Goulash made low carb with the simple swap of zucchini chunks for macaroni noodles! This simple recipe is hearty, filling, and sure to be a family pleaser.
My dad was telling me that the neighbor invited him over for dinner one night and served him a mixture of spaghetti sauce and chunks of zucchini. He couldn’t remember what they called it, but he was pretty obsessed with the dish.
I immediately knew I was going to have to try that out and I’m so glad I did!
I basically made an easy goulash recipe, but swapped in chunks of fresh zucchini for the macaroni.
You guys. This is so good!
How to make goulash low carb:
Goulash is definitely a pasta dish, so it seems a bit weird to low carb it, but y’all. This is a winner thanks to the chunks of zucchini!
You’ll want to start with a pound of ground beef, an onion, and some garlic. Brown all those up together and then drain off the fat.
Next, we’re going to use a jar of marinara. I prefer Rao’s brand because it both has the best flavor I’ve found in a jar and it’s the lowest in carbs I can find for a tomato sauce. It’s a little spendy, so if you have another brand you prefer feel free to use that.
Dump the marinara in with the beef mixture along with some beef broth, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, and a bay leaf.
Add in your chopped zucchini, give it a stir, and let it cook until the zucchini is as tender as you’d like. I cooked mine for about 20 minutes – just enough time for the zucchini to soak up a bit of the marinara flavors and get soft.
You’re done, friends.
Old fashioned goulash without all the carbs!
Feel free to stir in some cheese, if that’s how you ate this growing up. We were never big on the cheese in this one, but you do you.
More low carb favorites:
Cabbage Rolls: Minus all the carbs AND minus all the work! This is an easy one!
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon: Just about the only way I ever want to eat Brussels sprouts. 😉
Garlic Butter Shrimp: You can’t go wrong with garlic butter.
Crock Pot Roast: I make mine with radishes and green beans!
Low Carb Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 24 ounces Rao’s Marinara
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3 medium zucchini chopped
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, onion, and garlic to a dutch oven and brown over medium heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks. When beef is cooked through, drain the fat and return the meat to the pan.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the zucchini is as soft as you'd like.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
- Add additional salt if desired and top with cheese, if desired.
Stephanie H says
What could I use in place of the soy sauce?
Karly Campbell says
Coconut aminos are a pretty popular swap. 🙂
Connie Marcos says
Does using cheese add to the carbs in it? And what kind of cheese would you suggest?
Karly Campbell says
Cheese is pretty low in carbs, but it will depend on the type and amount you use. Check the nutrition label. I think Parmesan would be a good choice. 🙂
David says
Wanting to try with noodles I saw on Ketotag. Made from 1 cup mozzarella , 1 egg yolk 1/4 yes salt. Press between sheets of parchment cut in strips. In fridge 4 hours, boil 1 minute, cool in water and strain in collander
Susan Esquibel says
I made mine with Eggplant
Sherri leung says
I use zucchini just like this in my chili since beans bother my stomach…it is delicious.
Lee Perez says
This recipe was delicious! I added 2 lbs of beef and an extra zucchini and bit more beef broth. My family loved it. I will make it again.
John says
So good and so easy! There are so many ways to switch up or add to but I did not change a thing. I was also thinking of what to have with it and realized I didn’t need to. Great as is. Thank you!
Lesley says
Not an authentic Goulash which is made with cubes of beef, not ground beef, paprika ( worth the extra carbs!) and served with egg noodles, not pasta – however a nice substitute. Definitely great with spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini.
Barbara Smith says
What is Rao’s Marinara please
Karly Campbell says
It’s a brand of marinara sauce you can find at most grocery stores. It’s a bit pricy, but it has the best flavor and it’s the lowest in carbs I’ve seen as well.
Cathy Capps says
$8/jar at Kroger. If you want a low carb marinara, Bertolli or San Marzano is more afforadable.
TR says
Very tasty and fast meal to make. I can see it wouldn’t matter what types of veggies you add to hulk it up as I’m sure it would taste just as good. My family had it over rice and loved it but low carb dieters would probably love over mashed cauliflower. Thanks for the recipe!
Michele says
Can you freeze this? I was thinking about making double of the recipe but was questioning if freezing it with the zucchini would be OK
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried freezing this, so I’m not really sure.
Donna Rosenlund says
I think adding some edemami to replace the noodles would be good. They have kind of a chewy consistency almost like Elbow macaroni noodles.
John says
I made this recipe exactly as written, and let me say it’s absolutely amazing. You did an incredible job putting this together from scratch, and I’ll make this over and over again. Love, love, love it…thank you so much.
When I see the word goulash though, I think of the Hungarian version…heavy on paprika. Maybe this is a more American version, but it reminded me of something more Italian?
Regardless, this is one of the best tasting keto recipes I’ve had recently…you knocked this out of the park.
Karly Campbell says
Hi John! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! This is definitely an American version and paprika has carbs in it, so I kept it to a minimum. You could definitely add more if you’re not watching carbs too closely though! 🙂
So glad it was a hit either way!
Jessica says
This was great! I put mine over spaghetti squash to bulk it up a little and put it over spaghetti noodles for my family and it was a hit! I opted for leaner ground beef too to make it an all around healthy meal.
Laura says
I’m going to have to try this. It sounds like it would be awesome with so many low carb veggies like cabbage and some pepper. I might just load it up! Thanks for the recipe!
Dawny says
Not a fan of zucchini. What else could I use?
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only made this with zucchini.
jessica KELLEY-LEE says
Im excited to make it tonight! Thank you
jessica KELLEY-LEE says
is it 6 or 8 servings? how much is a serving?
Karly Campbell says
Sorry about that! Nutrition is based on 8 servings. I just portioned it out between 8 bowls and didn’t measure it by volume.
Denise says
I am wondering if Zucchini spirals would work, or cauliflower rice?
Karly Campbell says
They’ll work, but you may need to adjust the cook time. 🙂
M cole says
U can substitute most all ingredients
Joan says
I’m thinking spaghetti squash instead of zuchinni, which is out of season. (You can cook whole in the microwave, but pierce with a knife to avoid explosions.) Finish with a healthy pour of olive oil, some fresh basil leaves.
Mike says
What is zuchiniini? Looks like courgettes!
Karly Campbell says
I believe they’re the same thing, just different names across the pond. 😉