Easy Hungarian Goulash

4.95 from 17 votes

This Hungarian goulash recipe (called Gulyás there) was looked over by my Hungarian friend Szilvia and she says it's authentic (she also loves my Hungarian Lángos recipe)! There are a few different variations of how to make it.

Growing up in Germany, we often made this hearty soup (Gulaschsuppe) with beef stew meat, loads of onions, roasted bell peppers and potatoes for cold winter days. It also makes for a great hangover cure on New Year's Day (or whenever you need it), given the nice spice from the Hungarian paprika powder.

So work ahead on the slow days between the holidays and have yourself a filling, nutritious meal waiting in the fridge or freezer!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2 15

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: German, Hungarian

Keyword: beef stew recipe, German goulash soup recipe, Goulash recipe, goulash soup recipe, gulyas recipe, hungarian goulash recipe, Hungarian goulash soup recipe, New Years Day recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 337kcal

Ingredients

5 large yellow onions
1 pound beef stew meat
1 liter beef broth
100 grams butter
1 Tablespoon Hungarian spicy paprika powder half-sharp
2 Tablespoons Hungarian mild paprika powder sweet
½ teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh
1 teaspoon salt
2 waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold, peeled and medium diced
2 bell peppers skin removed and cut into strips, the skin easily peels off after broiling the bell peppers for a few minutes in the oven
4 tomatoes diced
1 clove garlic minced
100 milliliters red wine
sour cream for serving
bread for serving

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Start with the worst of all: peeling and medium dicing the onions.
5 large yellow onions
Trim the meat and cut the meat into bite-sized cubes (or purchase pre-cut stew meat).
1 pound beef stew meat
On medium heat, melt butter in a large pot, then add the onion and sauté until golden.
100 grams butter
Remove the onion from the pot. Increase heat to medium high. Add the beef and sauté for 5 minutes or until all sides are browned.
Add the spices and broth, cover with a lid, and let simmer over medium low heat for 1 hour.
1 liter beef broth, 1 Tablespoon Hungarian spicy paprika powder, 2 Tablespoons Hungarian mild paprika powder, ½ teaspoon dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon salt
In the meantime, prep the bell peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. To remove the skin of the bell peppers, I put them under the broiler for about 10 minutes, rotating every few minutes or so.
Stir in the vegetables and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
2 waxy potatoes, 2 bell peppers, 4 tomatoes, 1 clove garlic
Remove the stew from heat and stir in the red wine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
100 milliliters red wine
Garnish with a spoonful of sour cream before serving and cut up some nice bread.
sour cream, bread

Video

Notes

Charring bell peppers: I love bell peppers, but I don't love eating the thicker bell pepper skin. If charring and peeling them is too much work (I use the broiler in my oven for that), you could also buy these roasted bell peppers, which already have the skin removed.

Need it faster? This goulash soup makes a great pressure cooker contestant. For the first cooking time, simply set on high pressure and cook or 20 minutes plus 15 minutes natural pressure release. Then add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes plus 15 minutes natural pressure release time.

Want it with noodles? Leave out the potatoes, thicken the soup with some cornstarch, and serve with some Spätzle for a fun twist of this Hungarian goulash. Also try my pork and beer goulash for simpler, German way to enjoy goulash.

Nutrition