Hungarian Goulash (Beef Stew-Soup) is the ultimate comfort food. It’s a hearty beef stew (or soup) that’s full of tender beef and vegetables. Goulash is rich in flavour, but simple to make! Served with fresh white bread, it’s a deliciously satisfying meal.
This recipe is for the Hungarian dish of Kettle Goulash, or Bográcsgulyás. Goulash is said to have originated as a one-pot kettle meal cooked by shepherds, and is now a staple in Hungarian cuisine. No matter your kitchen appliance, it’s so easy to make! Seriously, if shepherds can cook traditional goulash in a kettle over an open fire, you can do it in a modern kitchen too 🤣.
Goulash is a great dish to cook for the whole family, baby included. The beef and vegetables are cooked until tender, so can be chopped/shredded to suit your little one. Just choose when or how much to season with salt, depending on their age. This great recipe also freezes perfectly well, so is an excellent make-ahead meal to keep in the freezer stash for those busy nights!
I love goulash! Not only because it’s simple, yummy and a great family meal option, but also because it reminds me of my second home. I lived in Hungary as a seventeen year old exchange student, and it was a common dish. There are many different regional types of Hungarian Beef Goulash, and this recipe resembles what I remember of the Szeged variety. My Hungarian host mums would regularly make it as a weekend lunchtime meal, our biggest meal of the day. Of course, they all had their family recipes and I’ve put my own Australian spin on this Hungarian goulash soup recipe – mostly because of ingredient availability!
Making Goulash for toddlers and babies
If you’re serving Hungarian Goulash to a baby or toddler, you can use salt-free or salt-reduced stock to lower the sodium content for little kidneys. Reserve a portion for your child, and then season to taste with salt for the rest of the family. Depending on your child’s age, this is an easy meal to chop and mash to the appropriate size and texture, or puree for young babies. If your family enjoys soupy meals, then check out the best soups for toddlers and babies.
Ingredients for Hungarian Goulash
These simple ingredients are needed for the hearty stew:
Onion and garlic – The flavour base.
Butter – Traditional Hungarian cooking calls for lard, a semisolid fat that adds richness in flavour to food. Lard isn’t an ingredient I typically have in the refrigerator, so I use butter as a substitute. If you do prefer to use lard, just reduce the amount to 50g (more butter is needed because it has a slightly lower fat content). I use unsalted butter, and then season to taste at the end.
Beef – Gravy beef works nicely in this recipe, and makes this a great budget meal.
Peppers – Hungary’s favourite pepper is definitely “TV paprika” [1], a Hungarian wax pepper variety often used for stuffing. The green peppers are usually hot, and common in goulash. I’ve found yellow and red peppers locally, though neither are hot. You can substitute with capsicum, as most Australian goulash recipes do.
Tomatoes – Ripe and juicy tomatoes are a must! Using fresh tomatoes rather than tinned thickens the sauce without the need for cornflour.
Paprika – Use sweet paprika. I’ll be honest, supermarket-bought paprika in Australia doesn’t quite compare to sweet Hungarian paprika. But we have to make do!
Caraway seeds – I’ve only ever been able to buy these whole, but the recipe calls for ground caraway seeds. Grind them with a mortar and pestle, or in a Thermomix if you’re lucky to have one 😁.
Beef stock/beef broth – Stock isn’t traditionally used, just water, but it definitely adds more flavour.
Carrot, parsnip and potatoes – These root vegetables add flavour, nutrition and make it a hearty meal.
Black pepper
Salt – To taste.
Parsley and sour cream – For garnishing.
How to make Hungarian Goulash
Thermomixer? In your machine, sauté the onion and garlic in butter, before adding tomatoes, peppers/capsicum, spices, beef and stock. Cook for 28 minutes, add the remaining vegetables and cook for a further 12 minutes. Season to taste – you’ll definitely need to! And then garnish with fresh parsley and sour cream.
Conventional cook? If cooking conventionally, the cooking process and times are fairly similar. You’ll just need to keep an eye on the pot as your goulash simmers, and remove from the heat once your potatoes and carrots are tender. Season to taste – you’ll definitely need to! And then garnish with fresh parsley and sour cream.
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both thermo cooker and conventional cooking methods.
How to serve this traditional beef stew
In Hungary, this style of goulash is often served with csipetke, a nipped pasta and bread. All the carbs! 🤣 I omit the pasta, as it already has potato and that’s enough for us. Ladle this delicious soup-like stew into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley and a dollop of sour cream, and then serve with crusty bread. The bread for dipping is a must!
Looking for other family meals that can be served as is or easily adapted for babies? Check out my Butternut Pumpkin and Pine Nut Pasta, it’s a crowd pleaser here.
If you try this Hungarian Goulash, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing how my recipes work for you and your family! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more healthy dinner recipes for family.
Happy cooking,
Chloe x
Hungarian Goulash (Beef Stew-Soup)
Category: Family MainsTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 150 g / 1 brown/yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 70 g butter (Thermomixers: chopped into 2cm cubes)
- 700 g gravy beef trimmed and diced into 2cm cubes
- 150 g / 2 green peppers chopped into 3cm pieces (Note 1)
- 300 g / 2 tomatoes diced
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds coarsely ground
- 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
- 2 tbs sweet paprika
- 500 g beef stock (Note 2)
- 75 g / 1 carrot sliced into 1cm rounds
- 75 g / 1 parsnip sliced into 1cm rounds
- 300 g potatoes diced into 3cm cubes (Note 3)
- salt and pepper to taste (for family over 12 months)
- parsley to garnish
- sour cream to garnish
Thermo Cooker Instructions
- Put the onion and garlic into the mixing bowl. Chop for 3 seconds, speed 6, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add the butter. Cook for 3 minutes, 120°C, speed 1, MC off.
- Add the beef, peppers/capsicum, tomatoes, caraway seeds, pepper, paprika and stock. Cook for 30 minutes, 100°C, reverse, speed 1, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
- Add the potatoes, carrots and parsnip. Cook for 15 minutes, 100°C, reverse, speed 1, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
- Transfer to a serving dish and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and sour cream.
Conventional Instructions
- Finely the chop onion and garlic.
- In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the beef cubes, peppers/capsicum, tomatoes, caraway seeds, pepper, paprika and stock. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, carrots and parsnip, and simmer for a further 15 minutes, covered, or until vegetables are tender.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and sour cream.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Hungarian wax peppers, 2023, Budapest Market Hall.
