This Vegan Goulash recipe is quick and easy to prepare in one pot, and is the perfect meal for vegetarian, plant-based, dairy-free and oil-free diets. Also, this goulash recipe can be adpated for gluten-free diets. All the ingredients are added to a big pot and cooked on the stove-top for 20 minutes, and any leftovers can be enjoyed the next day or frozen. We find that this vegan goulash is similar in flavour and texture to a nice tasty pasta bake.
This vegetable goulash is based on traditional American goulashes and features pasta, meat-free mince, beans, canned tomatoes, and a few more pantry staples to flavour the rich savoury sauce. Our family likes this as a quick mid-week meal with leftovers taken to work and college the next day.
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⭐ What Makes This Vegan Goulash Special
- Inspired by 1930s American goulash, this recipe originates from old-fashioned frugal, family cooking.
- Uses only store-cupboard and freezer staples so no fresh ingredients needed.
- Ready in 30 minutes with just one pot, perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
- Budget-friendly, adaptable, and great for batch cooking so add whatever you need to use up, like a grated carrot, a chopped courgette, or a can of sweetcorn.
Origins Of American Goulash
American goulash, goulash, or less commonly known as slumgullion, is a popular meal in the US and is thought to be an adaption of Hungarian goulash. We also have a vegan Hungarian goulash recipe. American goulash dates back to at least the early 1900s and is basically a stew of pasta, mince, tomatoes and spices/herbs. Adding more liquid to the stew can create a goulash soup. Many goulash recipes mix cheese through the finished dish whereas others feature sour cream.
During the 1930s great depression era, American goulash was a frugal meal as it used cheap ingredients and could be easily adapted to what was available. No goulash recipes were ever exactly the same as each family had their own version.
🥣 Key Ingredients
- Vegan mince: adds savoury protein and a nice chewy texture.
- Pasta: macaroni or any short pasta shape works well although any pasta shape will be fine.
- Black-eyed peas: for extra texture and nutrition.
- Canned tomatoes & tomato purée: creates a rich, flavourful tomato sauce.
- Garlic & onion powder, mixed herbs, oregano: convenient traditional herbs for seasoning home-made tomato sauce.
- Vegan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes: stir in at the end for a cheesy finish.
🔄 Ingredient Substitutions
- Vegan mince: Use cooked green, brown, or black lentils and/or finely diced mushrooms.
- Black-eyed peas: Swap with kidney beans, mixed beans, or chickpeas.
- Frozen Mixed peppers: Replace with frozen mixed peppers or frozen mixed vegetables.
- Vegan cheese: Use nutritional yeast flakes for a dairy-free cheesy taste.
- Red wine vinegar: Substitute with balsamic vinegar.
- Vegan Worcester sauce: Use extra soy sauce or liquid aminos for a similar flavour.
- Herbs: Use any herbs or herb mix you have to hand.
- Garlic & onion powder: Replace with their fresh or frozen counterparts or replace with jarred paste.
How To Prepare
Step 1: Add the meat-free mince and pasta to a large saucepan.
Step 2: Add in the frozen mixed peppers (or replace with a mixed frozen vegetable mix) and a can of drained black eyed-peas (we often replace these with a can of mixed beans).
Step 3: Pour in the chopped tomatoes along with the tomato puree, vegan Worcester sauce (can replace with additional soy sauce), soy sauce, dried herbs, and garlic and onion powder.
Step 4: Pour in the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper.
Step 5: Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Stir through dairy-free cheese (we often replace this with nutritional yeast flakes) and the red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar).
Goulash is a nice tasty budget-friendly meal and is also great for 1930s & 1940s themed dinner parties.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Serve with crusty bread, garlic toast, or a green salad for a hearty comforting meal.
- Stir in a spoonful of vegan cream cheese or sour cream for creamy flavours.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs such as chives or parsley for added flavour.
- Great reheated for lunch or dinner as leftovers taste even better the next day.
More vegan, plant-based & vegetarian pasta recipes
These pasta recipes are our family's go-to quick & easy recipes for those times when time is sparse and we are too tired to cook but also want & need wholesome filling meals.
This Quick Cheesy Pasta can be ready in 30 minutes and you can use frozen broccoli or frozen mixed vegetables to save time on preparing fresh vegetables.
We also love this Vegan Sausage Pasta and for warmer days this Italian Garlic Spaghetti is nice and simple and tastes even better with some crusty bread and enjoyed sitting outside in the garden. Leftover garlic spaghetti is also very tasty chilled for next days lunch.
For a thick hearty pasta soup we love this Vegan Mexican Noodle Soup as it is prepared with store-cupboard ingredients and extras can be added in depending on what you have available to use up.
For more pasta meal recipes do have a look at our collection of Vegan Pasta Recipes.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Vegan Goulash
Equipment
- Large non-stick soup or stew pan
- Mixing spoon/ladle
Ingredients
- 250 grams vegan mince½ (fresh or frozen, or about 150g dried vegan mince rehydrated according to package instructions - can replace with cooked whole green or brown lentils)
- 350 grams pasta (any pasta shape is fine but elbow, short pasta tubes, macaroni, or similar are traditional for goulash)
- 1 can black eyed-peas (400g/15oz can, drained, or 240grams cooked beans, we often replace this with a can of mixed beans or kidney beans)
- 100 grams frozen mixed bell peppers (or fresh, sliced - can replace with frozen mixed vegetables)
- 1 tablespoon dried onion (or granules)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder (or granules)
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes (2 x 400g [14oz] cans
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce (can replace with an extra tablespoon of soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 2 teaspoons oregano (or replace with dried mixed herbs)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 litre vegetable stock (use a vegan 'beef' flavour if available )
Add once cooked:
- 80 grams vegan cheese (grated, or replace with about ½ cup of nutritional yeast flakes or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients, except the vegan cheese and red wine vinegar, to a large saucepan.250 grams vegan mince½, 350 grams pasta, 1 can black eyed-peas, 100 grams frozen mixed bell peppers, 1 tablespoon dried onion, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 2 cans chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce, 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 litre vegetable stock
- Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Give the goulash a stir now and again as the sauce will thicken up as it cooks.
- After 20 minutes remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated vegan cheese (or nutritional yeast flakes) and red wine vinegar. Stir well.80 grams vegan cheese, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Check the seasoning. I find that it doesn't require any more salt and pepper but add more if required.
- If the sauce is a little thin just let it sit for a few minutes off the heat and it will thicken up nicely.
Serving suggestion:
- This goulash is nice enjoyed with some garlic bread or crusty bread.
Notes
- Nutritional information is for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Transfer cool leftovers into a covered container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Leftovers can be placed in a saucepan, along with a little extra vegetable stock or water to loosen up the sauce, and gently reheated until piping hot.
- An old southern US superstition says that eating black-eyed peas at New Year brings good luck for the rest of the year. It's always worth a try! However, the black-eyed peas can be replaced with your preferred variety of bean. We also like to use canned kidney beans or mixed beans.
- This is a no-oil goulash as oil is not required to cook off any vegetables at the beginning.
- Vegan cheese can be replaced with about ½ a cup of nutritional yeast flakes (or however much you wish to add), which provides that nice cheesy flavour.
- Vegan mince can be subbed for cooked whole green, brown or black lentils. Add the cooked lentils to the goulash a few minutes before the end of cooking just to heat them through. Fine diced mushrooms can also be added.
- For gluten-free goulash: use a gluten-free pasta, gluten-free vegetable stock, gluten-free soy sauce such as Tamari soy sauce, and a gluten-free vinegar. You will have to adjust the cooking times as gluten-free pasta may cook quicker. Consult the package instructions to ensure the pasta is not over-cooked.
Nutrition
Comments
If you have prepared this Vegan Goulash then do let us know how you got on with the recipe as we love hearing from you. All comments & feedback are very much appreciated. Thanks! Jacq x
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