Eggplant Goulash – Meatless American Goulash Recipe

Eggplant Goulash is a great way to get kids to eat veggies. Ready in just 30 minutes, this meatless American goulash tastes just like classic hamburger goulash.

Whatever your reason for wanting a meatless main dish, this skillet pasta recipe is a great option. Nobody will guess this is goulash without meat featuring eggplant instead.

Meatless American Goulash Recipe

Let me repeat this statement. This is a meatless American Goulash recipe.

Instead of ground beef, I used all vegetables. Since it’s garden season, and our CSA box usually contains eggplant, this meatless goulash recipe was the solution to using up those purple beauties taking up space in my refrigerator crisper drawer.

All you have to do is peel the eggplant, remove the seeds (if needed or desired), cut into small cubes, and boil in salted water.

Once the eggplant is fork-tender, drain well, and then it’s ready to be added to the meatless American Goulash recipe.

Ingredient List for Goulash with Eggplant and Tomatoes

• Eggplant, peeled and diced
• Olive oil
• Onions, diced
• Garlic Cloves, minced
• Stewed tomatoes
• Tomato Sauce
• Italian Seasoning blend (dried oregano, basil, thyme and parsley)
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Sugar
• Elbow Macaroni
• Water

How to Make Goulash without Meat

1. Peel, remove seeds and dice eggplant. In a large pot, boil in salted water until fork-tender. Drain well in a colander or pat with paper towels.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until soft.
3. Add eggplant and garlic and sauté for a minute longer.
4. To the skillet, add undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper, uncooked elbow macaroni and water.
5. Stir and simmer, uncovered until the noodles are cooked, stirring occasionally. If it seems dry, add a little more water.
6. If desired, top with grated Parmesan before serving.

Storage Instructions

Let leftovers cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for eggplant goulash, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Eggplant Goulash Without Meat

I came up with the idea for this goulash without meat from my Old Fashioned Eggplant Casserole recipe. In this recipe, it follows the same steps of peeling, dicing and boiling the eggplant before using it in the casserole.

I always noted that the eggplant takes on an almost meat-like texture and appearance.

So I was laying in bed at night, where I do my best thinking when I should be sleeping, and this recipe hit me. I knew my kids would love it. And, I was correct. It looks almost identical to my Classic goulash recipe and it tastes just as great.

Recipe FAQs

• For this eggplant goulash recipe, I used 3 normal sized eggplant which equaled about 6 to 7 cups once peeled and diced.
• Dried, minced onion can be substituted for fresh onion.
• I like to chop up the eggplant and stewed tomatoes in small chunks to make it more palatable for my kids. I use one of these meat choppers for easy chopping while it’s cooking in the skillet.
• If you do not have an Italian seasoning blend, use a combination of dried oregano, basil and/or parsley.
• If you love meat, use a combination of hamburger and eggplant to stretch your ground beef a bit farther.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry and kitchen items.

Goulash Recipes for the Family

I am the master of goulash. This is a distinction I’ve earned as an adult with three young children…three young and hungry children. Three young, hungry and impatient children.

Goulash is the ultimate food to fix for kids because I can whip it up in under 30 minutes, and my kids absolutely love it. I make classic goulash with hamburger, goulash in the instant pot, Mexican Goulash, and Sloppy Joe Goulash.

And now, I deserve a round of applause, because I make Eggplant Goulash and my kids never suspected that it was full of veggies instead of ground beef.

They never questioned the lack of meat because chunks of eggplant resemble meat in appearance, and once sautéed with all those delicious goulash flavors, the eggplant takes on those same flavors.

Recipe Variations

• Add diced bell peppers with the onions.
• Substitute water for low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth.
• Ground beef or lamb is a great addition if you don’t want the meat-less option.
• For extra tomato flavor, add a squirt of tomato paste in the skillet after the onions are soft.
• Fresh, diced tomatoes are also a great addition.
• For extra heat, toss in chili peppers.
• Toss in a handful of fresh spinach.
• Goulash often has paprika, so go ahead and add a teaspoon, if desired.
• Garnish with chopped parsley.

What to make with eggplant and tomatoes?

Try making a goulash without meat. Peel and dice the eggplant, and then boil until tender. Once drained, treat the eggplant like the “meat” in the goulash. Follow your favorite goulash recipe replace ground meat with eggplant. It’s delicious, and nobody will suspect that you’ve used eggplant instead of ground beef.

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