Last updated on December 27th, 2018 at 04:14 pm
A classic Hungarian Goulash with melt-in-your mouth, tender beef, slowly cooked in an incredibly rich broth. Tasty, comforting and perfect for the whole family!
Who says summer isn’t for stews! Stews are great year round because they truly are comfort in a bowl. Hungarian Goulash delivers when it comes to true comfort food.
WHAT IS HUNGARIAN GOULASH
Hungarian Goulash is a soup or stew of meat and it’s seasoned with lots of sweet paprika and other spices. While there are many versions of it, but contrary to popular belief it is never made with ground beef or macaroni.
The big difference between a traditional stew and Hungarian stews is that Hungarian stews do not rely on a flour or roux for thickening, which is why most of the time it’s more like a soup and it’s usually served over noodles, potatoes or spatzle.
Many versions also include potatoes, carrots or turnips. But I wanted to keep this version simple because I want to showcase how with just a few simple ingredients you can achieve incredible flavor.
TIPS FOR MAKING HUNGARIAN GOULASH
- Hungarian Goulash is all about the paprika, so you’ll want a good quality Hungarian sweet paprika and you’ll want to use at least 3 to 4 tablespoons of it.
- Take the time to cook your meat properly, it really needs 2 to 3 hours so that the beef becomes tender and melts in your mouth.
- Don’t over pack it with vegetables, as a matter of fact I didn’t add any potatoes or carrots. Goulash is about the rich broth and the meat.
CRAVING MORE STEWS? TRY THESE:
- Beef Bourguignon
- Lamb Stew
- Crockpot Beef Stew
- Mexican Pork Stew
- Saucy Chicken and Sausage Over Creamy Parmesan Polenta
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
Hungarian Goulash
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/2 lbs stewing beef lean, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 large onions roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp caraway seeds ground
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups beef broth no salt added
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over high heat then add the olive oil.
- When the oil is hot add the stewing beef. Season with salt and pepper and sear the beef until it starts to brown. The beef will release liquid so continue searing on high heat, and the liquid will evaporate. Alternatively you could drain all the liquid.
- Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions soften and become translucent. Turn the heat down to medium-high.
- Add the paprika, caraway seeds, oregano, bay leaves and brown sugar to the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, beef broth and stir. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for about 2 hours or until the beef is fork tender, stirring occasionally. The liquid will reduce down a lot as the beef cooks, so feel free to add more water as needed.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
- If you only have caraway seeds that are not ground use a mortar and pestle to grind them a bit.
- Carrots or potatoes can be added to the stew as well. If adding them, add them 45 minutes before the beef is done cooking. Add more beef broth or water as needed.
- Cool completely, then refrigerate for up to 5 days
- Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash: I would still follow all the steps up to and including step 5 then transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Instant Pot Hungarian Goulash: This can easily be done in the IP, use your Saute mode to cook everything as instructed up to and including step 5 then cover up the IP and press the "meat/stew" button and set the timer to 35 minutes. After 35 min of high pressures, allow the IP to naturally cool and release pressure before opening the lid.
- Nutritional information does not include noodles or mashed potatoes. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition
Very simple and Very Good. Taste very similar to my moms, who was born is Hungary. Hungarian paprika is a must if you are going to make this recipe.
The sauce sounds delicious! I want to make this recipe using ground beef as I have it on hand. I’m wondering if you would advise shortening the cook time or anything else if using ground beef instead?
If you use ground beef, you won’t need to braise the dish for as long. You can let it simmer and reduce without a lid. Keep an eye on it and take it off the heat once you have it down to your desired thickness 🙂
Love this recipe! My friends raved about it so I’m making it again tonight.
Full flavor recipe. I bought a whole roast and cut my own stew meat. Tried to trim the Fat as best I could so had a bit of “skimming the fat” towards the end. Added carrots and served with garlic bread for sopping. This is a saved in my fav beef recipes. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it!