Sweater weather is officially here – let’s get cosy with Goulash! This Hungarian recipe is a slow cooked beef soup or stew that’s boldly flavoured with stacks of paprika which makes the sauce a deep, vibrant red colour. Think traditional beef stew – with extra character!
Goulash
If you think Hungary and think hearty food, then Goulash is probably exactly what comes to mind. Unsurprising given it is Hungary’s greatest food export!
Is it a stew? Is it a soup? It sort of lies between the two in terms of the amount of broth vs the stuff in it. Though one noticeable thing about traditional Goulash is that the broth is thinner than what you think of with stews, and it’s not thickened with flour or cream. Also, it’s not typically served over mash like stews, it’s served in bowls like soup.
As for flavour, I describe it as a beef stew with a sauce that reminds me of chorizo flavours thanks to a big hit of paprika and savouriness from a good amount of garlic, capsicum (bell peppers) and onion. It’s really, really good. Bolder than typical beef stew!
Note on authenticity: This is a recipe that is intended to respect traditional Hungarian Goulash. But as with all such recipes, every cook and every family has their own version. I am sure some Hungarians will disagree on something I’ve included! Please share your thoughts below but know that I did do my research!
Ingredients in Hungarian Goulash
Two things you’ll observe when you make this:
A LOT of paprika. Flavour and sauce colour!
A LOT of vegetables. 2 each onions, capsicum/bell peppers, carrots, tomato, potatoes. Flavour and heartiness!
Beef, spices and sauce
Beef – The classic beef cut to use is beef chuck which is a tough cut of meat that becomes meltingly tender when slow cooked. If you can, get a single piece so you can cut it into cubes of the size we want, else get a thick steak. Always look for beef that is nicely marbled with fat. All too often, the grocery stores ones are disturbingly lean. We want the fat marbled throughout, it makes the beef so tender and juicy!
Substitute – Beef osso bucco (boneless) and beef cheeks. The meat cubes will twist and buckle more once cooked but these are actually juicier than chuck. Gravy beef and brisket will also work but meat is a little leaner.
Paprika – Use Hungarian or Hungarian-style if you can, the paprika is smoother and sweeter than ordinary paprika. Don’t use hot paprika – we’re using lots of paprika here, it will be way too spicy! Smoked paprika will make the sauce a little too smokey, though you could mix-and-match a little if you want.
Caraway seeds – A traditional spice used in Goulash used in central European cooking. Not the end of the world if you don’t have it but you’ll love the little unique pops of flavour if you do!
Beef stock/broth – The liquid used to make the sauce. Traditionally water was used, but no one can deny that using stock makes the sauce a whole lot tastier! I personally would not make this with water. If you use homemade beef stock, you could sell bowls of this for a pretty penny.
Butter and oil – The fat for sautéing. I like to use both so you get the best of both worlds – butter for flavour, oil for effective searing (butter is ~15% water and susceptible to burning at high heats).
Bay leaf – For flavour. Fresh if you can, or dried (pictured).
We don’t need flour to thicken the sauce – see next paragraph.
The vegetables
Some recipes use flour to thicken the sauce. I don’t find that necessary if you use fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes, as they break down to thicken the sauce. It also makes the stew sauce taste less tomatoey which lets the paprika and other flavours come through more.
Onion and garlic – flavour base.
Capsicum/bell peppers – One each red and yellow if you can, or 2 red. Don’t underestimate the flavour this brings to the sauce! You can substitute the potato and carrot but don’t skip capsicum!
Tomatoes – These break down to naturally thicken the sauce rather than using flour.
Carrot and potato – Vegetable adds ins that fills it out. Feel free to switch with other root vegetables such as celeriac, parsnip, or even non-root vegetables like green beans. Note: These get added at the end of the cook time so the potato doesn’t disintegrate.
Parsley – optional garnish
How to make Goulash
Usually, stews will call for beef cubes to be browned first, removed, then added back into the pot after sautéing the vegetables. Goulash goes all in. I doubted it at first but when I saw it go all stewy and the flavours mingling together before I even got to the slow cooking part, I understood.
And when I tasted the finished dish, it sealed the deal!
Cut beef into nice size chunks then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook onion first for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
Cook beef – Next, add the beef all in one go and stir until the surfaces changes from red to brown. You won’t be browning on the beef because there’s too much in the pot and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. All the flavours meld and come together in the next steps!
Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes to coat the vegetables in all the flavour in the pot. The tomato will mostly breakdown – it will break down completing during the slow cooking phase and thicken the sauce.
Spices – Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds to coat everything in the tasty flavours.
Simmer – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer.
Slow cook – Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours. At this stage the beef should be pretty tender but not quite “fall-apart”, there’s still another 30 minutes to go. Stir in carrot and potatoes then cook for another 30 minutes. By this time, the potatoes (if you cut them the exact size I specify!!) should be soft and the beef should be “fall-apart”.
Serve – Sprinkle with parsley if you’re feeling fancy then ladle into bowls!
That’s Friday’s cheese bread pictured above, being dunked into the Goulash. Though you could do ordinary crusty Artisan bread. Both are no-knead, no stand-mixer, 3 minute dough making situations. Not mandatory…..but any kind of bread elevates soup-stew eating experiences, right??! – Nagi x
PS One final point – as with any stewy / slow-cooked recipes, Goulash tastes even better the next day. Completely and utterly company-worthy.
Watch how to make it
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Goulash (Hungarian beef stew)
Ingredients
- 1 kg/2 lb beef chuck , cut in 3.5cm / 1.5″ cubes (Note 1)
- 1 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp/ 30g unsalted butter
- 2 brown onions , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ squares
- 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 2 capsicum/bell peppers (1 red + 1 yellow), cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ squares
- 2 tomatoes , cut into 8 wedges then in half
- 1/4 cup Hungarian-style paprika (sub ordinary paprika, Note 2)
- 1 tsp caraway seeds , optional (Note 3)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 litre / 4 cups beef stock/broth , low-sodium
- 2 carrots , peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise then into 1cm / 0.4″ pieces
- 2 potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2″ cubes
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), though you can use your slow cooker or stove instead (oven easiest! Note 4).
- Season beef – Toss the beef with half the salt and pepper.
- Cook onion – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large oven-proof dutch oven over high heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
- Cook beef – Add the beef and stir until the outside changes from red to brown, about 2 minutes. It won't go golden brown, it's not supposed to.
- Add vegetables – Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes – the tomato will mostly breakdown.
- Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Slow cook – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
- Add potato – The beef should be pretty tender but not quite "fall-apart". Stir in carrot and potatoes. Return to oven, covered, for another 30 minutes. Beef should now be "fall-apart" – if not, return to the oven for 10 minutes at a time.
- Serve – Ladle goulash into bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Eat as is, with optional bread for dunking! (Pictured with cheese bread)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Office bathroom. Now doubles as Dozer’s playroom. Staff who walked into this had a good laugh!!
Andreea says
I made this tonight for my Hungarian husband and we absolutely loved this!! Definitely will make it again
Bridget McCormick says
You are mixing up the Hungarian Goulash with the Goulash soup. The original Goulash (Hungarian/Austrian) does never contain potatoes or carrots, the goulash soup however does. Two different things. That’s a big faux pas, Nagi! Never call a Goulash a beef-stew, because it’s misleading and downright wrong. The original gulyás was originally a kettle dish, cooked in a bograc.
Lisa says
My Hungarian grandmother would call this a variation of her goulash soup. She method was different too. She would start with onions, tomatoes and red capsicum and paprika and allow to simmer covered for 15 minutes. And then add the meat, salt, pepper and additional paprika. The sauce thickens without stock or water. Also Hungarians will add sour cream, but my grandparents were taught the kosher way, no meat and milk together.
Soup required the addition of beef stock, carrot chunks and potato. And Hungarian Egg Pasta Nokedli.
Robyn says
Delicious, no idea why I have never tried Goulash before.
Kara says
The instructions state to season the beef with half the salt and pepper – but I can’t see anywhere else to add the other half? Am I missing something?
Hannah says
If you watch the video she adds it in after the beef stock is added
Tony says
Thanks to Jade and Elise for the answer to my question. Makes sense.
Brenda says
My mother was taught goulash by her Hungarian mother-in-law and that wasn’t it. I made it as well. But I’m certain it was delicious as it was yours. Mommy didn’t make everything. Grandma made lots of spicy items which my mother wasn’t fond of. Hot peppers and other vegetables and scrambled eggs.
Gheorghe Racz says
It’s a great recipe for a Hungarian stew, but it’s not a Hungarian gulyás.
Many charlatans in Hungary pray on the naive people to make s quick buck. They invented the watered down “gulyás soup”. And many opportunistic cooks found very convenient to ‘follow the lead’ and post it as their own trusted recipe.
The history of Gulyás is documented and is not a stew, not a soup. The gulyás is one single identity above the ‘make quick money’ recipe that deserves recognition. You Nagi are a great publisher, but lesson to the people who know what they are telling you and educate you. I can give you happily the real gulyas recipe, just reply yes.
Kind regards from George Rácz who won several traditional gulyás challenges.
Caitlin says
I’d love your recipe please! =) also making this one of Nagis tonight as it looks delicious regardless =)
RobinB says
I’m afraid that when I first tasted this I was a little disappointed. It didn’t have a lot of taste, apart from the paprika.
However I had made several meals’ worth, and after the first round I decided to pep it up with a hit of cayenne — not a lot, but enough to give it a real kick. That was exactly what it needed, and with the cayenne it was delicious 😊😊
Pia Hinsley says
Made this for my Step-Fathers birthday on Friday night. He’s all about anything with lots of sauce / gravy. Utterly divine. Thank you again Nagi
Kate says
Another winner, thanks Nagi! Served with sour cream and loved it! We ate half tonight and will freeze the rest for our winter camping dinner 🙂
Tony says
For Slow cooker it says – 6 hours on low, add potato and carrot, 2 hours on low. Does this mean you you add potato and carrot after 4 hours IE 2 hours before the end?
Jade says
I would read it as 6 hours on low then add potato and carrot then another 2 hrs on low
Elise says
I believe it means 8 hours total. 6 hours on low + another 2 hours after adding the carrots and potatoes.
Wendy says
I tried this recipe tonight, and it’s absolutely delicious 😋
Krisby says
Made this for dinner this past weekend. OMG! Sooo good.
I grew up in a family that was fairly poor. My mother would make (Southern) goulash with ground beef. Couldn’t afford the beef chuck, which I DID use this time.
She also added corn and macaroni noodles to stretch it. So, yes I added those as well, but otherwise followed your recipe. Another total “go to”. Couldn’t stop eating it. Such wonderful tastes and such great memories. Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Hugs from me and wet nose kisses from, my Sarjah (ASD rescue.)
Rachel Macdonald says
Sooooo good. The meat was fall apart tender. Flavour amazing. We added a dollop of sour cream and I would add some button
Mushrooms along with the carrots and potatoes next time.
Thumbs up from everyone!
Kate Fogarty says
Never made Goulash before but this was an instant hit in our household when I made it – so will be making again for sure! Great for “mid-week sports” families as everyone can help themselves from the pot when they get home – you don’t have to worry about mash or hot sides. Bread is good!!
Tracey says
I’ve been craving Hungarian Goulash for weeks !!! Made this today and it was everything I’d been craving and more!! Definitely a new favourite 😍
Michael Meinersmann says
Absolutely delicious, and easy! Love your recipes Nagi!
Kat Barna says
Like you said, there are so many regional variations of gulyás it’s hard to make every authentic fan happy. But you got this, it’s a great rendition. My dad would happily blob sour cream on it and eat it with fresh Bogyiszlói paprika
John Marshall (in the UK) says
Made it. Another brill recipe. Could not do it immediately, had to wait for some genuine Hungarian paprika to arrive. ( you are correct does taste better than my Spanish paprika) Thanks Nagi.