Szegedin Goulash (Székely Gulyás)

One of my most favorite Hungarian dishes, this Szegedin Goulash recipe features slow-simmered, succulent meat, onions and sauerkraut in a wonderfully rich paprika-infused broth.  It’s incredibly delicious!

The weather is slowly warming but I figure there’s still time to squeeze in one final cool-weather stew.  Especially one as good as this.  It’s one of my personal favorites:  Szegedin Goulash.

I can remember the aroma that filled our home every time my mom made this.  I’d walk in and immediately recognize the smell.  I already knew dinner would be a guaranteed delight!

The origin of Szeged Goulash isn’t entirely clear though it is believed that the dish originated in the Hungarian town of Szeged, famous for its paprika.  But there are also those who argue the dish was named after the Hungarian writer, journalist and poet József Székely.  The story goes that he showed up at a restaurant just before closing time and was told that all they had left was some goulash and sauerkraut.  He told them to just mix it together and since that time people began requesting “Székely’s Gulyás”.  Whatever the origin, one thing is fact:  This goulash is delicious and it’s a very popular dish throughout Hungary, Central Europe and Germany.

There are two critical ingredients for getting this goulash right:  The right paprika and the right sauerkraut.  American sauerkraut won’t do.  It doesn’t taste anything like real sauerkraut and is frankly downright awful.  Get the real German sauerkraut.

Secondly, get quality, real imported Hungarian paprika, like this one on Amazon.  There’s no comparison in flavor.   It has an extraordinarily rich flavor and an exceptionally vibrant red color.  Many of our readers have tried it, written back and agree that quality Hungarian-imported paprika makes ALL the difference.

With these two key ingredients, you’re ready to roll and the end result will be a truly amazing Szegedin Goulash that will make your taste buds sing!

Szegedin Goulash Recipe

Let’s get started!

In a heavy medium stock pot or Dutch oven fry the bacon until done. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until golden. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook for another two minutes.

Add the pork/beef and cook for a minute until some, but not all, of the pink is gone. Stir in the paprika and remove from heat.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the sauerkraut and sour cream.

Add just enough water to barely cover the top of the mixture.  Return to heat and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 90 minutes.  Stir in the sauerkraut, return to a simmer, cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.  Add salt to taste.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and swirl it in the soup before eating.  Serve the goulash alone, with some crusty bread, with Homemade Spätzle and/or a leafy green or cucumber salad.

Enjoy!

For more delicious authentic Hungarian dishes be sure to try our:

• Traditional Hungarian Goulash
• Chicken Paprikash
• Pörkölt 
• Chicken Goulash

Szegedin Goulash (Székely Gulyás)

Kimberly Killebrew

This Szegedin Goulash features slow-simmered, succulent meat, onions and sauerkraut in a wonderfully rich paprika-infused broth.  It's incredibly delicious!

Print Recipe

4.67 from 18 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 649 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon ,diced
• 1 large yellow onion ,finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper ,seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic ,minced
• 1 large tomato ,finely diced
• 1½ pounds pork (e.g. shoulder) and beef (chuck roast) ,trimmed of fat and cut into ½ inch pieces (Note: You can use all pork or a combination of pork and beef)
• 4 tablespoons quality imported sweet Hungarian paprika (yes, that's TABLEspoons!)
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds ,coarsely crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• water or beef broth (beef broth isn't traditional but it creates even more flavor)
• 1 cup packed drained real German sauerkraut
• How to Make Sauerkraut (click link for recipe tutorial)
• Sour cream for serving

Instructions

 

• In a medium stock pot or Dutch oven fry the bacon until done. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until golden. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the pork/beef and cook for a minute until some, but not all, of the pink is gone. Stir in the paprika and remove from heat.
• Add the remaining ingredients except for the sauerkraut and sour cream. Add just enough water to barely cover the mixture. Return to heat and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 90 minutes. Stir in the sauerkraut, return to a simmer, cover and simmer another 20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream and swirl it in the soup before eating. Serve with crusty bread, Homemade Spätzle and/or a leafy green or cucumber salad. This goulash is even better the next day.

Nutrition

Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 1448mg | Potassium: 944mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3825IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3.9mg

Keyword Goulash, Szeged Goulash, Szegedin Goulash

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