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Goulash was a dinner staple in my household growing up. I love the simple, clean ingredients and how filling it is. Cooking this as an easy Instant Pot recipe makes it even easier by using only one pot and allowing you to walk away while it cooks it for you!
I love pressure cooking because it helps cut down the time I stand in front of my stove. Using a pressure cooker allows the meal to cook faster, and it is almost always a one pot clean up- my favorite type of kitchen mess.
This Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe is healthy, quick and easy, and turns this classic family recipe into a one pot meal. Plus, you can hide a ton of vegetables in this meal and your picky eaters will never know.
We realize that not everyone has an Instant Pot at home, so we’ve included stovetop directions for our Instant Pot Turkey Goulash recipe. It’s just as delicious whether you make it in the Instant Pot or on the stove. We have all the details on how to make this delicious Turkey Goulash Recipe in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
Where’s the recipe?
I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I receive a lot of questions about recipes.
To better serve all of my readers here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts. We know that we have readers of all levels of expertise when it comes to cooking.
If you’d like to skip over the parts about nutrition, swapping ingredients, and healthy eating plan point information, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the printable Instant Pot Turkey Goulash recipe.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe:
- Ground Turkey: Ground turkey is a leaner option than ground beef, but ground beef is delicious in this recipe as well.
- Garlic: To save time you can buy your garlic already minced, just make sure to check your ingredients. Sometimes they sneak in fillers. We prefer fresh minced garlic over garlic powder any day.
- Italian Seasoning: This seasoning blend is a must for every spice cabinet. Italian seasoning is a blend of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil.
- Onions: I like to keep already minced onions in the freezer for recipes like this that only use a small amount. You can freeze your own, or buy them already cut and frozen from the store.
- Bay Leaves: Bay leaves are an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. They add great depth of flavor to soups, stews, and pasta dishes. Be sure to remove them after cooking and before eating!
- Zucchini: This low-calorie summer squash is loaded with many nutrients such as vitamin C, manganese, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin K.
- Bell Peppers: Also known as sweet peppers, bell peppers belong to the nightshade family, which can be eaten cooked or raw, and are loaded with vitamins. Green bell pepper is delicious in this dish!
- Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes tend to be the most flavorful. We love using fire roasted tomatoes too! If you cant find these, you could substitute a jar of no added sugar tomato sauce in place of the crushed tomatoes, if you prefer. If you do this, also skip the seasonings in this recipe.
- Noodles: Whole wheat pasta is lower in calories, but higher in fiber, and other micronutrients than its more refined counterparts. The slow burning whole grains will keep you full for longer, too. I prefer elbow macaroni pasta for this recipe. You can also substitute gluten free pasta if needed.
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe in the Instant Pot
- Lightly spray the inside of the Instant Pot liner with oil and set to sauté.
- Add your turkey to the pot. Use a spatula to break apart any large chunks of turkey. Cook until meat is browned and crumbled.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, onions, and bay leaves to the pot. Mix well to evenly coat your turkey.
- Add chopped zucchini, bell peppers, crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of water (more or less depending on pot size and elevation) to the pot.
- Add whole wheat noodles. Stir together, making sure all of the pasta is covered.
- Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure cook and set time for 3 minutes.
- When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the lid. To quick release, move your sealing valve from Sealing to Venting. Steam will shoot out of the valve, so be careful to not get your hands in the way.
- Give everything one final stir, and serve topped with shredded cheese if you’d like.
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe on the Stovetop
- Sauté the ground turkey.
- Cook pasta noodles to package instructions in a large pot.
- Combine the spices, and crushed tomatoes. Or you can substitute this step with jarred pasta sauce.
- Add cut veggies, meat, and pasta sauce (homemade or store bought) to the cooked pasta and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Top with shredded parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve warm.
Recipe Tips:
- If you would like to hide your vegetables in our Instant Pot goulash recipe, you can add them all to your food processor and pulverize them. They will be hidden and your family will still get the benefits of eating the vegetables.
- If you’d like to use frozen ground turkey or frozen ground beef please read these posts for more tips and information.
- If you are using gluten free noodles reduce your cooking time to 2 minutes – try to find gluten free elbow macaroni, if possible.
- If your noodles are undercooked, turn your Instant Pot to sauté for an additional minute or two until your noodles reach desired doneness. Be sure not to cook the pasta for longer than recommended, you don’t want mushy pasta in your instant pot goulash.
- Diced tomatoes would work if you can’t find crushed tomatoes. You could also manually crush whole peeled tomatoes with your hands or using a potato masher.
- This recipe is easy to customize for your family’s tastes. You can omit the zucchini and double up on the bell peppers, add fresh chopped onions, riced cauliflower, the options are endless.
- You may also use lean ground beef or other ground meat for this instant pot goulash recipe. We prefer lean ground turkey.
- This recipe is also called American Goulash or American Chop Suey.
Healthy Eating Plans
- 21 Day Fix: For the entire 21 Day Fix Goulash Recipe: 4 Red Containers, 4 Green Containers, and 4 Yellow Containers.
- Per 1 ¼ cup serving: ⅔ Red Container, ⅔ Green Containers, and ⅔ Yellow containers.
- 2B Mindset: This is a complete 2B Mindset lunch recipe
- For the Weight Watchers version and counts, click here
More Instant Pot Recipes that are both Healthy and Delicious
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowl Frozen Chicken
- Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Healthy Crack Chicken
- Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein
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Instant Pot Turkey Goulash Recipe
Approximate Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Servings 6
This healthy goulash recipe an easy one pot meal! Instant Pot Goulash is a fast dinner that the whole family will love!
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Food processor
- Sealing Rings
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup zucchini chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 cup whole wheat pasta
- 2 cups water more or less depending on pot size and elevation.
Optional: you can substitute the following with 1 jar of pasta sauce, or you can make your own with the ingredients below.
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 ½ tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté and brown the ground turkey. 1 lb ground turkey
- (Note: If you're using jarred pasta sauce, omit the seasonings and tomatoes.) Add garlic, Italian seasoning, minced onions, and 2 bay leaves. Toss in chopped zucchini and bell peppers. 1 tbsp garlic, 2 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup onion, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup zucchini, 1 cup bell pepper
- Mix so that the seasonings and veggies are distributed.
- Pour 8 ounces of dry whole wheat pasta, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, and 14 oz of water over the vegetables. 1 cup whole wheat pasta, 14 oz crushed tomatoes , 2 cups water
- Stir until the pasta is fully mixed with the sauce. Lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the manual function for 3 minutes. Use the quick release method to release the pressure. Give it a final stir to mix everything together and let the goulash cool for a few minutes.
- Top with cheese if desired and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Makes six equal servings of 1 1/4C each.
21 Day Fix Container Count, per serving: 2/3 red container, 1/2 green container, 1 yellow container. For the entire 21 Day Fix Goulash Recipe: 4 Red Containers, 4 Green Containers, and 4 Yellow Containers.
2B Mindset: This is a complete 2B Mindset lunch recipe
For the Weight Watchers version and counts, click here
Recipe Tips
- This is a great recipe for meal prep. Goulash freezes nicely and reheats easily for on the go lunches and dinners.
- If you would like to hide your vegetables from picky eaters you can add them all to your food processor and pulverize them.
- If you are using gluten free noodles reduce your cooking time to 2 minutes.
- If your noodles are undercooked, turn your Instant Pot to sauté and boil and addition minute or two until your noodles reach desired doneness.
- This recipe is easy to customize for your family’s tastes. You can omit the zucchini and double up on the bell peppers, add fresh chopped onions, riced cauliflower, the options are endless.
- Sauté ground turkey.
- Boil noodles per packaging instructions in a large pot.
- Combine the spices and crushed tomatoes. Or you can substitute this step with jarred pasta sauce.
- Add cut veggies, meat, pasta sauce (homemade or store bought) to the cooked noodles and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Top with parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 571mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1015IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg
Make This Recipe?
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8 ounces (as in 1 cup) of pasta? Thanks!
Yes! :) Sometimes I accidentally dump the box in, then I just adjust my yellows ;)
Pardon my ignorance… what are yellows? Thanks!
I’m sorry, Lindsay! I assumed you were asking about the pasta because of the 21 Day Fix eating plan. The yellow container is a unit of measure for carbs :) I think I’m safe to assume that you’re not on the plan, so feel free to use the entire box of pasta if you’d like!
Can I double this in the 8qt?
I’ve heard reports of people doubling it with success!
The finished product looks like too much pasta, if I put less in should I decrease the amount of water?. Also, how does the pasta taste after being pressure cooked?
You could put less pasta in and keep the water the same. It might take a few times of making the recipe to get the consistency of pasta that you love, but it tastes like regular pasta on the stovetop does!
Think I can double the recipe in a 6QT? I can’t see why not, but not sure if you tried!!
It’s about to become one of my family favorites as well! Thank you for sharing!
IF you use a jar of pasta sauce, do you still need to add water for the pasta?
they generally recommend it as the pot needs thin liquids to come up to pressure one recipe i have says water then pasta then meat then sauce layered – works a treat. experiment if you can to what works for you
rj
My husband isn’t a fan of peppers. Any good substitute veggie suggestions?
Zucchini works great in this recipe!
How do I store in the freezer, how do I cook meal once ready and how long does it keep in the freezer?
Hi Vanessa!
I often freeze mine after cooking, but you could freeze all of the ingredients (I’d pre-cook the meat) and dump into your IP and cook as normal! The pot will take longer to come to pressure but cook time is the same!
How much is a serving?
Hello! I dont have an instant pot. I have a Wolfgang Puck 5qt Rapid Pressure Cooker that my mom got me for Christmas about a year ago. Would 10 min also work for my pot? Ive seen some recipes being transferred to the Instant Pot, but never find any for my pot.
Thanks!
Hi Tina, I’m sorry but I don’t know what your pot is. I’d assume it’s very similar and the cook time would be the same. Most recipes will be written for the IP, but should be able to easily transfer to other electric pressure cookers.
Hi!
I want to try this for 80 Day Obsession – I saw it for that – doubling the veggies and meat. Do I add the same amount of liquid (crushed tomatoes and water)??
Yes! The same amount of water will be good!
If doing this for 80 Day Obsession. Would I still only do 1 cup for a serving even after double meat and veggies? Or would I do 2 cups as 1 serving? Also do I double the tomatoes then too or just zucchini and peppers? Thank you!
Hey Rachel, I’d divide by the original 8 servings to get your 80DO serving size for this! And only double the zucchini and peppers :)
You don’t double the meat?? I thought it said to double the meat cause it is only half a red with out doubling the meat…..love this recipe second time making it in just over aweek hubby says we just had goulash 😂 I said yeah but it’s sooo gooood 🙂
I’m sorry, I was directly answering Rachel’s question of do you double the tomatoes and veggies or just the veggies ;)
For 80 Day Obsession, double the ground meat and vegetables (zucchini and peppers) in this recipe!
I just did the math and I got 1 1/2 cups for 80 day obsession
You don’t take the bay leaves out???
I do, of course.
Made this as freezer prep and it was SO good! I dumped all ingredients except the pasta & water into a freezer bag, and didn’t pre-cook my turkey. I just sort of mixed everything around and made sure most of the turkey was mixed in w/the other ingredients and not one big lump. When I went to prep, I dumped everything from the bag into the IP and set for 10 min (to cook the turkey). Then I opened, added the pasta (4 oz vs. 8 bc I’m doing 80 Day Obsession), and 1 cup water. Set for 3 min. All done!! We also used Goulash seasoning (my friend brought me a whole bag from Hungary) instead of Italian.
Mine came out just a bit watery, but I think it’s because I didn’t necessarily need a full cup since I reduced the amount of pasta and also I cooked the turkey and veggies under pressure which created a bit more liquid. We didn’t care though, this was amazing and dare I say even better the day after as leftovers? Thanks for another awesome, easy to prep, AND on-plan recipe :)
Are your directions from frozen or after thawing? Thank you, by the way!
How much is a serving ?
It’s right in the post-makes 8 servings, about 1C each :)
Hi there – can you let me know how you calculated 3 WW points for this? Thanks! It was delish!
Hi Kerry, I used the online WW recipe creator and plugged in all the ingredients and added the servings per batch which calculates it out to 3 points per serving. For reference the only thing in this recipe that has points on the WW program is the pasta. 99% FF Ground turkey is 0 points along with the veggies!
Since the cheese is optional, did you or did you not count it in the points?
Hi Lana! It’s NOT included in the counts – if I don’t add it to the ingredient list, it’s not included ;)
I am having a really difficult time this morning and cannot convert this recipe. I need to make enough for 5 meals and each serving can be 1 Red, 1 Yellow, and 1 Green. Can anyone’s head handle that better than mine on a Friday morning?!
Sorry, I’m no help :-/ It takes me a while to get the counts for the recipes as is ;)
My wife doesn’t like Zucchini so I use a medium diced onion instead. I also use an extra can of diced tomatoes with their juices.
I made this over the weekend. I used 8oz by weight of elbows and only came up with 1 freestyle smart point per serving assuming 8 servings. The noodles seem a little on the mushy side but I’m hoping that when it is rewarmed to eat tomorrow it won’t be too bad. I am new to the instant pot and trying to decide if it would be better to reduce time or add just a little more pasta.
The bites I tasted yesterday were delicious and for a low smart point pasta dish it’s perfect. I can even double the serving at 1 point per serving and keep it low points.
Carly, did you use the wheat pasta? If so, I’d reduce the number of minutes you cook for–you might find that with pasta recipes that is something you have to do across the board when you prepare it.
I just have a couple questions!
(1) How are you measuring the 8 oz of pasta? Are you going by weight or by cups?
(2) You mentioned you add extra veggies and put them in the food processor to mince them. Would you also toss those in before you pressure cook?
Hi there! 1. I measure my cups usually! 2. Yes, I toss them right in before I cook! They pretty much dissolve into the goulash :)