Hungarian Beef Goulash with Buttered Spatzle🍖 Main
A rich, velvety Hungarian beef stew generously seasoned with sweet paprika, caraway seeds, and bell peppers, ladled over tender homemade or store-bought egg noodles.
By Marcus Rivera, Kitchen Tips Editor
Shared by the Home Cook Assistant community ยท Reviewed for clarity
Few dishes banish the winter chill as effectively as a steaming bowl of Central European beef stew infused with vibrant red spices. Unlike standard American stews that rely on heavy flour roux for thickness, this traditional preparation gets its velvety body from a generous mound of slow-cooked onions and a quarter cup of authentic sweet paprika. As the marbled chuck roast simmers gently with nutty caraway seeds and sweet red bell peppers, the onions dissolve completely into the broth, creating a glossy, brick-red sauce that clings to every bite of buttered noodles.
The most critical step in making this stew happens right when you add the spices. Because paprika has a high sugar content, it will scorch almost instantly if it hits a dry, screaming-hot pan, turning bitter and dark brown. Always pull your Dutch oven completely off the burner for a minute before stirring the spices into the caramelized onions; the warm fat will bloom the essential oils safely without burning them. Also, make sure your spice jar is fresh and specifically labeled as sweet Hungarian paprika rather than standard generic paprika, which lacks both sweetness and depth.
While traditional little egg dumplings called spatzle are wonderful for catching the rich gravy, wide ribbon egg noodles or even creamy mashed potatoes work just as well underneath the beef. If you want to turn this into a one-pot meal without boiling noodles separately, stir two pounds of peeled, cubed Yukon Gold potatoes directly into the stew during the final thirty minutes of simmering. Store any extra stew in the fridge for up to four days, reheating gently over low heat before adding the cool sour cream swirl.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
- 3 large yellow onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp caraway seeds, finely crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz dried spatzle or wide egg noodles
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh dill or parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Nutrition (Per 6 servings)*
* AI-estimated values only โ not a substitute for professional nutrition labeling.
Instructions
- Step 1: Pat the beef chuck cubes dry and season generously with salt and black pepper.
- Step 2: Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and sweet.
- Step 3: Remove the pot from the heat completely and let cool for 1 minute. Stir in the sweet Hungarian paprika, smoked paprika, garlic, and crushed caraway seeds so the residual heat blooms the spices without burning the paprika.
- Step 4: Return the pot to medium-high heat and immediately add the beef cubes, tomato paste, and diced red bell pepper. Stir well to coat the meat in the onion-paprika mixture and cook for 5 minutes.
- Step 5: Pour in the beef broth and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly, and simmer gently for 2 to 2.5 hours until the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender and the onions have broken down to thicken the sauce.
- Step 6: About 15 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spatzle or egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss immediately with the unsalted butter and half of the chopped herbs.
- Step 7: Remove the goulash from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Ladle the hot stew over bowls of buttered spatzle and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and the remaining fresh herbs.
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