A goulash is a richly flavored soup or stew made with meat and vegetables. There are two ways of making this dish – the traditional Hungarian goulash, and the American goulash. While the traditional dish is made with beef and onions and spiced with paprika, along with other vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, celery peppers, and tomatoes, the American goulash is made with tomato, beef, and macaroni. The recipe for this comforting stew differs from home to home.

History of the goulash
Goulash is a dish that dates back centuries. The word “goulash” originates from the Hungarian word “gulyás,” which means herdsman or cowboy. It was traditionally made by shepherds who used dried-out meat (as a means of long-term storage), and added water to it to create a soup or stew. Over time, as this recipe traversed generations and topographies, it evolved into its current form, a hearty autumn food option. Since this is such a well-traveled recipe, every home and every cook has their unique take on it.

Hungarian Goulash
This old-fashioned goulash recipe features a base of onions and beef, seasoned with Hungarian Paprika. The traditional goulash, called “ Pörkölt”,  requires meat and vegetables to be stewed in water for a long time at a lower temperature. Here are the four main ingredients used to make the perfect goulash:

Meat
Marbled meat such as beef and veal are popular choices for a goulash. Most traditional recipes suggest using red meat. What’s exciting about cooking this dish is that you can also utilize less expensive cuts of meat, as they are simmered over low heat for a long time.

If you opt to make other varieties of goulash, such as  Szegedin goulash or Debrecen goulash,  you can also use other meats. The Szegedin goulash makes use of half pork and half beef, along with sauerkraut and sour cream, while the Debrecen goulash is made using traditional Hungarian Debrecan sausage instead of beef.

Vegetables
Just like most other meat-forward dishes, vegetables play an important supporting role in a goulash. Most often, vegetables like onion, shallots, mushrooms, garlic, and fresh peppers are used.

Spices
Spices for goulash vary by region, but the most common ones include bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, caraway seed, and paprika. Among these, paprika has held the most cultural importance.

Hungarian paprika is made from different types of red pepper. These are sorted by their pungency and heat. The eight grades of Hungarian paprika are különleges (mild and has a vibrant red color), csípősmentes csemege (delicate and mild), csemege paprika (slightly more pungent), csípős csemege (higher level of pungency), édesnemes (slightly pungent, but has a bright red color), félédes (semi-sweet with medium pungency), rózsa (mildly pungent and pale red), and erős (hottest pepper, that is light brown or orange).

Liquid
This is the base that the meat and vegetables are cooked in, making it a crucial part of the dish. It also helps deglaze the pan, so you can ensure that all the wonderful flavor remains in the goulash, as you serve it. Most goulash recipes generally swear by water or beef broth (for a meatier flavor), but you can also add a little vinegar to the mix if you like.

Once the ingredients are chopped and ready, the recipe is quite easy to make. Saute vegetables of your choice in a stew pot, and set them aside. Next, sear the meat well, and keep that aside. Deglaze your cooking pan with your liquid of choice, and then add spices. Add the meat and vegetables back into the pot, and let it simmer for 90 minutes over low heat. Your traditional goulash is now ready to serve. It complements well with spaetzle, mashed potatoes, or even polenta!

American Goulash
The American version of goulash is a much faster cook, as it comes together in just 30 minutes. As a one-pot dish, it is the perfect weeknight meal, offering quick and easy deliciousness! The American goulash, popular by the name “American Chop Suey,” is made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni.

This dish makes use of simple, household ingredients like lean ground beef or turkey, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, chicken or beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and elbow macaroni noodles.

To make this easy goulash recipe, all you need to do is brown the beef in a large saucepan, along with the onion and garlic cloves. Add your broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce to this mix, with salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer for 10 minutes before adding the elbow macaroni noodles. The noodles take approximately 12 to 14 minutes to cook to be fork tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, and your goulash is ready to serve.

If you’re looking to add a slight kick of flavor and elevate this dish to the next level, you can also consider adding other ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce, grated sharp cheddar, sour cream, diced pepperoni, mushrooms, riced cauliflower, black beans, or Italian sausage, to give it your spin.