Low Sodium Goulash Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis tasty low sodium goulash recipe is a simple and low salt comfort food dinner the whole family will love! With lean ground meat, garlic, no-salt-added tomatoes, herbs, and cooked macaroni noodles.
This easy low salt goulash recipe makes a great weeknight dinner – ready in about 30 minutes! Serve with a large chopped salad and a side of low sodium garlic bread for a tasty meal you can enjoy any night of the week.
Want more low sodium comfort food ideas? Try our low sodium alfredo sauce, low sodium beef bourguignon, and our low sodium cornrbead!
This low sodium goulash recipe is an low salt variation of one of my favorite comfort foods. I’ve heard this dish called many different things: American goulash (which is what I’m going with), hamburger macaroni, or Italian macaroni stew.
It’s a great recipe to make with lean ground meat (I used turkey), macaroni noodles or your favorite small pasta, tomatoes, and some pantry spices for flavor.
This Low Sodium Goulash Recipe Is
- Hearty
- Flavorful
- Filling
- Inexpsensive to Make
- Loaded with Vegetables
- A Quick Low Sodium Dinner Idea
30 Minute Low Sodium Pasta Dinners
Pastas and noodles are one of our staples on a low sodium diet – most brands of macaroni noodles have 0 mg sodium. However, it can be tough to find a store-bought sauce, so I love using bright fresh flavors to make my own.
This easy weeknight goulash is perfect for a tasty meal for the family you can whip up any night of the week. The low sodium sauce takes only 20-30 minutes to cook, so you can enjoy extra time to prep sides or a salad.
Browse all our low sodium pasta and sauce recipes here!
Ingredients for This Low Sodium Macaroni Stew
See the recipe card below for a full list of instructions and ingredient amounts!
Ground Meat
While traditional goulash is made with ground beef, I wanted to make a more DASH diet friendly meal by using lower fat meat. I used a very lean ground turkey breast as the base. You could also any type of meat like lean ground chicken breast or lean ground beef as well.
Just make sure to check that your ground meat has a nutrition label on it so you can see how much sodium us in the meat. My turkey had 70 mg of sodium per 3 ounce serving.
Macaroni Noodles
I used macaroni noodles, but any small shape pasta would work well for this. You can use ditalini, orzo, small shells, or even small egg noodles if desired. Be sure that any pasta you use has 0 mg of sodium before adding!
No-Salt-Added Tomatoes
For this recipe I used both no-salt-added diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. The diced tomatoes give the sauce a nice texture with the larger chunks of tomatoes, while the tomato sauce sticks to each bite of the macaroni.
When buying tomatoes, use a no-salt variety. If you can find flavored no-salt tomatoes (with garlic and herbs, or basil) you can absolutely use those in this tasty dish!
Vegetables
I used chopped onion and fresh garlic in this dish for a little extra flavor, but didn’t add too many other veggies as I wanted to keep it simple. You could add in frozen peas, chopped spinach, or even corn for a different variation!
Spices
The main spice in this dish is a salt-free Italian seasoning blend, which has basil, oregano, garlic, parsley, and rosemary. Make sure it’s a no-salt-added spice blend before using.
Balsamic Vinegar
Which gives this dish a lot of flavor and bit of sweetness and acidity!
How To Make Goulash Low Sodium
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, In a large pot, add the turkey meat and break it apart with a wooden spoon, Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is fully cooked and there is no more pink in the meat. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- In a large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onions and sauté for 4 minutes until they begin to brown. Add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, stir, and sauté for an extra 2-3 minutes.
- To the onions and garlic, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Add the cooked ground turkey, and stir well to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked macaroni noodles back into the pot, and stir. Cook for 5 more minutes until pasta is heated through, and serve hot garnished with fresh black pepper and extra balsamic vinegar if desired.
More Tasty Dinner Recipes You May Enjoy
- Low Sodium Chicken Tacos
- Low Sodium Meatloaf Recipe with Ground Turkey
- Easy Low Sodium Ramen
- Low Sodium Hot Honey Chicken
- Low Sodium Mac and Cheese
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Low Sodium Goulash
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey or other lean ground meat
- 8 ounces macaroni noodles or other small pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 gloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 14-ounce can No-Salt-Added Diced Tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar plus extra to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, In a large pot, add the turkey meat and break it apart with a wooden spoon, Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is fully cooked and there is no more pink in the meat. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- In a large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onions and sauté for 4 minutes until they begin to brown. Add in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, stir, and sauté for an extra 2-3 minutes.
- To the onions and garlic, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Add the cooked ground turkey, and stir well to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked macaroni noodles back into the pot, and stir. Cook for 5 more minutes until pasta is heated through, and serve hot garnished with fresh black pepper and extra balsamic vinegar if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used, it may vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify sodium amounts.
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An old favorite but always good
My mother always added red kidney beans to her goulash. Yum!
Hi Deborah, that’s a fantstic idea! Next time I make this, I’ll add in a can of no-salt-added beans, thank you for the suggestion 🙂
– Kelly
Very good. For extra protein I doubled ver lean ground beef and used protein pasta. I have never added balsamic vinegar to goulash but I loved it.
Hi Teri, that’s a great idea about using protein pasta! And yes, the balsamic adds a lot of flavor – it’s a little unconventional, but a great low sodium swap. Thanks for the rating and review 🙂
– Kelly
Love this one pot wonder
Easy to make and all ingredients in my kitchen already
This is a flavorful combination of goodness
My husband made this tonight for dinner. It was absolutely delicious!
Brings me back to a dish my mother always made yummy