This quick and easy Weight Watchers Goulash recipe will become a comfort food staple for weeknight dinners that your whole family will love.
Goulash (also known as American chop suey or American Goulash) is a perfect family meal. You can hide a ton of vegetables from picky eaters and bulk it up for yourself since vegetables are zero points on any Weight Watchers plan.
Take me to the Weight Watchers Instant Pot Goulash Recipe
There’s a lot of information here, including tips, diet information, and detailed cooking instructions. I do this to better serve all of my readers. If this is more than you want, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find this easy to print recipe.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: Fat-free ground turkey is zero points. You can opt for extra-lean ground beef, but you’ll need to add a few points per serving (this can change based on the plan you’re on).
- Garlic: Garlic is zero points for Weight Watchers but gets all the points in flavor!
- Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a blend of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and basil.
- Onions: Grab a bag of chopped onions from the freezer section to speed this recipe up. If using frozen, nothing changes–add the onions at the same time you would fresh.
- Bay Leaves: Bay leaves are an aromatic leaf commonly used in soups, stews, and pasta dishes to add a great depth of flavor.
- Zucchini: You can add any squash that you like, or even extra zucchini. If you don’t like it, leave it out and add another vegetable.
- Bell Peppers: These sweet nightshades work well paired with tomato-based sauces.
- Crushed Tomatoes: You can substitute a jar of no added sugar spaghetti sauce, but this will add some points to the recipe. I love using the spices and canned tomatoes to make my own delicious tomato sauce.
- Whole Wheat Pasta: Whole wheat pasta is far less processed than its bleached counterparts and saves you 1 point per serving.
Recipe Tips
- This is the perfect recipe for meal prep. Just freeze in serving size containers and reheat in the microwave when ready to eat!
- This recipe is great for adding in extra vegetables You can hide a ton of vegetables by pulverizing them in the food processor before adding to the Instant Pot. Your picky eaters will never know!
- If you are using gluten free noodles, reduce your cook time to 2 minutes. Double check your points as not all gluten-free pastas have the same point value as whole wheat pasta.
- This recipe is easy to customize for your family’s tastes. I like to add mushrooms, carrots, and riced cauliflower along with the peppers, onions, and zucchini. You can leave out any veggie that you don’t like, and double up on the ones you do.
- Swapping the crushed tomatoes for other varieties, such as diced tomatoes, will change the way this recipe comes out.
- Some people struggle with the burn warning when cooking tomato based recipes. I’ve never had that issue with this goulash, but if you’re concerned, add the tomato sauce last and don’t stir the food before cooking.
Instant Pot Instructions
Time needed: 15 minutes.
Instant Pot Goulash
- Sauté
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté and spray with oil.
- Brown your turkey
Use a spatula to break apart the ground turkey. Cook until crumbled and browned.
- Add your spices
Add garlic, Italian seasoning, onions, and bay leaves to the pot. Mix well. (note: if using pasta sauce, omit the seasonings and tomatoes.)
- Add your vegetables
Add chopped zucchini, bell peppers, and crushed tomatoes and 14 oz. of water.
- Add noodles
Stir in your whole wheat noodles.
- Pressure Cook
Close and lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Select Pressure cook and set time for 3 minutes.
- Quick Release
When the cook time is up, quick release the pressure and remove the lid.
- Serve
Stir the ingredients in the pot to evenly mix. Serve warm and top with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Stovetop Instructions
- Brown your turkey in a skillet on medium/high heat until cooked to a temperature of 165°F.
- While your meat is browning, boil your noodles until they are just undercooked (they will continue to cook in the sauces).
- Add the noodles, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and spices to your turkey and stir well.
- Simmer for ten minutes until your vegetables are soft.
- Top with parmesan cheese, if desired and serve warm.
For a list of the tools that I used in this recipe, and my other favorites, check out my Amazon store.
Weight Watchers Points
Freestyle and Smart Points have been phased out of Weight Watchers and have been replaced with Blue, Purple, and Green Plans.
- Blue Plan Points: Each serving is 2 Blue Plan Points
- Green Plan Points: Each serving is 3 Green Plan Points
- Purple Plan Points: Each serving is 0 Purple Plan Points
Did you know that we have a ton of healthy WW Recipes for all three plans?
If you’re looking specifically for Zero Point Recipes, here you go:
Looking for more great Weight Watchers Instant Pot recipes?
- Beef Gyros with homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Weight Watchers Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Weight Watchers Crack Chicken
- Weight Watchers Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Weight Watchers Goulash | Instant Pot and Stovetop
This easy and healthy Weight Watchers Goulash recipe can be made with turkey or beef and is packed full of vegetables! 2 Blue Plan Points | 0 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points
Servings: 6
Approximate Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups
Calories: 165kcal
Equipment
Instant Pot 6 qt
Food processor
Sealing Rings
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey fat free
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 ½ tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup onion minced
- 2 bay leaves take these out after cooking
- 1 cup zucchini chopped
- 1 cup bell peppers chopped
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes or a jar of pasta sauce. If using a jar of sauce, omit the spices below.
- 1 cup whole wheat pasta elbow, dry
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions:
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté and spray with oil.
- Use a spatula to break apart the ground turkey. Cook until crumbled and browned.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, onions, and bay leaves to the pot. Mix well.
- Add chopped zucchini, bell peppers, and crushed tomatoes and 14 oz. of water.
- Stir in your whole wheat noodles.
- 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.
- Stir the ingredients in the pot to evenly mix. Serve warm and top with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Stovetop Directions:
- Brown your turkey in a skillet on medium/high heat until cooked, 165°F.
- While your meat is browning, boil your noodles until they are just undercooked (they will continue to cook in the sauces).
- Add the noodles, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, and spices to your turkey and stir well.
- Simmer for ten minutes until your vegetables are soft.
- Top with parmesan cheese, if desired and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Tips:
- This is the perfect recipe for meal prep. Just freeze in serving size containers and reheat in the microwave when ready to eat!
- This recipe is great for stuffing in extra vegetables You can hide a ton of vegetables by pulverizing in the food processor before adding to the Instant Pot. Your picky eaters will never know!
- If you are using gluten free noodles reduce your cook time to 2 minutes. Double check your points as not all gluten-free pastas have the same point value as whole wheat pasta.
- Use the sauté feature on your Instant Pot to continue cooking your pasta if it is more al dente than you prefer.
- This recipe is easy to customize for your family’s tastes. I like to add carrots, and riced cauliflower along with the peppers, onions, and zucchini. You can leave out any veggie that you don’t like, and double up on the ones you do.
Nutrition
Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 590mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1015IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 3mg
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Great recipe, my family really enjoyed it! Do you think I could double the recipe? How would it change the cook time? Thank you!
Hi Kim! You can absolutely double it in the Instant Pot! No change in cook time!
I calculated the points on ww website and come up with 5. Wondering what I did wrong.
Hi Linda! In the recipe notes I mention that I used 2C dry whole wheat pasta and 99% fat free ground turkey. Is that what you used? It’s all about the ingredients and the brands used.
In the lineup of recipes you list the goulash as 3 ww points but in the recipe for the goulash, you list 2 freestyle smart points per serving. Which is correct?
Hi Gloria! I’m sorry, what “lineup” do you see the 3FSP in?
I’m new to the instant pot, this will be my first meal I’m making in it! I’m a little confused about the cooking instructions, before the ingredient list it says 1 hour 44 minutes then in the instructions it says set your pot for 4 minutes on high pressure, then quickly release the sealing valve as soon as it’s cooked. What do I set it to after the 4 minutes? Thank you, Lorraine
Thanks for catching that error!
It’s 4 minutes in the Instant Pot – that’s all!
Why does it say total time 3 hrs and 14 minutes? This will be my first try at the Instant Pot too.
Hey Sue! Oh my, not sure. I just fixed it :) It takes about 15 minutes to prep and cook, but know that the IP takes a few minutes to come to pressure and for pressure to release :)
I am vegetarian do you think it would work with veggie crumbles too ?
Absolutely!
I’m not super handy in the kitchen, so I’m probably missing something. Step 4 confuses me. It is the “or” that is throwing me: 4. “Fill up the tomato can with water or add 1/2 of a jar of water to the Instant Pot. “
Hi Scott,
That step depends on whether you are using a can of crushed tomatoes or a jar of pasta sauce. If you’re using a can of tomatoes, fill the whole thing up with water. If you’re using a jar of pasta sauce, fill the jar up 1/2 way.
I hope that makes sense :)
Is there a difference in SP to PP in the recipes? Thanks
Smart Points are the same as Blue – not sure if it’s the same as purple :)
This was a walking in the door at 9 PM and making dinner. Not my favorite! This meal rocked it start to finish may 20 minutes. I added a 1/2 onion. This was beyond a hit. It was fed to a hungry adult hockey player who had also arrived home. Easy, delicious and will be a repeat recipe! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Happy New Year.
Great recipe. I used 1/2 the noodles and added a can of butter beans. Have lunch for the week plus.
Oh my lord this is SOOOOOO good!
I added more garlic…other than that this recipe was excellent my boyfriend who never eats leftovers finish this up on day 3!
Made this tonight, used 93% beef since that is what I had on hand. I did add some salt with the other seasonings. So good!
Omg, I haven’t had goulash in ages, I’m going to pin this for later
Do you wait until it reaches high pressure and then cook for 3 minutes?
Yes :)
I made this for dinner tonight. I was very good. I doubled the recipe and I cooked it longer than 3 mins. the pasta was too done. This is definitely a keeper. Next time I will just adjust the high pressure time to 3 mins. — Thank you
when I calculate this it is 4 blue points per serving
Gina,
We could have been calculating it with slightly different ingredients. Fat free turkey vs low fat turkey, different brands of tomato sauce or pasta, etc.