Here’s my personal take on a traditional recipe for goulash! It turned out to be a rich beef soup with ingredients such as ground paprika, tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers… A classic Hungarian dish this one is as well!
You might have heard of goulash before.
This Hungarian goulash soup reminds me of our trip to Budapest a couple of years ago. We are part of tis foodie group of friends from all over the world. And every year we chose a different city to meet and eat and have fun.
Three of them are Hungarian.
Hungary
So that year we decided that we would all go to Budapest. And what a lovely time we had there. The weather was perfect, the food was rich and lovely. And the prices are quite cheap as well.
So what more could you wish for on a holiday!
You can find this classic almost everywhere in Budapest. Especially as a lunch offer. And so this goulash soup became our favorite lunch meal. We tasted quite a couple of versions as well. And none were exactly the same.
What every soup did have in common though, were the main ingredients. Beef, tomatoes, paprika and potatoes. Some also contained parsnips, carrots and bell peppers too.
And they all tasted heavenly!
Goulash, Hungarian Beef Soup
Here’s what you can also do if you have a little more time on your hands.
You can try and make traditional Hungarian noodles to add to the goulash soup. They call them csipetke in Hungary and it kind of resembles little fresh pasta dough balls. Or tiny dumplings even!
All you need to make these Hungarian noodles is 1 egg and enough all purpose flour to make an elastic dough. Then divide this dough in tiny bits and let them poach and cook in the goulash soup right in the end until they are cooked through.
Do you love this chunky Hungarian tomato and beef soup?
Then also check out my ossobuco soup!
Enjoy!
Easy Hungarian Goulash Recipe
Here's my recipe for goulash: a rich beef soup with ground paprika, tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers... A classic Hungarian dish!
- 1 lb beef chuck (450 g)
- 7 oz canned chopped tomatoes (200 g)
- 9 oz waxy potatoes (250 g)
- 1 medium fresh carrot
- 1 carrot green bell pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 cups beef stock (920 ml)
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds or caraway seeds
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter or lard
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- pepper
- salt
- Peel and chop the garlic and onion. Add them to a large non-stick pan together with the lard or butter.
- Place the pan over medium heat and gently cook the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Then sprinkle with the paprika powder.
- Stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Dice the beef into large pieces and add them to the pan. Season generously with pepper and salt.
- Stir and cook the beef for 4 minutes. Then add the peeled garlic cloves, the bay leaves and the caraway or cumin seeds.
- Stir and pour in water until the beef is fully submerged.
- Bring the beef to a rolling boil and then turn the heat low. Simmer the beef soup for an hour or until the beef is tender. In the meantime peel the potatoes and carrot. Chop them into bite-size bits. Add them to the tender beef.
Add extra water if necessary. Dice the green bell pepper and add it to the pan together with the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Add your Hungarian noodles (if using).
- Cook the soup for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Scoop the goulash soup into large bowls and serve hot.
