In the cooler months I CRAVE this Hungarian Goulash Stew recipe with tender beef, potatoes, and carrots in a flavorful broth. It's hearty and absolutely delicious; must serve with a slice of crusty bread!
My take on Hungarian Goulash!
My take on Hungarian Goulash!I've been lucky to try so many good versions of Hungarian Goulash Stew in different Central European Countries; it's SO flavorful and good (like a cousin of Beef Stew, but a richer paprika broth). I've always wanted to share my own version and while I cant say this is 100% authentic (different regions and families make it differently–but I really did my research!), I can say it's every bit as good as any I've had! The ingredients and method are so simple. Enjoy!
Check out my other International inspired stew recipes like Spanish Lentil Stew, Chile Colorado, or Beef Birria or Chile Verde.
How to make Hungarian Goulash:
Sear Meat: season bite-size pieces with salt and pepper and flour and sear in hot oil until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate. Sauté onion. Add garlic. Deglaze pan with red wine.
Add broth and seasonings: Stir in chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, caraway seeds, marjoram and bay leaf. Pour in broth then return beef to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover, and cook 1 ½ hours. Add bell pepper, carrot, and potato and cook until tender (20-30 minutes). Discard bay leaves then add a squeeze of lemon to the soup pot, to taste, before serving.
Serve our goulash stew recipe garnished with parsley, and with a slice of fresh crusty bread.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The whole stew could be made a few days ahead of time and reheated. Cutting the beef, carrot, onion and bell pepper ahead of time also helps with quicker prep.
To Freeze: Transfer this classic Hungarian goulash to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Soup Recipes:
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Beef Stew
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Taco Soup
- Lentil Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Cioppino
- Pozole
- Ham Bone Soup
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Recipe
Hungarian Goulash Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1.5 lbs beef chuck roast (700 grams)
- 2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 medium yellow onions , finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 Tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1/2 cup dry red wine optional (120 ml)*
- 3 Roma tomatoes , chopped
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 bay leaves
- 6.5 cups low-sodium beef broth (1.5 liters)
- 4 medium carrots , peeled and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper , finely chopped
- 3 small Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 400 grams or 1lb), cut into ½’’ cubes
- 1 small lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- Crusty artisan bread (white or rye) , for serving
Instructions
- Prep meat: Cut beef into bite-sizes pieces. Add to a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour on top, tossing until lightly coated.
- Sear meat: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sear, rotating after a minute or so, until browned on all sides (may need to cook in batches). Remove to a plate.
- Sauté onion: Add 2 more tablespoons oil to the pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for a few minutes, until transparent. Stir in garlic.
- Add red wine and let it simmer until it has reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Add broth and seasonings: Stir in chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, caraway seeds, marjoram and bay leaf. Pour in broth and return beef to the pot.
- Simmer: Bring stew to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 1 ½ hours. Tastes broth and seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in bell pepper, carrot, and potato and cook until tender, about 20-30 more minutes. Discard bay leaves. Add a squeeze of lemon to the soup pot, to taste, before serving.
- Serve each bowl garnished with a pinch of parsley. Serve with a slice of fresh crusty bread, for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
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Absolutely delish! I only had Hungarian sweet and spicy paprika. I used the it in place of both, listed, therefore, it was a bit more spicy. Everyone loved it. One of quietest meals we have had except for spoons clanking bowls and an occasional “pass the bread”…Thanks again for a great recipe!!
I had never heard of Hungarian goulash but thought we’d give it a try. Everyone enjoyed it even my youngest kids.
In the ingredients list, you have “1 small lemon.” However, the lemon doesn’t appear anywhere in the instructions. It’s cooking right now and smells fantastic. We can’t wait to ladle it into our bowls! But I’m confused about the lemon thing. Please clarify.
Hi Don, thank you for catching this, sorry we missed that part of the instructions. I just added it: After you discard the bay leaves, squeeze some lemon, to taste, into the pot before serving. We hope you enjoyed it!
Everyone loved it! Thanks for the update. It was so good we ate it all, so…..next time for the lemon. I’ll make a note on my recipe card. Thanks again!
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks for letting us know!
Delicious and very flavorful. My husband loved it and he usually makes no comments on my cooking! 5 Stars!
The recipe calls for a small lemon. I see no instructions on how to use it,
Sorry for that mistake, it’s fixed now. After you remove the bay leaf, add a squeeze of lemon to the whole pot to taste. We hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hi Lauren. I’ve been loving your recipes for over a year now. Thank you!
For this one, the ingredient list has lemon but it isn’t mentioned in the instructions. Is it just a suggested garnish?
Sorry about that mistake, it’s fixed now! You can add a squeeze of lemon to the pot, to taste, after you remove the bay leaves before you serve it. Thank you for being here and trying our recipes! Let us know how you like this one! 🙂
Sounds great, thanks for another delicious recipe.
How do you cook the potatoes and carrots?
The potatoes and carrots go in during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking! just toss them in and let them simmer until tender!
-Stacy
Amazing!!!
Lauren this is the most authentic recipe for this soup I’ve seen outside of our old family cookbook. Good to see the caraway and marjoram! The only differences are the wine (which I’m going to try now 🙂 and a cubanelle pepper vs the red bell (which may bring a bit too much sweetness). You might like to add the traditional little pinched noodles called csipetke at the end, which was a really fun job for a kid to make, and dropped directly into the soup. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback! 🙂