Hungarian Goulash

by Joanna Cismaru

A classic Hungarian Goulash with melt-in-your mouth, tender beef, slowly cooked in an incredibly rich broth.

Hungarian Goulash

  • Servings: 8 servings

Hungarian Goulash is a traditional dish brought by Hungarian immigrants in 1866. This rich stew is flavored with sweet paprika, plenty of fresh garlic, and caraway seed. It is usually served over noodles, potato, or spaetzle. This recipe does not rely on a flour or roux for thickening, which is why it’s more like a soup.

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

Directions

  • 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.

  • 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.
  • If you really want to include some veggies; carrots, potatoes, or turnips are nice additions. Add them 40 minutes before the beef is done cooking.

367 calories· 7 g carbohydrates· 41 g protein· 18 g fat· 4 g saturated fat· 110 mg cholesterol· 647 mg sodium· 737 mg potassium· 2 g fiber· 3 g sugar· 1440 IU vitamin A· 5.7 mg vitamin C· 34 mg calcium· 4.5 mg iron·