Built on elbow macaroni, ground beef, and tomato sauce, this hearty New England comfort food has zero connection to Chinese cuisine. It costs roughly $2 per serving, feeds a family of four from a single pot, and takes about 35 minutes start to finish.
The sections below cover the dish’s origins, core ratios, the one-pot method, smart variations, and the mistakes that turn a good batch bland.
A New England Staple Born from Italian-American Kitchens
Between 1900 and 1920, Italian immigrants settling in mill towns across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island adapted their pasta-and-sauce traditions to whatever was cheap and shelf-stable at the local grocer. Canned tomatoes, dried elbow macaroni, and ground beef fit that bill perfectly. The result was a skillet dinner that stretched a single pound of meat across six or eight plates.
The Great Depression locked the dish into permanence. A 1933 USDA bulletin listed macaroni-and-tomato preparations among the lowest-cost family meals available, and New England home economics teachers taught the recipe in public schools throughout the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1950s, it had become a fixture in school cafeterias, church suppers, and diners from Boston to Portland, Maine.
How the Name Stuck
The label “chop suey” had nothing to do with the recipe itself. During the early 1900s, Chinese-American chop suey was a national craze, and home cooks borrowed the exotic-sounding name to make a humble pasta dish feel more interesting at the table. The naming stuck regionally. In parts of the Midwest and South, the same combination of macaroni, beef, and tomato sauce goes by “goulash” or “Johnny Marzetti” instead, but the plate is nearly identical.
That naming confusion is exactly why the dish deserves a closer look at what sets each version apart.
American Chop Suey vs. Goulash vs. Chinese Chop Suey
Three dishes share a confusing family of names, and only one of them contains elbow macaroni. The table below separates them at a glance so you can identify exactly what a recipe or menu is describing.
| Dish | Base | Protein | Sauce | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Chop Suey | Elbow macaroni | Ground beef | Tomato-based | New England |
| American Goulash | Elbow macaroni | Ground beef | Tomato-based | Midwest / South |
| Chinese Chop Suey | Rice or noodles | Sliced meat or shrimp | Savory starch-thickened | Chinese-American restaurants |
American Chop Suey and goulash are the same dish wearing different regional labels. A cook in Ohio calling it goulash and a cook in Massachusetts calling it chop suey are preparing the same pot of food. Chinese chop suey, by contrast, is a stir-fried medley of vegetables and protein served over rice, thickened with cornstarch. The only shared thread is the name.
Your grocery list for the New England version stays short and inexpensive: one pound of dried pasta, one pound of ground beef, two cans of tomato product, an onion, and a bell pepper. Everything else is seasoning.
Core Ingredients and the Ratios That Make It Work
The balance between pasta, meat, and sauce determines whether the finished dish feels cohesive or falls apart on the plate. A reliable starting ratio is one pound of dry elbow macaroni to one pound of ground beef to roughly 40 ounces of combined tomato product (one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes plus one 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes works well).
Why Elbow Macaroni Holds the Sauce
The short, curved tube shape traps sauce inside each piece and clings to it on the outside. Longer or smoother pasta shapes like penne or rotini leave more liquid pooling at the bottom of the pot. Elbows also cook evenly in about 7 to 9 minutes, which keeps the timing simple when you are coordinating everything in a single vessel.
Building Flavor Depth on a Budget
- Bell peppers and onion: Dice one medium of each and cook them down with the beef until soft. They add sweetness and body without raising the grocery bill.
- Garlic: Two to three cloves, minced and added in the last minute of browning so they do not scorch.
- Worcestershire sauce: One tablespoon stirred into the tomato base adds a savory, almost meaty depth that plain salt cannot replicate.
- Italian seasoning: A teaspoon of dried oregano, basil, and thyme blended together gives the sauce its familiar New England diner character.
- Sugar: Half a teaspoon balances the acidity of canned tomatoes without making the dish taste sweet.
Tip: Salt the pasta water generously, about one tablespoon per quart. The macaroni absorbs seasoned water as it cooks, and that internal seasoning carries through even after you drain and combine.
Step-by-Step Cooking Process for a Single Pot
The entire method fits into one large Dutch oven or deep skillet, which means fewer dishes and a tighter timeline. Total hands-on time sits around 15 minutes; the rest is simmering.
- Brown the beef and vegetables. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in your pot. Add the ground beef, breaking it into small crumbles. Once the pink disappears, push the meat to one side and add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving roughly one tablespoon in the pot for flavor.
- Build the tomato base. Stir in the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, crushed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a gentle bubble, then reduce heat to low. Let it simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes so the flavors concentrate and the raw canned-tomato edge cooks off.
- Cook the macaroni. For the true one-pot approach, add the dry elbow macaroni directly into the simmering sauce along with 1.5 cups of water or broth. Stir every few minutes and cook for 9 to 11 minutes until the pasta is just tender. Alternatively, boil the macaroni in a separate pot of salted water and drain it one minute shy of al dente.
- Combine and finish. Fold the pasta into the sauce (or, if you cooked it in the pot, simply stir everything together). Simmer for 2 minutes so the macaroni absorbs some of the liquid. Taste and adjust with salt, a pinch of sugar, or a splash more Worcestershire.
Cooking the pasta directly in the sauce produces a creamier, more unified texture because the released starch thickens the tomato base. Boiling separately gives you firmer, more distinct noodles. Neither method is wrong; the choice depends on whether you prefer a porridge-like comfort texture or a cleaner bite.
Once you’ve nailed the base technique, small swaps can reshape the dish entirely.
Variations and Substitutions Worth Trying
Once the base technique is in your hands, small swaps let you adjust the dish for dietary needs, pantry limits, or a craving for something richer. None of these changes require rethinking the fundamental ratio.
Cheese and Protein Swaps
Stirring in a cup of shredded sharp cheddar or mozzarella during the final two minutes of cooking turns the pot into something closer to a baked ziti. Ground turkey works as a leaner stand-in for beef, though it benefits from an extra half-teaspoon of Worcestershire to compensate for its milder flavor. Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled, adds fennel and heat that pair well with the tomato base.
Stretching the Dish Further
Adding a 15-ounce can of drained kidney beans or black beans increases protein and fiber while stretching the pot to feed six instead of four. Frozen corn, stirred in during the last five minutes, adds sweetness and color for pennies. Sliced mushrooms, browned alongside the beef, contribute an earthy umami note and bulk up the meat without adding another protein source.
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Adaptations
- Slow cooker: Brown the beef and vegetables in a skillet first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the tomatoes and seasonings. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Add cooked macaroni in the last 20 minutes so it does not turn to mush.
- Instant Pot: Use the sauté function to brown the beef and vegetables. Add tomatoes, seasonings, and 1.5 cups of broth. Stir in dry macaroni, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Quick-release immediately and stir.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix a Bland Batch
Most disappointing results trace back to one of four fixable errors. Identifying which one hit your pot tells you exactly what to adjust next time.
Overcooked Pasta
Macaroni left in hot sauce for more than a few minutes after reaching tenderness continues absorbing liquid and softens into a pasty texture. Pull the noodles one minute before they taste fully done, because residual heat finishes the job during the combining step. For make-ahead batches destined for the refrigerator, undercook by two minutes and add a splash of water when reheating.
Skipping the Browning Step
Dropping raw ground beef directly into liquid produces a gray, boiled flavor. The Maillard reaction that happens during high-heat browning creates hundreds of new flavor compounds responsible for the savory depth you expect. Give the beef real contact with the hot surface and resist stirring for the first two minutes so a crust forms.
Under-Seasoned Tomato Base
Canned tomatoes vary wildly in acidity. A batch that tastes flat almost always needs one of three corrections: a pinch of sugar to round out sharpness, a teaspoon of Worcestershire for savory complexity, or a quarter-teaspoon of salt added in stages. Taste the sauce before combining it with the pasta, because once the noodles absorb the liquid, adjusting becomes harder.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to four days. The pasta will absorb remaining sauce overnight and the dish will look dry. Reheat individual portions in the microwave with a tablespoon of water or broth stirred in, or warm the whole batch in a covered pot over low heat with a few tablespoons of liquid added. Freezing works for up to three months, though the pasta softens slightly upon thawing.
Putting It Together
The single most important habit is tasting the tomato base before the pasta goes in. That one pause lets you correct acidity, salt, and depth while adjustments still cost nothing. From there, the dish forgives almost any variation you throw at it, which is exactly why it has fed New England families on tight budgets for over a century.
FAQ
What is the difference between American chop suey and goulash?
There is no meaningful difference. Both names describe the same combination of elbow macaroni, ground beef, and tomato sauce. The term “chop suey” dominates in New England, while “goulash” is the preferred name across the Midwest and parts of the South.
What is American chop suey made of?
The core ingredients are elbow macaroni, ground beef, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, onion, and bell pepper. Seasonings like garlic, Italian herbs, Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of sugar round out the flavor. Some versions add melted cheese at the end.
Why is it called American chop suey?
Chinese-American chop suey was wildly popular in the early 1900s, and the name was borrowed from that dish. Home cooks adopted the exotic-sounding label to make a simple pasta dish feel more exciting, even though the two recipes share no ingredients or technique.
Is American chop suey the same as American goulash?
Yes. The dishes are identical in ingredients and method. The only distinction is regional naming convention. A cook in Massachusetts says chop suey; a cook in Indiana says goulash. Both are preparing the same pot of food.
How do you make American chop suey from scratch?
Brown ground beef with diced onion and bell pepper, drain excess fat, then add canned tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Cook elbow macaroni until just tender, combine everything, and simmer together for 2 minutes before serving.
What region is American chop suey from?
The dish is rooted in New England, particularly Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. It emerged from Italian-American home cooking in the early 20th century and became a staple in school cafeterias, diners, and church suppers throughout the region.
