Slow cooked beef goulash featuring impressively tender meat and rich, flavour-packed gravy is bound to win favour around the dinner table on cold days. A little soured cream stirred into this easy Dutch oven goulash recipe at the end turns it into pure comfort food heaven.
Need a vegetarian option? Either adapt this recipe to turn it vegetarian or try out my veggie pasta al forno. It's also loaded with flavour.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy & low maintenance: Once this dutch oven goulash is in the oven it needs minimal attention.
- Minimal hands-on time required: Total cook time is approximately 3.5 hours but with less than 30 minutes hands-on prep.
- A one-pot meal: With peppers and mushrooms included just add bread.
- Taste: Expect classic beef goulash with tender meat, rich paprika flavour, and plenty of veggies plus a thick, flavourful gravy that satisfies hungry diners.
- Can be made in a slow cooker too.
- Flexible serving options: See suggestions below.
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Rib sticking and deeply satisfying, slow cooked beef goulash with meltingly tender beef is one of life's ultimate comfort foods. Let's be honest, what's not to relish about a bowlful of succulent slow cooked beef alongside plenty of peppers and mushrooms all bundled together in a rich and vibrant flavour-packed gravy?
This easy Dutch oven goulash recipe is well seasoned with mild and gentle spice, but it's definitely not hot. Instead, it has an underlying sweetness driven by the abundance of paprika and red peppers, but it's undoubtedly a savoury meal. It's perfect served in the cooler months and it freezes well, so making a double batch and storing some for a quick heartwarming meal another night is a great option.
This recipe is one of many deeply delicious dinner recipes on my site - why not take a look at the rest? Other comforting meals include beef and mushroom stew, minced beef and onion pie, lamb balti and my steak and stilton pie.
Ingredients Notes
Paprika: This is the star ingredient in any goulash recipe. But not all paprika is born equal. Some people swear by using only Hungarian paprika, which is typically rich with a sweet red pepper flavour. But they can range in pungency and heat, so opt for a mild variety for this slow cooked beef goulash recipe.
If you can't get hold of Hungarian paprika don't worry, select an alternative mild & sweet variety and go with that. You could also substitute in a little smoked paprika or a dab of hot paprika if you fancy switching up the spice profile.
Beef: Stewing steak is the best option as the beef should have plenty of connective tissue that will help tenderise it as the goulash slow cooks. There's no need to go for expensive cuts. Any particularly large chunks of fat can be trimmed away if desired.
Mushrooms: Chestnut mushrooms have a lovely earthy flavour and fantastic colour which both work a treat in this recipe.
Worcestershire sauce: This adds rich depth of flavour and a mild tanginess to this recipe for beef goulash. Worcestershire sauce is easy to find in UK shops but if it's not available around you, opt for soy sauce instead.
Soured cream: This completes the dish by adding a slightly tangy yet creamy edge to the flavour. Try serving a little extra spooned on top for a comforting treat. If you don't have it to hand Greek yoghurt makes a great alternative.
Step by Step Instructions
This easy slow cooked beef goulash recipe can be made in a Dutch oven or another suitable oven-proof casserole dish with a lid:
- Step 1: Toss the meat in the flour then brown in batches, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Step 2: Fry the onion and garlic until soft, then add in the mushrooms and peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the meat back into the pan along with the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, pepper and the stock. Stir, pop on the lid and cook in the oven for around 3 hours, stirring once or twice.
- Step 4: Stir soured cream and chopped parsley in before serving.
Making Beef Goulash in a Slow Cooker
This beef goulash recipe can alternatively be made in a slow cooker. To get the best flavour possible, it is essential to brown the meat and to fry the onions until soft before transferring them both to your slow cooker pot with the rest of the ingredients (minus the cream and parsley).
You'll likely need less stock, so begin by adding 175ml (¾ cup) and top up with more, if necessary, as the end of the cooking time approaches.
Cook for 4-5 hours on medium or 7-8 hours on low. Stir in the soured cream and parsley before serving.
Expert tips
- Pick your meat wisely - avoid pricier lean cuts and plump for the tougher cuts of meat with plenty of connective tissue in them to ensure your meat ends up tender and juicy
- Browning the meat is essential: It helps build up a rich & deep flavour profile in your goulash. Heat the pan to very hot before adding the beef and turn the meat frequently to allow it to brown on all sides
- Brown your meat quickly and in small batches. Avoid overcrowding the pan with meat as the heat will be reduced and more moisture will get released from it. This leads to steam which prevents browning
- Cook for at least 3 hours on a low heat: This ensures the meat turns tender - undercooked meat will be tough.
- The peppers break down considerably during the cooking process. If you would like some to remain more intact, reserve half and add to the pan halfway through the cooking time.
- If you don't own an oven-proof dish with a lid then cover the one you do have with kitchen foil before placing your beef goulash in the oven
Frequently asked questions
Chuck steak is the best meat for this Dutch oven goulash recipe. It also goes by the name of braising steak or stewing steak. This cut comes from the shoulder of the cow and has plenty of connective tissue (collagen) that breaks down and become deliciously tender over a prolonged cooking time.
You certainly can. In fact, I happen to think that 24 hours later this slow-cooked goulash is even tastier than when first prepared. Just let it cool completely, then refrigerate for up to 48 hours and reheat - either in a pan on the stove-top or in a microwave.
Yes, you can. Once made, just let the batch cool completely, then package into freezer-proof containers, label and drop into the deep-freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to use, simply let thoroughly defrost, then reheat as described above until piping hot.
Variations
The base recipe for this dutch oven goulash can be adapted in the following ways:
- Caraway Seeds: Add in ½ teaspoon of toasted caraway seeds. Some people swear that this spice is essential to authentic goulash. Caraway imparts a slightly citrusy liquorice flavour to recipes. It is not to everybody's taste (definitely not my family's, I've discovered)
- Omit the flour: Traditional Hungarian goulash was much more soup-like that this version and flour would certainly not have made an appearance in the ingredients list. But this Dutch oven goulash recipe is not pretending to be an authentic traditional recipe, so I've included flour to create a thick and luxurious sauce that liberally coats the other ingredients. Make the goulash without flour to create a thinner sauce and turn it gluten-free in the process
- Swap the meat: Try veal, pork or lamb
- Meatball goulash: Alternatively, leave out the beef but drop in meatballs 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time
- Vegetarian goulash: Replace the meat with more vegetables and stir some pre-cooked black beans through. You'll also need to swap the beef stock for vegetable stock (or even better - mushroom stock) and ditch the Worcestershire sauce in favour of soy sauce.
Serving suggestions
My favourite way to serve dutch oven goulash is to ladle portions into bowls alongside crusty bread for dunking and mopping up that gloriously rich and dark piquant gravy. However, there are plenty of other options:
- Try it with flat pasta noodles such as pappardelle.
- Go traditional and serve it with spaetzle.
- Or gnocchi for that matter.
- Spoon it over creamy mashed potatoes.
- Boiled rice makes a tasty change.
- Get indulgent by upgrading to garlic bread.
- Or add in plenty of baby potatoes for a stand-alone complete meal.
- Alternatively top with dumplings for the ultimate one-pot comfort food.
Have you made this recipe for slow cooked beef goulash? Please give it a rating or comment. I love to hear how you get along with my recipes.
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooked Beef Goulash
Ingredients
- 600 g Stewing steak braising steak or chuck steak
- 1½ tablespoons Flour plain (all-purpose)
- 1 Onion
- 1 Garlic clove a fat one or a couple of smaller ones
- 300 g Chestnut mushrooms
- 1½ Red peppers
- 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika or other sweet and mild paprika
- 2 tablespoons Tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
- 250 ml Beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Soured cream or Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon Chopped parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 150C/ 300F/ GM2 and heat some oil in the base of your Dutch oven or oven-proof casserole dish.
- Season the flour and use it to dredge the beef before frying the meat in batches to brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Turn down the heat, dice the onion and fry it for around 5 minutes until it softens, then mince the garlic and add it in. Use a wooden spoon to stir the onions as they cook, scraping any residual meat from the bottom of the pan as you do.
- Meanwhile, clean and chop the mushrooms and de-seed and slice the peppers then add to the pan with the softened onions and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the meat back into the pan along with the tomato puree, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, stock and seasoning. Give everything a good stir and let come to the boil, then pop the lid on and transfer to the oven to slow cook for 3 hours - stir midway through the cooking time.
- Once cooked, stir through the soured cream and chopped parsley, taste and add more seasoning as desired.
Notes
- If you don't own an oven-proof dish with a lid cover the one you do have with kitchen foil before placing your beef goulash in the oven
- Chuck steak is the best for meat for this Dutch oven goulash recipe. It also goes by the name of braising steak or stewing steak. This cut comes from the shoulder of the cow and has plenty of connective tissue (collagen) that breaks down and become deliciously tender over a prolonged cooking time.
- Browning the meat is essential to build up a rich & deep flavour profile in your goulash. Heat the pan to very hot before adding the beef and turn the meat frequently to allow it to brown on all sides
- Always brown your meat quickly and in small batches. Avoid overcrowding the pan with meat as the heat will be reduced and more moisture will get released from it, leading to steam which prevents browning
- Let the goulash cook for at least 3 hours on a low heat to ensure the meat turns tender
- The peppers break down considerably during the cooking process. If you would like some to remain more intact, reserve half and add to the pan halfway through the cooking time
Paula says
Amazing beef Goulash. Did this in the slow cooker and turned out great.
I added peppers half way through to avoid them going too soft and it was perfect.
Thanks for recipe
Jane Coupland says
Ah thankyou Paula - it's one of my favourites - since publication, I've been told proper goulash is more like a soup, but this is what I grew up thinking goulash was.... I'm not one to get too hung up on names, just great flavour 🙂
Diane says
I made this and both my husband and I really enjoyed it. I made it in my slow cooker, following your instructions to brown the beef and onions first. It was a lovely warming meal, after a busy day and it left some for the freezer too!
I enjoy cooking your recipes. I've done a few now, choosing healthy easy dinners and some of your Midland recipes.
Jane Coupland says
Hi Diane - the goulash is one of my personal favourites - pure comfort food and minimal effort :). You'll be pleased to hear that I've got a couple more Midlands recipes planned for this year - finally found a Rutland recipe so can fill in the void for that mini part of the East Mids. Thanks for your review.
Joanne says
This was absolutely delicious! Made in the slow cooker and popped some dumplings on top at the end of cooking. Even the kids loved this one!
Jane Coupland says
Oh Joanne, dumplings is an excellent addition - I'll do that next time. So pleased you enjoyed it - thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it.
Christine says
In your ingredients, you don’t even mention minced garlic however in the method you mention minced garlic how much do you use?
Jane Coupland says
Hi Christine. Thanks for pointing this out - 1 fat clove minced. I'll add that in now. I hope that you enjoy it.
Oleksandr Bezzub says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Very nice well-balanced taste. And it's very easy to cook. I think that one can also use some other kinds of beef (full of callogen cuts from the shoulder or upper part of the leg of the cow) and put parsley just before serving the dish.
Oleksandr Bezxub says
Sorry, I've put the Recipe Rating by mistake! Definitely, it' 5 Stars.
Jane Saunders says
Thanks - was able to amend 🙂
Jane Saunders says
So pleased you enjoyed it - parsley is a great garnish.