HOMEMADE HUNGARIAN GOULASH SOUP

This Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup recipe is the perfect classic cold-weather soup that’s hearty, full of flavour, and so easy to make!

Since we moved to Romania from Canada almost 3 years ago I’ve fallen into a love-hate relationship with the food here – there are some traditional dishes I just can’t get behind no matter how hard I try, and then there are others that I’ve come to love so much they’d be hard to live without. This Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup has become an absolute staple recipe in our family, especially during the cold winter months, and I’m so excited to be sharing it with you today!

There’s just something so comforting about stews and soups in the winter, and this Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup is one of our family’s favourite ways to warm up on a cold day. It’s packed with tender meat, lots of root vegetables, locally grown red bell peppers, all in a tomato-based broth that’s perfect soaked up by some crusty bread at the end of the meal!

We live in Transylvania, an area of Romania populated by many German Saxons and many Hungarians which has had a big impact on the traditional local cuisine. In fact, I purchased the gorgeous soup bowl in these photos at a local market and it’s one of my favourite pieces. It was made and hand painted by a local artist in the traditional Transylvanian style and it’s the perfect vessel for this amazing traditional-style Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup. I just know you’re going to love this stew as much as our family does!!

If you’re looking for a good Dutch Oven pot for recipes like this Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup, here’s my advice- My Dutch Oven pot is a total beauty from Le Creuset (affiliate link) and I use it almost ever day throughout the year for all kinds of soups, stews, sauces, curries, and even for baking bread (if you want my original Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe, grab it HERE! It goes GREAT with this Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup!).

A pot like this mine is definitely a financial investment, but considering how much I use mine and considering its high quality, it’s definitely a worthy investment since it will last for 10 or 20 years, or even longer! I’ve also used similar cast iron pots from other brands, like THIS ONE from KitchenAid and THIS ONE from Lodge Cast Iron (both affiliate links) if you’re looking for something a little less expensive but still high quality that’ll do the job well.

I hope you love this Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite local cultural recipe from where you live? I’d love to know!

KITCHEN TOOLS I RECOMMEND:

Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup

This Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup recipe is the perfect classic cold-weather soup that's hearty, full of flavour, and so easy to make! 

 Course Dinner, Main Course, Pork, Soup, Stew

 Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Hungarian, Romanian

 Keyword Homemade Hungarian Goulash Soup

 Prep Time 25 minutes

 Cook Time 45 minutes

 Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

 Servings 6 to 8 servings

 Author Chrissie (thebusybaker.ca)

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 2 pounds stewing pork cubes (approximately 1 kilogram)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 medium carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons Hungarian smoked paprika
• 1 regular bottle your favourite beer (I used Stella Artois)
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 cups room temperature chicken or beef stock
• 1 cup plain tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup pickled roasted red peppers, chopped (or plain roasted red peppers from a jar, plus 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar)
• 4-5 medium potatoes, skin on, cut into chunks
• sour cream and fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot (cast iron dutch oven pots are PERFECT for this recipe) over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped bacon and cook until just barely crisp, and remove the bacon to a large plate lined with kitchen paper
3. Keep at least 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot (feel free to drain the rest if there's too much, and if there isn't approximately 3 tablespoons of bacon grease left, add a little olive oil).
4. Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper, and add them to the hot pan, browning them in the bacon fat on all sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the bottom of the pan, or the pork will steam and not brown. Brown in batches, if needed.
5. Remove the browned pork cubes to the plate with the bacon and add the onions, carrots, garlic, and paprika to the pot.
6. Saute the veggies until the onions are soft and translucent and the carrots are beginning to soften. Add the beer and de-glaze the bottom the pot, scraping up all those brown bits left behind after cooking the meats and veggies, combining them with the veggies.
7. When the beer has reduced a little bit, add the bacon and pork back into the pot and stir everything together.
8. Separate about 1/3 cup of the room temperature chicken stock and stir the flour into it with a fork until the flour is dissolved.
9. Add that mixture to the pot, along with the rest of the chicken stock and the tomato sauce.
10. Add the pickled roasted red peppers and the potatoes to the pot and stir everything together very well to combine.
11. Turn the heat to low and let the stew simmer for about 35-45 minutes (or even longer if you have the time - up to 2-3 hours), stirring regularly, until the potatoes are cooked through and the stew has thickened up slightly.
12. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream on top and some chopped fresh parsley, with crusty bread for dipping.

Recipe Notes

This stew freezes well, stored in airtight containers, for up to 2 months.

Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days after cooking (for meal prep).

Share this post