SO good and so easy. This has been at least a biweekly dinner for my husband and i!! We love it so much.
Amazing! My husband said it’s actually like his mom used to make when he was a boy growing up in Maine!! Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. This is my favorite American chop suey recipe, the kids love it and it makes a huge pot so we have plenty of leftovers for lunches. I’ve been referring back to this page for years so I thought it was about time I left a review. It’s perfect.
Slip the sugar. It’s not needed at all. I love weet things, but this does not need to be sweet.
It’s 1 tablespoon, it doesn’t make the dish sweet, it’s helps to neutralize the acid in the tomatoes for a smoother sauce. You can omit it if it offends you that much, but it does make the dish better.
As a husband that has made many American Chop Sueys recipes from the web. I tried yours today. Thank you young lady. You are my go to. Delicious!