If you love comforting Italian flavors and need a quick and healthy meal, this Healthy Italian Goulash is the perfect dish! Goulash is traditionally a Hungarian dish made with meat, vegetables, and a rich sauce, often flavored with paprika. This lighter version has an Italian twist, packed with lean protein, hearty pasta, and a rich tomato-based sauce that the whole family will love.
Best of all, this one-pot meal comes together quickly using the Instant Pot or stovetop, making it a great option for busy weeknights. If you prefer a slow-cooked option, we’ve included slow cooker instructions, too.
Why You Should Make This Healthy Italian Goulash
- Quick & Easy โ Ready in under 30 minutes, perfect for busy nights.
- One-Pot Meal โ Cook everything in one pot, whether on the stovetop or Instant Pot.
- Weight Watchers-Friendly โ Made with lean protein and healthy ingredients to keep the points low.
- Family-Friendly โ A warm, hearty, and satisfying meal everyone will love.
What is Italian Goulash?
This Healthy Italian Goulash is a fusion of classic Hungarian goulash and Italian pasta dishes, featuring ground meat, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and a flavorful tomato sauce. The pasta cooks directly in the sauce, soaking up all the delicious flavors for a rich, satisfying meal.
Ingredients for Healthy Italian Goulash
- Ground beef or ground turkey
- Bell pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato sauce
- Stewed tomatoes
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Whole wheat or regular pasta
- Water or low-sodium broth
Optional Additions (May Add Points/Calories)
- Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil or parsley
- Red pepper flakes
Weight Watchers Goulash Recipe
This Weight Watchers Goulash is a hearty, satisfying meal thatโs packed with rich Italian flavors but remains Weight Watchers-friendly. Made with lean protein, vegetables, and a flavorful tomato sauce, this recipe is a lighter version of the classic comfort dish.
By using lean ground turkey or beef and whole wheat pasta, this goulash stays lower in points while still being filling and delicious. Click to track points for Goulash Recipe.
What Should I Eat with Weight Watchers Goulash?
This goulash is a complete meal on its own, but if youโd like to add a side, here are a few Weight Watchers-friendly options:
- Mango Cashew Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dressing
- Weight Watchers Coleslaw Recipe
- Garden Zucchini & Corn Saute
How Long Does Italian Goulash Last?
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: This goulash freezes well for up to 3 months.
How Do I Store Italian Goulash?
Store leftovers in meal prep containers to keep them fresh. If freezing, let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container.
FAQ About Healthy Italian Goulash
Hungarian goulash is a traditional stew made with chunks of beef, potatoes, vegetables, and a rich broth flavored with paprika. Itโs more of a soupy stew. This Healthy Italian Goulash is a quicker, pasta-based version with ground meat, tomatoes, and Italian seasonings, making it more like an American-style goulash.
Goulash can be higher in carbs due to pasta, but you can adjust it to fit your needs:
Use whole wheat pasta for more fiber and slower digestion.
Swap pasta for zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or spaghetti squash for a lower-carb option.
The main ingredients in goulash are ground meat (beef or turkey), pasta, tomatoes, and seasonings. Hungarian goulash, on the other hand, uses chunks of beef and a paprika-based broth instead of pasta.
No, goulash and Bolognese are different.
Bolognese is a slow-cooked Italian meat sauce served over pasta.
Goulash is a one-pot dish where pasta cooks directly in the sauce, making it more of a hearty casserole-style meal.
Both dishes are rich and comforting, but goulash is quicker to make and has more of a stew-like texture with pasta mixed in rather than served separately.
Instant Pot Cooking
If you are new to Instant Pot Cooking, check out our helpful series here: Instant Pot for Beginners and Beyond. This is such a great resource for new Instant Pot users.
We also offer a free guidebook, How to Lose Weight with Your Instant Pot. Did you know that you can utilize your Instant Pot to help with weight loss?
This is not a miracle tool, but it can help you stay on track. I use my IP several times a week to pull together easy recipes that are family-friendly and healthy.
How to Make Healthy Italian Goulash – Step by Step
Instant Pot Instructions
Step 1: Sautรฉ the Meat & Vegetables
Set the Instant Pot to “Sautรฉ” mode. Add ground beef or turkey, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender. Drain fat if needed.
Step 2: Add the Sauce & Seasonings
Pour in tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. Add salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Pressure Cook the Goulash
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the vent.
- Set to manual HIGH pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once cooking is complete, let the Instant Pot natural release.
Step 4: Cook the Pasta
- Carefully open the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to “Sautรฉ” mode and add pasta.
- Cook until pasta is tender but not too soft, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 5: Serve & Enjoy
Stir the goulash well and serve hot. Garnish with fresh basil, parsley, or shredded cheese if desired.
Stovetop Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook ground beef or turkey over medium heat until browned. Drain excess fat if needed. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Pour in tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. Add salt and pepper and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.
- Add the cooked pasta to the meat and sauce mixture. Gently stir to combine and serve hot.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Drain fat if needed. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Add all ingredients except pasta to a slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours.
- Add pasta during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Stir and serve.
Healthy Italian Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10 or leaner
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans tomato sauce Italian seasoned, 15 ounces each
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes 15 ounces each
- 16 ounces macaroni regular or whole wheat
- ยผ tsp salt
- ยผ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Instant Pot
- In the Instant Pot on โsautรฉโ mode, add beef, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Sautรฉ until the meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain fat if needed.
- Pour in tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. Add salt and pepper.
- Set to โhighโ pressure for 10 minutes. Natural release.
- Carefully open the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to "saute" mode and add pasta. Cook until pasta is tender but not too soft, about 8 minutes.
- Stir and serve.
Stovetop
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Drain fat if needed. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender. Pour in tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes more to allow the flavors to blend.
- Add the meat and sauce mixture to the cooked pasta. Gently stir to combine and serve.
Slow Cooker
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Drain fat if needed. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Add all ingredients except pasta to a slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours
- .Add pasta during last 30 minutes of cooking.Stir and serve.
WW Program 2025
The WW program updated for 2025. Use the “Add recipe from the web” feature if needed for points. -Sara
Click here for the FREE 3 Day Meal Plan featured in Woman’s World magazine.
Notes
Nutrition
This Instant Pot Goulash meal is a quick and easy weeknight meal for the whole family.
What’s your favorite Instant Pot ground beef recipe?
If you like Healthy Italian Goulash, You Will Love These Recipes:
Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce – Have you cooked pasta in your Instant Pot? Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce cooks in one pot for an easy weeknight dinner.
25 Hearty Instant Pot Beef Recipes – Are you looking for beef dinner recipes for your Instant Pot pressure cooker? Check out these 24 hearty Instant Pot Beef Recipes. Youโll have a number of easy, delicious recipes you can make that your family will love.
Weight Watchers Instant Pot 7 Day Meal Plan –ย WWย members! Letโs lose weight with pressure cooking. Here areย 15ย WWย Instant Pot recipesย that are delicious and easy to make, plus a completeย 7 day meal plan that includesย healthy Instant Potย breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks that all have WW points included. If you are aย Weight Watchersย member, this helpfulย 7 dayย Weight Watchersย Instant Pot Meal Planย is written especially for you.
I wish you would add the points for your recipes. Iโm in canada and the l8nks to view and donโt work. Thanks
Hi Cathy, I’m sorry for your frustration with the WW points and I get it! I wish we could add the points to our recipes, too. We used to include it, but the trouble is that every time WW changes the plan, we had to go in and manually change the points for hundreds of recipes. We are a small team and it simply isn’t feasible. In Canada, do you have the feature on your app where you can get the point to a recipe from a URL? In my app, it’s under the + sign, and it’s called “Add recipe from the web.” It’s not 100% accurate for every recipe, but it’s usually pretty close and you can adjust the points within the app, too, if any of the ingredients are incorrect.