Easy Hungarian Goulash Recipe

Stews are the perfect comfort food. The taste of slowly simmered beef with veggies and spices can’t be beaten. Summer is ending, and cooler weather is ahead. The perfect season for stews!  Hungarian Goulash and  Texas Cowboy Stew are my all-time favorites.

There is nothing like coming home to a house filled with the delicious smell of something wonderful cooking in the kitchen.

I love my slow cooker because it gives me that slow-simmered taste, but without having to keep an eye on the food. Slow-cooked meals are the best!

I am sure you will love this Hungarian Goulash recipe as much as I do. Paprika (Hungarian Paprika if you can find it) is the key ingredient in this dish. Its flavor really comes through in the rich-tasting sauce.

This dish has carrots, onions, and bell peppers, so a delicious salad is all you need to add. I think it goes perfectly with tossed salad and a couple of slices of Homemade Bakery French Bread.

What Is Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian goulash is a beef stew/soup that originated in the Hungarian Plains, where the classic red chilies used to make Paprika were harvested way back in the 9th century.

Hungarian cowherds spent months on the plains tending to their cattle, feeding on soups made with millet, lard, bacon, onions, and beef.

Eventually, they started adding paprika to their stews or soups as well as more vegetables. Thus creating the famous Hungarian Goulash.

How To Make Hungarian Goulash

1. In the pot of your slow cooker, place the chopped onion, bell peppers, and carrots. Add salt and pepper to the meat. 
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the meat pieces on all sides. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker, and deglaze the pan with 1 ½ cups of beef broth. 
3. Combine flour, paprika, minced garlic, tomato paste, one teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and sugar in a small bowl. 
4. Combine this paste with the beef broth in the pan and cook the mixture for a couple of minutes until thick using a whisk.  Add this mixture to the slow cooker as well, plus ½ cup of the remaining beef broth. 
5. Mix everything up and cook on low for 7 hours. 
6. Cook the egg noodles following the instructions in the package. Serve the goulash on top of the egg noodles.

What Is Hungarian Paprika

Paprika is the Hungarian word for pepper. It comes from the capsicum plant, which produces red chilies that are dried and ground.

Hungarian paprika usually comes in eight different flavors, ranging from sweet to spicy and pungent, and in colors that range from bright red to deep orange.

There are several varieties, but one of the most commonly found outside of Hungary is “sweet Hungarian paprika.” Paprika is to Hungary as Jalapenos are to Mexico. It is the spice that defines their cuisine.

What Side Dish Goes Well With Hungarian Goulash?

I love to serve it with Homemade Bakery French Bread, or a slice of my crusty and delicious Easy Dutch Oven no-knead Bread. Also, as it is a fairly heavy stew, egg noodles are perfect because the curly texture helps the sauce cling to them.

A salad is always a perfect way to clean the palate when having heavy foods like this one, and my favorite to serve along with it is Cucumber Tomato Salad.

Recipe tips

1. Do not skip browning the beef. This step is crucial in developing flavor for this stew. It is not the same to boil the beef in the sauce.
2. Use sweet Hungarian paprika if you can to make this dish more authentic.
3. Traditional Hungarian Goulash has potatoes in it. I didn’t add them because I already used egg noodles and didn’t want to add extra carbs, but you can certainly add them if you have it just with bread and skipping the noodles.
4. Whether you want your stew to be heavy or saucy, use the amount of beef broth accordingly. More broth, more sauce.
5. When incorporating the flour/paprika mixture into the broth, use a whisk to prevent the formation of lumps.

More Stew Recipes You’ll Love

• Texas Cowboy Stew
• Slow Cooker Poor Man’s Stew
• Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Easy Hungarian Goulash Recipe

The rich and smoky flavor of paprika really comes through in Hungarian Goulash!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: SOUPS & STEWS

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours hours

Total Time: 7 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 301kcal

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 lbs beef stew meat cut into 2-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups beef broth, divided
• 1 ½ tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups uncooked egg noodles

Instructions

• Add the veggies to the pot of your slow cooker
• Season the meat cubes with salt and pepper
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the meat cubes
• Add the beef to the slow cooker and deglaze the pan with one and a half cups of beef broth. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all the brown bits that stick to it. This is where most of the flavor is.
• Mix the flour, paprika, minced garlic, tomato paste, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl to form a paste.
• Using a whisk, combine this paste with the beef broth in the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until the broth thickens.
• Add the thickened broth to the slow cooker and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Pour in the remaining ½ cup of beef broth and cook on low for 7 hours.
• A few minutes before the goulash is done cooking, prepare the egg noodles according to package directions.
• Serve the hot goulash over the egg noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 7g

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What cut of beef is best for Hungarian goulash?

Beef chuck roast is, to me, the best cut for this dish. I trim the excess fat and cut it into bite-size pieces.

• Can you freeze Hungarian goulash?

Yes, you definitely can. Just let it cool completely before storing it in a freezer bag and label it with the date. No more than 3 months in the freezer is the recommended time.