Hungarian Goulash + Buttered Spätzle
Ingredients
Goulash
- 2½ lb beef chuck or chuck roast, 1" cubes
- 2 Tbsp lard or oil
- 2 large onions finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 –2 parsnips sliced (optional but traditional)
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 large tomato chopped (or 1 Tbsp tomato paste)
- 3 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp hot paprika or cayenne optional
- 1 tsp caraway seeds crushed
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- Black pepper
- 6 cups beef broth or enough to cover
- 1 Tbsp flour optional, for thicker sauce
- Parsley for garnish
Spätzle
- 2 cups flour
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup milk or water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Optional: chopped parsley pinch nutmeg
Instructions
Build the base
- Sauté onions in lard/oil over medium-low until golden (10–12 min).
- Remove pot from heat, stir in paprika + garlic so it doesn’t burn.
Brown the beef
- Return pot to heat. Add beef, toss to coat, lightly brown.
- Add caraway, salt, pepper, tomato. Stir well.
Simmer
- Add just enough broth to cover.
- Simmer on low, partially covered, 1½ hours.
Add veg
- Add carrots, parsnips, bell pepper.
- (Optional) Mix flour into a splash of broth and stir in to thicken.
- Simmer uncovered 30–40 min until tender and saucy.
🍜 Spätzle
- Whisk flour, eggs, milk, salt into a thick batter. Rest 10–15 min.
- Push batter through spaetzle maker/colander into boiling salted water.
- When they float (1–2 min), scoop out and toss with butter.
- Optional: pan-fry in butter for a little browning.
🍽️ Serve
- Butter-spätzle on the plate → ladle goulash over top → parsley.
- Done. Comfort food perfection.
Video
@jefsmk Hungarian goulash with homemade spätzle… absolute heater tonight 🔥 Slow braised beef, real Hungarian paprika, the whole deal. If you’ve never had the real version, you’re missing out. #goulash #hungarianfood #spaetzle #dinnerideas #homecooking
♬ Wanderlust - Degraus