Authentic Hungarian Goulash (Gluten-Free)

This is truly an Authentic Hungarian Goulash dish…slowly simmered beef with vegetables, lightly flavoured delicious tomato broth and a little spiciness. This is comfort food at it’s best!

grandma’s Hungarian goulash recipe…

Growing up in eastern Europe, in our home, Hungarian goulash was a weekly meal. Whether this hearty dish was served as a soup or a thick stew, it was comforting and satisfying.

Hungarian goulash is often served with pasta or rye bread. Since our home has been converted to an exclusively gluten-free kitchen, I often serve the warm and cozy goulash with my homemade gluten-free cassava bread because it reminds me of rye bread.

What are the best cuts of beef for Hungarian Goulash?

A thick stew such as goulash is made with tender beef chunks and veggies slowly simmered in a rich broth. I prefer not using pre-cut stewing beef because it tends to be dry.

Instead, I find that chuck steak or brisket are the best cuts for goulash. The chuck and brisket are affordable, with good flavour and texture, making the beef cut an excellent choice for stews.

My grandmother was Hungarian, and she loved the stew with pasta. This Hungarian recipe goes way back in my family. My grandma, I called her “oma,” made the best Hungarian goulash by far. She learned the recipe from her grandma, thus naming this stew “Authentic Hungarian Goulash.”

When there wasn’t enough meat to go around during the war, she often told me that the thick meaty goulash stew was served as a soup. This is where the sour cream comes in.

When the meat was scarce, the sour cream was added to make the soup creamier and heartier. And, there was always freshly baked delicious bread to make the goulash a satisfying meal.

what makes the Hungarian stew so delicious?

There are a few ingredients that make this beef stew outshine the others. First, there are the pungent Hungarian spices such as; Hungarian paprika, caraway seeds, marjoram and bay leaves. Then, the light tomato broth, vegetables and when available red wine.

The stew is slowly simmered allowing the beef to infuse the broth with robust beef flavour. This beef dish is not complicated, but it is exceptionally flavourful.

If you decide to make this amazing Hungarian goulash as soup serve it up with gluten-free artisan bread or our popular gluten-free pull-apart rosemary soft rolls.  For more recipes like this goulash, check out our gluten-free recipes from Eastern Europe.

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