Hungarian Style Beef Goulash

Prep Time: 1 hr | Cook Time: 3 hrs 20 mins | Total Time: 4 hrs 20 mins | Yield: 6

With rich and flavorful sauce, tender chunks of beef, this Hungarian Style Beef Goulash is the perfect definition of comfort. A filling meal with a different variety from the American style as this is made with meat and potatoes cooked in a rich broth seasoned with sweet paprika. Super delicious, so diverse, and speaks to the heart!

Ingredients

1 (3-4) lbs boneless chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2” cubes

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

¼ c sweet paprika (do not use hot or smoky paprika)

1 12-oz jar roasted red peppers (packed in water), drained and rinsed

3 tbsp low or no salt tomato paste

3 tsp red wine vinegar, divided

2 tbsp vegetable oil

7 oz small mushrooms, sliced

3 large onions, diced small

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, or 4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 14-oz can low-salt diced tomatoes, do not drain

3 to 4 c low-sodium beef broth, divided

6 small or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered

4 large carrots, cut into 2” pieces (optional)

2 tbsp cornstarch (optional for thickening if desired)

¼ c sour cream (optional – may be stirred in at the end or dolloped on individual bowls when serving)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley leaves, chopped for garnish

How to make Hungarian Style Beef Goulash

Step 1: To the lower-middle position, adjust the oven rack. Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 325 degrees F.

Step 2: With salt and pepper, generously season the beef cubes, then set aside at room temperature.

Step 3: Place the paprika, drained red peppers, tomato paste, and 2 tsp vinegar in a small food processor. Mix well until smooth and set aside.

Step 4: Into a large Dutch oven set, add the vegetable oil. Put on the stovetop and set over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms until they begin to brown. Add in the onions and a tsp salt. Cover with the lid and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the onions are soft but not browned, stirring occasionally.

Step 5: Uncover to add garlic and thyme. Saute until aromatic. Add in the paprika and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring. Stir in the diced tomatoes with juice, the beef cubes, and 2 cups of the beef broth until incorporated. Put the lid on and shift the pot into the preheated oven. Bake for about 2 hours, stirring halfway through until the meat is almost tender.

Step 6: Remove the pot from the oven. Uncover and add in the potatoes (and carrots if using), and a cup of the remaining beef broth. Place back to the oven and cook for another 60 minutes, covered. Halfway through cooking, stir and continue to cook until the beef and potatoes are tender. When done, take the pot out of the oven.

Step 7: On the stovetop, heat the stew over medium heat to let it settle for a minute. Then, skim off the pools of fat on top and discard. Take the thyme sprigs out of the stew.

Step 8: To make the slurry, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the beef broth. Into the stew, drizzle the slurry, gently stirring until incorporated.

Step 9: Heat for 2 minutes more until the sauce has slightly thickened. Turn the heat off, then stir the rest of the tsp vinegar. Adjust the seasoning according to taste. At this point, you can stir in the sour cream if using. Alternately, garnish the bowls of stew with a dollop of sour cream, parsley, and fresh ground black pepper.

Note:

To make the entire stew, you may only need around 3 1/4 cups of beef broth. But you may need to add another 3/4 cup of broth if you are adding carrots and if you began with a larger roast. Alternately, you can mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water to make the slurry (in case you don’t have enough broth).