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Easy Crockpot Slumgullion

This Easy Crockpot Slumgullion is the ultimate old-fashioned comfort food dinner! Made with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, tender elbow macaroni, and plenty of savory flavor, this easy slow cooker meal is hearty, cozy, and perfect for busy weeknights.

If you’ve never had slumgullion before, think of it as a delicious combination of ground beef, tomato sauce, and macaroni. It’s similar to American goulash and is one of those simple, old-fashioned meals made with inexpensive ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

For this crockpot version, I like to let the beef and tomato sauce slowly cook together and then stir in cooked macaroni right before serving.

Cooking the macaroni separately is my favorite method because the noodles don’t become mushy or soak up all that delicious tomato sauce.

Add a little shredded cheddar on top and serve it with warm garlic bread for an easy comfort-food dinner.

What Is Slumgullion?

Slumgullion is an old-fashioned American dish typically made with ground beef, tomatoes, and macaroni.

There are lots of different versions, and that’s part of the fun of recipes like this.

Some families make it very simple with just beef, tomatoes, and noodles. Others add onions, bell peppers, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, or cheese.

You might also know a very similar dish as American goulash, beef and macaroni, or beefaroni.

Whatever you call it, it’s hearty, inexpensive, and delicious.

Why You’ll Love Crockpot Slumgullion

This is exactly the kind of dinner that works beautifully in the slow cooker.

The ground beef and tomato sauce have several hours to simmer together, creating a rich and savory sauce.

Then, instead of cooking the pasta in the crockpot, we’re cooking it separately and adding it at the end.

That means you get:

• Tender macaroni instead of mushy noodles
• Plenty of rich tomato sauce
• Savory seasoned ground beef
• An easy family-friendly dinner
• Simple, inexpensive ingredients
• Great leftovers
• An easy meal for busy weeknights

And if you love cheese, add plenty of cheddar at the end.

Crockpot Slumgullion Recipe

Servings: 6–8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4–6 hours
Total Time: About 6 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, optional
• Fresh parsley, optional

Brown the Ground Beef

Start by adding the ground beef, diced onion, and green bell pepper to a large skillet.

Cook over medium heat, breaking the ground beef into crumbles as it cooks.

Continue cooking until the beef is completely browned and the onion and bell pepper have started to soften.

Add the minced garlic during the final minute of cooking.

Drain away any excess grease.

I definitely recommend browning the ground beef before adding it to the crockpot.

It gives the beef better texture, adds flavor, and allows you to drain away the extra grease before everything goes into the slow cooker.

Add Everything to the Crockpot

Transfer the browned ground beef mixture to your crockpot.

Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Stir everything together really well.

Cover the crockpot and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours.

During this time, all those tomatoes, seasonings, vegetables, and beef cook together into a thick, flavorful sauce.

Cook the Macaroni Separately

When you’re almost ready for dinner, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the elbow macaroni and cook according to the package directions until just al dente.

I actually like to take it off the heat about a minute before it becomes completely tender.

Remember, we’re going to stir the hot macaroni into the crockpot, where it will continue to soften slightly.

Drain the macaroni really well.

Don’t rinse it.

Add the Macaroni to the Crockpot

Stir the drained macaroni into the hot beef and tomato mixture.

Make sure all those noodles get coated in the sauce.

Cover and let everything cook together for another 5–10 minutes.

That’s enough time for the macaroni to absorb some of the flavor without sitting in the crockpot long enough to become mushy.

If you think the slumgullion is thicker than you’d like, add a small splash of hot beef broth.

I like mine really saucy!

Make It Cheesy

You can absolutely serve slumgullion without cheese, but I love adding cheddar.

Stir about 1 cup of shredded cheddar into the hot slumgullion.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup over the top.

Cover the crockpot for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Or skip stirring the cheese into the whole crockpot and let everyone add shredded cheddar to their own bowl.

Both ways are delicious.

Why I Cook the Macaroni Separately

You can technically cook pasta directly in a slow cooker, but I prefer cooking the macaroni separately for this recipe.

Here’s why.

Crockpots cook at different temperatures. One slow cooker might cook macaroni perfectly in 20 minutes while another could take considerably longer.

And pasta can go from perfectly tender to mushy surprisingly fast.

It also absorbs a LOT of liquid.

If you cook the macaroni directly in the sauce, it can soak up all that wonderful tomato sauce and leave your slumgullion much drier than you wanted.

Cooking the macaroni separately means you control the texture.

Then you simply stir it into the sauce at the end.

Easy!

Don’t Overcook the Macaroni

Since the pasta will sit in the hot sauce for a few minutes, cook it only until al dente.

You want the macaroni to still have a little bite when you drain it.

Once it’s stirred into the crockpot, it will absorb a little sauce and finish cooking.

This also helps the macaroni hold its shape beautifully instead of breaking apart.

What Does Slumgullion Taste Like?

Think cozy, beefy, tomatoey pasta.

It’s simple comfort food.

The tomatoes make a rich sauce, the Worcestershire sauce adds a deeper savory flavor, and the onions, peppers, garlic, and seasonings make everything taste like it has been simmering all afternoon.

And technically, it has!

If you add cheddar, you get this wonderful cheesy beef and macaroni situation that’s especially good on a cold night.

What Can I Add to Slumgullion?

This is one of those recipes where you can easily use what you have.

Try adding:

• Mushrooms
• Corn
• Red bell peppers
• Diced carrots
• Red pepper flakes
• Extra garlic
• Cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Hot sauce

You can also leave out the green pepper if your family isn’t a fan.

What to Serve with Crockpot Slumgullion

You really don’t need much because you’ve already got beef, vegetables, tomatoes, and pasta all in one bowl.

But bread?

Absolutely.

Serve it with:

• Garlic bread
• Homemade white bread
• Dinner rolls
• Biscuits
• Breadsticks
• A simple green salad

I especially love a thick slice of warm buttered bread with this.

Use it to scoop up the extra tomato sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

Can I Make Slumgullion Ahead of Time?

Yes, but here’s my trick.

If you’re making the recipe ahead of time, prepare the beef and tomato portion and refrigerate it without adding the macaroni.

When you’re ready to serve, reheat the sauce in the crockpot or on the stovetop.

Cook fresh macaroni and stir it into the hot sauce.

This keeps the pasta from absorbing too much liquid while it sits overnight.

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover slumgullion in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.

The macaroni will absorb some of the sauce while it’s refrigerated.

When reheating, add a splash of beef broth or tomato sauce to loosen everything up.

You can reheat individual servings in the microwave or warm a larger portion gently on the stovetop.

Can You Freeze Slumgullion?

Yes, but I recommend freezing the beef and tomato sauce separately from the macaroni whenever possible.

Pasta tends to soften after it’s frozen, thawed, and reheated.

Prepare the crockpot beef and tomato mixture and let it cool completely.

Transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze.

When you’re ready to serve it, thaw and reheat the sauce and make a fresh batch of elbow macaroni.

Stir everything together and you’ve got an easy dinner.

Jennie’s Thoughts

I definitely prefer cooking the macaroni separately for this one. I’ve made enough crockpot pasta recipes to know those noodles can be little sauce thieves! They soak up everything and with slumgullion, I want plenty of that rich tomato and beef sauce coating the macaroni.

Cooking the noodles separately also means you don’t have to stand over the crockpot wondering whether they’re done yet or worrying that they’ll turn mushy.

Just cook them until al dente, drain them, and stir them in. So easy.

And I know cheese isn’t necessarily required for old-fashioned slumgullion, but I’m adding it. A little melted cheddar over beef, tomatoes, and macaroni? Yes!

Serve this with a big piece of warm garlic bread and you’ve got one seriously cozy dinner.