Description
This Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash is a comforting and hearty dish featuring tender beef simmered with traditional Hungarian spices, vegetables, and a rich paprika-infused broth. Perfectly slow-cooked to develop deep flavors, it’s served over buttered egg noodles and garnished with fresh parsley and a dollop of sour cream for an authentic Central European experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 lbs. cubed stew meat, or a chuck roast cubed
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 medium potatoes, cut into ½ inch chunks
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 3½ Tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp. marjoram
- 1½ Tbsp. minced garlic (about 4 plump cloves)
- ¾ tsp. crushed caraway seeds
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
Optional Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh parsley plus more for garnish
- ½ cup sour cream or to taste
- Buttered egg noodles, for serving
- Optional: 1 cup beer or red wine (replace 1 cup beef broth with this)
Instructions
- Prepare the Beef: Place the cubed roast pieces in a large bowl. Toss them with the all-purpose flour, 1 tsp of salt, and black pepper until all pieces are evenly coated. This helps thicken the sauce as the goulash cooks.
- Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker: Transfer the coated beef to the slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, red and green peppers, chopped onions, sweet Hungarian paprika, minced garlic, marjoram, crushed caraway seeds, and fresh parsley if using.
- Pour in Broth and Seasonings: Pour the low sodium beef broth over the mixture in the slow cooker. Add the bay leaves. Stir gently to combine the ingredients.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 9 hours. Check occasionally and add additional broth if the mixture appears too thick or dry.
- Thicken the Stew: About 30 minutes before serving, ladle some of the cooking liquid into a medium bowl. Whisk in the tomato paste until smooth, then return it to the slow cooker to thicken the stew during the last half hour of cooking. Taste and add the remaining salt if needed.
- Add Sour Cream (Optional): If using sour cream, remove a small amount of broth from the slow cooker during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Slowly whisk the sour cream into the broth to temper it, which prevents curdling, then stir the mixture back into the slow cooker.
- Serve: Serve the Hungarian Goulash hot over buttered egg noodles. Garnish with fresh parsley and an extra dollop of sour cream if desired.
Notes
- This dish pairs wonderfully with beer or red wine; you can substitute 1 cup of beef broth with either, removing 1 cup of broth to maintain liquid balance.
- The generous amount of paprika and caraway seeds is essential for the authentic, rich Hungarian flavor profile.
- Adjust the seasoning toward the end of cooking to suit taste.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors continue to meld.
- Serve with crusty bread to soak up the flavorful sauce if not using noodles.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approximately 1/6th of recipe without noodles)
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
