American Chop Suey | History & Recipe
Just what is American Chop Suey? Learn this origins of this savory blend of baked noodles, ground beef, and seasoned tomato sauce, plus our favorite American Chop Suey casserole recipe.
By Aimee Tucker|Jul 25 2022|
American Chop Suey Casserole
Credit: Aimee TuckerWhat is American Chop Suey? In general, it’s a comfort food dish with many names, but here in New England, a concoction of noodles, seasoned beef, and tomato-y goodness nearly always goes by one name and one name alone — American Chop Suey. Is American Chop Suey the same as goulash? In researching ACS I learned that it goes by by a slew of other names across the country (from goulash to chili mac to macaroni red) but while the names may differ, the spirit of the dish remains the same, making it a nationwide, if not uniformly known, favorite.
So what’s with the “chop suey” in American Chop Suey? According to The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, “chop suey” is a culinary phrase with Chinese origins, and dates back (in print, at least) to the late 1800’s. It’s thought to be a transcription of “tsa tsui,” which is Mandarin for “a little of this and that.” In time, “chop suey” became a dish containing a loose assortment of bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, celery, soy sauce, and either pork or chicken, which went on to become one of those Chinese-American dishes popular in Chinese restaurants stateside, but likely unfamiliar to a native Chinese diner. Later, another dish of muddled, cobbled ingredients and origins (this time Italian-American) would also carry the “chop suey” name.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
American Chop Suey (and its brethren) is an easy, forgiving, and flexible dish, making it one of those meals most of us grew up with, from the kitchen table to the school cafeteria to the paper plate at the church or neighborhood potluck. Yes, this classic beefy-noodle dish can be “classed up” with homemade tomato sauce, fancier cuts of meat, or a handful of kale, but I suspect most of us want it just the way we remember – a quick and easy pot with the comforting blend of noodles, meat, and tomato sauce. ACS is such a New England classic that even Maine’s Stonewall Kitchen sells jars of American Chop Suey Sauce!
Today’s version mostly sticks with tradition, but since I’ve always found a layer of melty cheese to be a thing of beauty, I decided to bake my chop suey in casserole dish the same way you would macaroni and cheese after it’s turn on the stovetop.
Credit: Aimee Tucker
If you prefer to ladle it out of the pot instead, by all means have the recipe end up in a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove rather than a bowl, mix the cheese into the chop suey before serving, and then, for the heck of it, add another sprinkle before handing out bowls. When the cold weather hits in New England and spring is still months away, it’s these comfort food classics that warm us up.
Are you a fan of American Chop Suey? How do you make American Chop Suey? Tell us about your family’s favorite recipe!
This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.
GET THE RECIPE:
American Chop Suey Casserole
My husband served in the Navy and was excited one day as the boat was serving American Chop Suey which would have been something he hadn’t had before and he was sort of tired of the food as of late. Well, he was greatly disappointed when he saw it that it was what he grew up knowing as goulash! He still laughs at his reaction still.
Looks great
My mother found a “shortcut” Franco-Amerucan spaghetti. Not the same at all. I never adopted it- not that hard to cook, spaghetti and open a can of course soup or tomatoes.
I don’t remember having this dish growing up in New England, but it sounds like what Midwesterners call Johnny Marzetti.
I’ve been making this forever, although I make it the day before because we like it best sauteed in butter in a frying pan with parmesan cheese on top!
I have grown up with American Chop Suey, and my children have also. I am 74 and still long for a plate of it.
I use Hamburg, tomato soup, green peppers (if I have some on hand), onions and Italian seasoning.
It is so good left over also.
We usually had it on a Saturday lunch and it sure filled up all my children’s belly’s, and very inexpensive.
What a great article, this brings back such awesome memories of my happy family in New England.
I grew up just outside of Boston; made American Chop Suey all the time ;
Hamburger, Stewed Tomatoes (2 cans) elbow macoroni, onion and bell pepper ; this reminds me that I haven’t made it in a long time; now that I live in Calif and the kids are all grown!!
This was my Mom’s recipe too and my favorite ( as well as my son’s). I think it’s time to make some!!
Ate it all the time for lunch in elementary school in the 80s in NH. American Chop Suey Day was a good lunch day. 🙂
My wife is making American Chop Suey now — using ground turkey and spaghetti squash!
We LOVED it fried up the next night even better, always made a HUGE batch. We still do.
So funny because I made this Monday night and have been eating it for three days now! It’s my favorite. This time I made it ‘healthier’ using ground turkey instead of hamburger but my mum’s classic recipe is green peppers and onions sauteed in a ton of butter, browned ground beef, a can of crushed tomatoes and always WELCH’s tomato juice. Simmered for a little bit and then the boiled elbow noodles thrown in at the end. Salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. Couldn’t be simpler and easier but oh so fattening.
Hi just noticing no one is crediting celery in chop suey. I make mine with onion, peppers, celery, Hamburg and Campbell’s tomato soup. Yes I said Campbell’s tomato soup Lol we also live on it for days. Mmmmmm
I like it with peppers,onions,ground hamburg 85%…diced tomatoes
I like it anyway it’s made
My husband and in laws who were born in New Hampshire always called it slumgullion. I was born in Massachusetts and we called it American chop suey or goulash. My grandmother made it with ground beef (I use 85%), onions, peppers (I leave the peppers out), garlic and granulated garlic and onion, along with tomato sauce, sliced stewed tomatoes, Lawry’s season salt and also some black pepper with very aldente cooked elbow macaroni, this way when it goes into the sauce it does not become mushy as you do have to cook it in the sauce for a few minutes so that it can absorb a little of the sauce. I basically make it the way my grandmother did, except for the green peppers as my husband did not care for peppers and it became one of my husband’s favorite meal.
The secret to American Chop Suey is bacon, and bacon fat. Without it, it is just pasta with meat sauce. Trust me, fry the bacon, and add it and the grease to the pot. Just do it!
Absolutely the key to a great taste!
This was a staple in Arlington High School’s cafeteria. I loved it!
We gave up meat 2 years ago and use mushrooms instead. Still the favorite comfort food,
I make my American Chop Suey the same as my mom always did. Ground beef, peppers, onions, garlic, canned crushed & diced tomatoes and elbows pasta.
same here. It’s the best and original
Our family recipe was called Slumguillon – I don’t know where that name came from. It had ground turkey, onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomato soup and canned tomatoes, and American cheese. No celery. When we had a motor home, it was our favorite camping recipe. I would make a huge portion and take it along with us. We always had enough for our children to invite guests for dinner.
And in the West it is called Slumgullian but also has corn in it. Learned that when I moved from New Hampshire to California
Thinking of my mother on Mother’s Day and her American Chop Suey. She made hers with ground beef, onions, elbow noodles, can of chopped tomatoes and Campbell’s tomato soup. Don’t forget the salt and pepper. We had it with a side of bread and butter. She made it for our family of 8 and it is still a family favorite. We miss you Mom.
Kristine, I understand. As I’m reading this I miss my Mum too and wish I could ask why she seems to be the only person in MA who used shells instead of macaroni. I do know she always made it in a pot, never as a casserole.
I am curious about the origin of the name, “American Chop Suey”. My mother (in her 90’s) says there was a well-to-do gentleman with a Chinese cook and when the cook was told there would be additional (unexpected) guests for dinner, he conjured up the recipe to stretch the meal. Any truth to that story?
One of our family favorites and still comfort food for me. I never got the recipe from my mom and I’ve never been able to get mine to taste like hers. Maybe the Campbell’s tomato soup is the secret … I’ll try it!
I’m from Massachusetts my mother and aunt tudi made this and it was as called American chop suey, elbows, ground beef, sautéed onions, crushed tomatoes tomato paste, oregano, pepper
That’s how my mom made it.I always remember the Campbell’s tomato soup…
The recipe with Campbell’s tomato soup was the best. Brings back memories.
I make this the same way my mom did, hamburg, elbow macaroni [small
size] and Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Maine recipe!
Down in the south Chop Suey is strictly Chinese food. We call this dish American Goulash. The version I make is from Chef John on Allrecipes. It has no green peppers. It does have onion, kosher salt, 2 tbsp of smoked paprika, a dash of French smoked pepper flakes, Bay leaves, soy sauce, a jar of marinara sauce, a mixture of chicken and beef broths, and some cheddar cheese stirred in at the end to make it creamy. It seems like seasoning overkill, but it turns out divine.
Made too many times to count and my son’s favorite . Son fid not like green peppers so I used lots of chunky celery and onions, tomato soup, chunky tomatoes, lots of grated parm and soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce spiced with Oregano and basil . The elbow pasta were always a must!
Moms was the best! Sauté onion, celery & gr. pep.
Add ground beef & brown. Add Campbells Tom soup,
and stewed toms. Add cooked elbow mac.
And of course scrambled hamburger!!!!
In the 70’s, we would vacation in DownEast Maine. We went for dinner to a neighbors house who said they were serving Chop Suey for dinner – Thinking of the bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and rice, we were VERY SURPRISED and the macaroni concoction placed before us. It was delicious but certainly NOT CHINESE FOOD!
“Chop Suey” should never be confused with American Chop Suey, as the American version is closer to an Italian mash of ingredients. Chop Suey is also not Chinese per se, though it may have parts that might be found in a Chinese dish, but this often over cooked, limp concoction kept me away from genuine Chinese cuisine until my early twenties. What kid wouldn’t like ground beef, tomato sauce, and cheese? But, that steamy pile of limp vegetables – ugh! Chung King – phooey!
So I started looking at this recipe and it is very similar to goulash that we had in Montana – funny how it’s a comfort food with different names
This is not American chop Suey….. This is American Goulash… American chop suey is made with some Chinese ingredients and some American. Alot of cultures have some of the same names as American but the dish is different… Foe example theres an American goulash the one u have pictured above and there’s a Hungarian goulash. If u look it up online it will show what u claim is chop suey. Its not.. This is how old dishes have gotten lost in the yrs because people change the names over time or the or mistaken for something esle….Its ashame actually…
It IS known as American Chop suey as well as American Goulash and a few other names depending on where you are in the country. I took the time to research it. It is considered a dish coming from the New England area. As anyone should know, most histories do not stay in their original areas; they migrate around the country as people move.
Here is a reliable source:
According to The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, “chop suey” is a culinary phrase with Chinese origins, and dates back (in print, at least) to the late 1800’s. It’s thought to be a transcription of “tsa tsui,” which is Mandarin for “a little of this and that.”
American Chop Suey | History & Recipe – New England Today
This is American chop suey and has nothing at all to do with Chinese food. Classically it’s made with ground beef, onions, peppers and celery in a tomato sauce with a little salt and pepper. Never add cheese as is pictured.
I agree, no cheese! Mine is onion, peppers, mushrooms if I have them, crushed tomatoes and some spices. I never overcook my pasta. No matter what it’s called, growing up in MA it was always called American Chop Suey.
I’m born and raised in Maine…THIS IS AMERICAN CHOP SUEY!
As a New Englander born and raised my American Chop Suey has become a weekly tradition. I take any veggies left in my fridge and simmer them in a pot with canned tomatoes, sometimes I add ground meat. Then mix with pasta, top with cheese, and bake. I often use peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, spinach, kale, and eggplant.
The last few times I have made AMC I just tossed some leftover Dynamites with elbow macaroni. I make a 20 qt. roaster of dynamites every week for my Grange to sell pints and quarts to go and have used the leftovers to make AMC, Spanish rice and also mixed one quart to 2 packs of Ramen noodles for an almost instant “spaghetti” meal.
Dynamites! You must be from RI. Maybe Woonsocket. Never thought of doing that, combining two of my favorite comfort foods.
I’ve done exactly that also. So good and makes a great dinner the next day.
I just call it what it is, hamburg and macaroni.
Back in my Boy Scout camping trip days, the troupe used to call this recipe “Yukon Pete.” –Bob S.
My version of this recipe was brown onions, hamberg, add cooked elbows and stir in crushed tomatoes, s & p, parsley and that was it. Easy peasy. Served many and always good.
Mine exactly the same except I include a chopped up green pepper
I am not a picky eater, and will eat almost anything. I grew up in Brooklyn in the ’40s, and got my education in NH, boston & Vermont. I will NOT eat
American Chop Suey, as the macaroni is almost ALWAYS overcooked.
I love this dish and never ever overcook my elbow macaroni. I have thrown away pasta that I overcooked. This is a pet peeve with me in restaurants that serve a dish with any kind of pasta.
Hence….your NOT a New Englander…you wouldn’t
In a pinch I use a box of mac & cheese. The kids loved it – hubby thinks that it is not ACS if it has that (but he ate it all the same when I cooked it that way without his supervision/knowledge).
The story I always heard was about the old logging camps & the cooks were often Chinese. So this was their American version of chop suey. Another casserole here is Chinese pie. Otherwise known as Shepherd’s pie. Same story. Whatever the history & however it’s made I like them both & I’ve been eating & making them all my life.
My 1st ‘babysitting’ job at 11 (1956?) In Brockton MA, on our 2nd floor, the tenant Mrs Grace Roy would leave a massive pot on the stove and I’d stir occasionally while her 2 kids and I watched Gale Storm on TV and ‘Sky King’ with Penny, til the Dad came home barely 2 hrs later. That AmericaChopSuey was to die for, had parmesan cheese for sure, from that new to me ‘stinky’ cheese aroma. I probably ‘tested’ at 15 min intervals as I stirred often – as instructed to keep from ,’catching’ – Must have had a serving or 2 in the process! Anyone out there have Mrs Roy’s recipe? Nothing has come close and it was Absolutely to DIE for !!!
Diane L
Please don’t get “American Chop Suey” mixed up with Chinese Chop Suey sandwiches. They were a basic and delicious ‘chow mein noodles mixed with
cooked ground beef and a brown gravy, cooked in Chinese restaurants all over in Massachusetts. My wife is from Taunton and the “Orient” Restaurant on the Taunton Green, served this delicious quick sandwich (made on hamburger rolls) and wrapped in waxed paper, for 25 cents back in the late ’60’s. Think they’re actually still there? Don’t know for sure, but they were wonderful fast sandwiches the Chinese cooks put together for anyone and everyone! An old great memory.
Our family recipe was passed down from my mom. Brown a lb of ground beef with chopped onion and green pepper. Boil 1 lb of elbow macaroni and drain. put drained macaroni back in the pan, mix the veges in along with 2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes and the meat. mix well and place in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. enjoy!
This is definitely a New England favorite dish, and my mom made this in the 70s using elbow macaroni, onion, green pepper, ground beef, and tomato soup. We always loved it, and I make it for my own kids – don’t always have green pepper and sometimes I omit that.
I’ve converted my family ACS to be a bit leaner using ground turkey instead of gr. beef! I’ve added mushrooms that I quarter and saute before I start the remainder of the regular ingredients, garlic, onion, pepper, and then I add back the mushrooms before adding my tomato soup. It also gets a blast of Italian seasoning before it simmers while the noodles cook.
I make my “Goulash”the same as my mom always did. Ground beef, peppers, onions, tomatoes sauce, canned crushed & diced tomatoes and elbows pasta
I read all the reviews and I guess I must be the only one in the world whose mother made this with Velveeta Cheese!
Eeek Velveeta! Fake cheese in any dish is a crime!
My Massachusetts grandmother made it with ground beef, onions, peppers, Campbell’s tomato soup, macaroni, s & p, and topped with American cheese. My mother removed the peppers as us kids didn’t like those. I’ve made with cheddar cheese for my wife and Impossible burger for my son. Lots of variations but all good memories.
We substituted macaroni with RICE
My mother used to brown ground beef, green pepper and onion then add a couple of cans of Franco American spaghetti (Campbell’s spaghetti). I use three cans, 1.25 lb 85/15 ground beef, frozen diced onions and green peppers and it’s really good and easy
Richard, we’re on the same page. My Quik-Am. chop Suey recipe is same as yours, ‘cept I still dice 1/2 med. fresh green pepper & Vidalia onion, and include a small can of mushroom stems & pieces. I also sprinkle a dash of dried Italian seasoning when adding the canned spaghetti. Serve with an easy mixed bag tossed salad & hot baked prev. frozen French or Artesian dinner rolls, and voila!
When I was a kid, in Virginia, Chop Suey was pretty much like the stuff that came out of the can of LaChoy, with the separate container attached with the dry noodles! Flash forward to marrying my hubs from Waldoboro, ME! He makes the elbow macaroni with the ground beef & sauce, with his own embellishments. He’s never called it Chop Suey, so we came up with our own name: “Daddy Special”!!
My mom has made this since the 70s at least. We’re in Rhode Island and we call it American Chop Suey. Sauté chopped onions, roughly chopped green peppers until tender. Add minced garlic cook 30 seconds. Add the ground beef. Season w salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and cook all together.
Once cooked add your favorite red sauce. Add the cooked elbow macaroni to a plate. Ladle the meat sauce over the cooked pasta. Serve hot. Amazing.
American Chop Suey. Ugh, what an awful. My mother grew up in he 30’s and 40’s and must have eaten it. She cooked it for our family in the 50’s and 60’s a lot. I grew up in north of Boston. I cringe remembering how often she made it and how lousy it tasted. She used elbow macaroni, tomato soup, onions and too much green pepper and ground beef. I remade it using red peppers myself in the 70s with better ingredients and mine tasted MUCH better!
My grandmother from Cranston made this religiously but with spaghetti, not elbow macaroni. I’m going to try this recipe!
My Mum made it with A can of plain stewed tomatoes, ground beef, macaroni, layered with American cheese in the middle and on top. I still make it the same way except I use cavatelli pasta in place of standard macaroni
Born in Boston while my Dad was at MIT, and raised in Duxbury & Plymouth. I can recall American Chop Suey being served in my school cafeteria. Always loved it especially during the cold winter days. YUM!
I make this fairly often. We call it American Chop Suey, but growing up, my Mom always called it Mexican Steer! Same recipe, but you know, mine doesn’t taste the same as hers. I wish I got her recipe before she passed. I’ve googled Mexican Steer and my search comes up empty. She might have added a dash of chili powder or cumin. I also suspect it tasted differently as she used a cast iron fry pan. We don’t use tomato soup; I use a can or two of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, green peppers, onion, celery, chopped mushrooms-all sauteed. Also, salt pepper, oregano and basil. Occasional dash of rosemary.
However you make it or whatever you call it, it is soooo good! Got to have a couple slices of bread and butter!
Growing up in Massachusetts in the 60s, the only saving grace to American Suey lunch day for me was the peanut butter sandwich that always came with it! I was the kid who had butter and cheese on my pasta instead of tomato sauce. Didn’t care about having a meatball. But I was interested in food and as a first grader asked the lunch ladies for the recipe for their wonderful apple crisp! They got a kick out of me, but gave me a copy, one side for the cafeteria amount they made and on the back what my my mom and grandmother (whom they knew) could reasonably use! I’ve lost count of how many cookbooks I have but will never forget asking for that first recipe.