Slow-Cooked Goulash

5 from 5 votes

Slow-cooked 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 turns it into pure comfort food heaven.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Worldwide

Servings:

Calories: 301kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

600 g Stewing steak braising steak or chuck steak
1½ tablespoons Flour plain (all-purpose)
1 Onion
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

US Customary - Metric

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

Using 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.

Making in Advance and Freezing Instructions

This dish can be made in advance and reheated. In fact, I happen to think that 24 hours later this beef goulash is even tastier than when first prepared. Just let it cool completely, then refrigerate for up to 48 hours and reheat, until piping hot, when required - either in a pan on the stove-top or in a microwave.

It also freezes well. 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

Nutrition