Traditional goulash is made with beef, vegetables including onions, paprika, tomato, and spices. The name comes from the Hungarian word for herdsman or cattle stockman. This Hungarian dish is made either as a stew or soup.

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You can use hot or mild paprika and a little caraway seed, garlic or wine is also nice in the recipe. In the traditional goulash recipe, onions are fried until they are golden and then the paprika and meat are added, so the flavor of the paprika comes out when it touches the hot fat but it does not get bitter or burn.

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You can make this dish using pork, lamb, or veal if you do not want to use beef. The meat is cut into chunks before you use it. Stock or water is also added and then caraway seeds or garlic can go in after it has been simmering for a while.

Parsnip, carrot, bell pepper, fresh tomato, or celery are optional ingredients, as are thyme, bay leaves, and hot chilies. You might like to add some diced potatoes to make the dish more starchy and therefore smoother and thicker. A little wine vinegar or white wine can also go into it, to round out the flavor.

International Variations

Many countries have a similar dish to this one, since it is quite a basic beef stew. For example, in Austria, the dish is served without tomatoes but with extra onions as well as little dumplings. In Germany, potatoes are added and the broth is tomato-flavored.

Lamb, beef, pork, or occasionally fish might feature in the Dutch version and many people prefer to use ground beef to make this recipe in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It is served with macaroni, noodles, or pasta. In some parts of New England, this ground beef and tomato sauce-based dish is known as "American chop suey" or "American goulash."

Slow Cooker Goulash Recipe

This recipe makes enough to serve four to six people and the resulting dish is really flavorful. You can use yogurt instead of sour cream if you prefer. For a more watery consistency (more like soup than stew), use a pound of meat instead of a pound and a half. Serve it with buttered noodles tossed with poppy seeds.

What You Will Need:

1 1/2 lbs round steak or beef stew meat, in 1 inch cubes 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 minced cloves garlic 1/4 cup sour cream 1 cup water 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 cup chopped onion

How To Make It:

Put the beef, garlic, and onion in the crockpot and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the mixture. Mix half the water with the paprika and tomato paste and pour this over the top. Cover and cook for eight or nine hours on low. Mix the rest of the water with the sour cream and flour and stir this into the goulash. Cook for fifteen minutes uncovered or until it is thick.

How To Make Goulash In A Crockpot

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