Fragrant with Hungarian Paprika and Hungarian Hot peppers and brimming with chunks of tender beef, healthy vegetables, and homemade pinched csipetke noodles, Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás) is a heart warming, soul satisfying comfort food.
Hungarian Goulash is a thin, spicy soup that gets its beautiful brick red color from ample amounts of Hungarian Paprika. Be sure to use the best quality Hungarian paprika that you can find, it makes a world of difference.
I couldn't pass the chance to make Hungarian Goulash this week while visiting my parents in Ohio with my dad's amazing home-grown tomatoes and these gorgeous Hungarian Hot wax peppers. I like lots of sliced peppers in my Hungarian Goulash. I use a combination of these tangy and spicy Hungarian Hot wax peppers (with a typical Scoville range of 5,000 to 10,000 units, kind of similar to a jalapeno) and Banana peppers (which top out at about 500 Scoville Heat Units). Use whichever combination of hot to sweet peppers you like, I use about half and half.
I serve my Hungarian Goulash with an easy to make Hungarian pinched noodle called csipetke. Csipetke is a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling. Egg noodle dough is pinched off and either boiled separately in water or boiled directly in the soup. I like to boil mine separately in water so I can control the cooking time better and so the Goulash broth doesn't get thickened from the flour. I also have some eaters who avoid carbs, so if I boil them separately, each one can add the amount of Csipetke they like.
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Recipe
Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds chopped onion
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 6 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
- 2 lbs beef cut in ½ inch cubes I use chuck roast
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 quarts good quality beef broth
- 8 peppers a combination of Hungarian Hot and Banana wax peppers, sliced
- 2 potatoes cut in ½ inch cubes
- 2 carrots cut in half and sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Csipetke noodles click here for recipe
- Chopped parsley to garnish *optional
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon bacon fat or oil in large 5-6 quart pan over high heat. Dry ½ of meat cubes, add to pan, and sear over high heat until browned on all sides. Be careful not to crowd the meat in the pan. Remove meat from pan and repeat with remaining ½ of meat cubes and 1 tablespoon bacon fat or oil. Remove meat from pan.
- In same pan, heat 2 tablespoons bacon fat over medium heat . Add onion and celery and cook until soft. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Return meat cubes to pan with cooked onion. Add paprika, tomatoes, and vinegar. Stir to coat and cook for a few minutes.
- Add beef broth and simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1-½ hours.
- Add peppers and carrots. Cook for about 15 minutes.
- Add potatoes and cook until soft but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.
- Add water or more beef broth as necessary.
- While Goulash is cooking, boil the Csipetke in salted water until al dente. When potatoes are soft, add csipetke.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
- Use different types of peppers for a different flavor and level of heat.
Karen K says
Hi Kelly,
Are you Hungarian? This is pretty close to my parent's recipe but we add some additional vegetables (parsnips and Kohlrabi or Turnips).
I don't recall ever adding vinegar either....hmm.
Kelly says
Hi Karen, yes my grandfather was hungarian and my grandmother learned from his family. The bit of vinegar was added to increase the acidity of the tomatoes for flavor.
David says
I’m making it at the moment and am wondering where the vinegar comes into play?
Kelly says
Hi David, It goes in with the tomatoes!
Autumn says
This is the best goulash soup! It tastes identical to the goulash soup from my favorite Hungarian restaurant, Balaton. I’m from Ohio too and loved your story of visiting your father. My neighbors grow a gazillion tomatoes every summer, and my in laws grow lots of hot Hungarian peppers. This will definitely be my go to recipe for this soup from now on.
Kelly says
So happy you liked it, Autumn! And so happy to meet a fellow Buckeye!
Tracy Howdershelt says
Could I freeze this if I left the noodles out? Thinking of making it and freezing for future use and make the noodles when I’m reheating the soup.
Kelly says
Hi Tracy, that should work just fine!
Margo Daugherty says
Can you give nutrition inf for this dish please?
Kelly says
The recipe makes about 8 servings, each serving having 309 calories.
Gail Davis says
I would like suggestions from those that has made this dish. I like a little heat/spice but not so much that's all I taste. To what extent should I cut down on the peppers? Thanks
Lisa Braverman Yarbrough says
I made this last night. Very spicy and delicious! Am I missing something... I don’t see at which point in recipe you are to add the caraway?
Thanks!
Kelly says
So glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! I put the caraway in with the paprika. I'll go add that in the instructions. Thanks!
Jenn says
Hi there! I’m wondering how important the caraway is for the flavor of this dish? I’m not a fan and so hesitant to use it again.
Kelly says
Hi Jenn! It would be just fine without it!
Cookie Monster says
Looks really good. I am sure it tastes fantastic.
Kelly says
Thanks, Cookie Monster!