Slow-Cooked Goulash (Dutch Oven)

Rib sticking and deeply satisfying, slow-cooked 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.

For more comforting meals try my beef and mushroom stew, minced beef and onion pie, lamb balti or my steak and stilton pie.

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.

Ingredients notes

Paprika 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 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.

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, stewing (chuck) steak is the best option. Any particularly large chunks of fat can be trimmed away if desired.

Chestnut mushrooms have a lovely earthy flavour and fantastic colour which both work a treat in this recipe.

Although I’ve used red bell peppers it’s fine to use Romano peppers instead.

Worcestershire sauce adds rich depth of flavour and a mild tanginess to this beef goulash. This ingredient is easy to find in the UK but if it’s not available around you, opt for soy sauce instead.

Soured cream 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 goulash recipe can be made in a Dutch oven or another suitable oven-proof casserole dish with a lid:

1. Toss the meat in the flour then brown in batches, remove from the pan and set aside
2. Fry the onion and garlic until soft, then add in the mushrooms and peppers and cook for 5 minutes
3. Add the meat back into the pan along with the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, pepper and the stock. Stir well
4. Pop on the lid and cook in the oven for around 3 hours, stirring once or twice
5. Stir soured cream and parsley in before serving

Making 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 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.

Variations

The base recipe for this slow-cooked goulash can be adapted in the following ways:

• Add in ½ teaspoon of toasted caraway seeds. Some people swear that this spice is essential to authentic goulash. Caraway imparts a slightly citrussy liquorice flavour to recipes, that is not to everybody’s taste (definitely not my family’s, I’ve discovered)
• 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 beef for veal, pork or lamb
• Alternatively, leave out the beef but drop in meatballs 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time
• For a 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 Wocestershire sauce in favour of soy sauce

Serving suggestions

My favourite way to serve beef 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

More comfort food suppers