Description
This traditional German Goulash is a hearty and flavorful stew featuring tender beef chuck slow-simmered with onions, garlic, and a fragrant blend of sweet and smoked paprika. Perfect for cozy dinners, this dish offers a rich sauce enhanced by vinegar and optional caraway seeds, served best with egg noodles, spaetzle, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Spices and Seasonings
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
Liquids
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oil and sear the beef: In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes in batches, searing on all sides until nicely browned. Remove browned beef and set aside.
- Cook the onions: Reduce heat to medium and add sliced onions to the same pot. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until onions soften and turn golden brown.
- Add garlic: Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- Incorporate spices and tomato paste: Add tomato paste, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, optional caraway seeds, salt, and black pepper to the onions and garlic. Cook 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the mixture releases its aroma.
- Return beef and add liquids: Put the seared beef back into the pot. Pour in beef broth, water, vinegar, and add the bay leaf. Stir gently to combine.
- Simmer the goulash: Bring the stew to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Let simmer gently for 2 to 2½ hours until the beef is very tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Finish and serve: Remove the bay leaf. For a thicker sauce, uncover and simmer for the last 30 minutes or optionally stir in a cornstarch slurry. Serve hot with egg noodles, spaetzle, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.
Notes
- Serve with egg noodles, spaetzle, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread.
- For a thicker sauce, uncover the pot during the last 30 minutes of cooking or stir in a cornstarch slurry.
- This dish tastes even better the next day after flavors have melded.
- Omitting pasta or bread sides makes this recipe gluten-free.
