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)
Ingredients
- 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
Linda says
made this, delicious. used the Instant pot for 35 min. I just wasn’t sure how long to set it for. Pork Shoulder was a pain to remove most of the heavy fat, but worth it. I put the sauerkraut in early since I was setting the instant pot close. Not much fan of sauerkraut so was using it for flavor only. It as close to what we were served in Budapest as we have found. This is not something to put over noodles and turn it into a hamburger helper kind of dish, much more interesting in a bowl with good hot fresh bread. thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Linda, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Katalin Griffith says
I was born in Hungary, and I cook Hungarian food all the time. It was interesting to read the exchange between you and several critics. As you say, food is regional – and sometimes just family lore. One of my grandmothers was Szekely, which indicates the original Hungarian inhabitants of Erdely (Transylvania). Some of her recipes vary from those in Hungarian cookbooks because of local influences. No one commented on the two different names of the dish Szegedi vs. Szekely. These regions are not the same nor are they close. In answer to the question about the n at the end of Szegedi, that is German, meaning from. As for the person who confused cumin with caraway: They are two entirely different spices from different sides of the world. Thanks for your recipes and discussions and for popularizing Hungarian food. It IS delicious (and cucumber salad is de rigeur).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Katalin, thanks so much for the feedback. You are correct that Szeged and Szekely are two entirely different places. The use of “Szekely” doesn’t refer to a geographic region but rather, as I discuss at the beginning of the blog post, some argue that this dish was named after 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.” Thanks again for sharing your insights. Hungarian food is phenomenal and I’m happy for the opportunity to share my experience with it with others.
Primrose says
Kimberly, I’m not Hungarian, though I do live in Germany and unlike the German version of Gulyas, I have eaten and made Hungarian style Gulyas for various authentic recipe collections.
Disregard the naysayers – there will always be those. I made this tonight for dinner, with Hungarian ‘style’ peppers, not bell peppers, and yes I used garlic (we love it), and caraway. Used a very nice ‘soft’ non acidic German sauerkraut. And tomatoes – and no, they were not watery at all. It comes down to choice – do you get firm tomatoes or over-ripe watery ones :) It was delicious, not AT ALL acidic. And we do know good food, having lived internationally for over 30 years, not just Europe. Bah Humbug to the naysayers, it was great!!! A keeper and one I will for sure be making again.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much for the positive feedback, Primrose, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it! :)
György Vigh says
Dear Kimberly, I know you won’t publish my comment, still I’m sorry to tell you that this recipe has little to do with the original one. Please, at least don’t call it “Hungarian”, because you are spreading false picture about Hungarian cuisine. (Though, you are not the only one who do it.)
Sincerely,
György
Hungary
P.S.: We never eat this dish with leafy green or cucumber salad in Hungary, at most with a slice of white bread. Google the images of this dish and you won’t see neither salad beside it nor as many red paprika used in it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi György, I was raised with my mom making this recipe that she received from a Hungarian friend, but more importantly a few years ago while I was in Hungary I further confirmed the ingredients and method by some Hungarian cooks. Please do elaborate in detail as to why you think this recipe isn’t “Hungarian”?
Also, I personally had goulash served to me in Hungary with a simple vinegar-based cucumber salad on multiple occasions.
György Vigh says
And yet another comment: Don’t trim the fat of the pork before cooking, if you don’t like it trim it after cooking, because the fatty pieces make delicious the goulash (it’s gravy should ideally be almost gelatinous), without the fat the meat will be too dry and its gravy watery.
And yes, the meat must be shoulder, other parts eg. loin won’t do it, though thigh acceptable.
György V. says
I live in Hungary and would like to do some remarks on this recipe:
The name “Székely Gulyás” is originated from the great Hungarian national poet Sándor Petőfi, friend of János Székely and witness of the case of mixing the goulash and sauerkraut. I don’t know whether it was true, by all means, in Slovakia this dish is called “Szegediner goulash” for some reason.
The recipe above has too much paprika, one tablespoon would be more than enough.
Caraway (this is a German influence), tomatoes (Serbian influence), black pepper and garlic should not be used for strictly authentic Hungarian goulash dishes, although all of them are common (especially in the internationally known “goulash” versions which sometimes have nothing to do with the original).
I don’t know how soft is the German sauerkraut, the original Hungarian sauerkraut must be cooked separately for much longer, 1-2 hours at least.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
György, I have worked side by side with several Hungarian cooks in Hungary and have corresponded with several more outside of Hungary and I have yet to meet one who would limit their use of paprika in goulash to one tablespoon or omit tomatoes. And they all readily used garlic and, in some cases, caraway seed. These could very well come down to regional differences and to categorically say that Hungarians do not use these ingredients simply isn’t true.
Személy Szilárd says
I would like to add, that I grew up in Szeged, I’ve never seen this dish, and I’m reasonably certain it doesn’t originate from there.
The tomatoes and cumin are REALLY weird. The entire idea of gulyás, no matter what kind you’re making is that all the heavy fat is in the gulyás, and you balance it with the acidity from the side salad of kovászos uborka (kinda like pickles, but with a noble mold) or cucumbers.
The tomatoes just add the acidity into it and water it down, seems counter-productive to me.
The cumin in gulyás is just weird, I don’t even know what to say about that.
What is missing is the dry red wine added to the broth, just enough to deepen the flavour. Using dry red instead of tomatoes gives you a much finer control on the acidity of the broth, since you don’t have to guess how much water the tomatoes will release.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Személy, I’m surprised you think the addition of tomatoes and caraway (not cumin) are weird when both are very readily used throughout Hungary, including in goulash, though I’ve found the addition of caraway to be more region-specific. And of course this and other ingredient variations also come down to family traditions and personal preference. I have to argue the point about red wine, an ingredient that is most definitely not traditionally added to goulash. Perhaps in more contemporary adaptations. But let’s not confuse traditional goulash with bœuf bourguignon ;)
Személy Szilárd says
I’ve shared a point of a family recipe with you. It’s older than you and I put together. It doesn’t get more authentic than that.
Caraway and cumin both translate to “köménymag” and that is not in the recipe. My point stands on tomatoes, and I don’t understand why you think they belong here when you got the baseline gulyás ingredients exactly right? There’s all kinds of customizations to that recipe that are regional differences or just the question of the taste of the specific household, like putting in a brussel sprout into the broth for it’s flavor, which is just yuck, but it’s still authentic.
In 24 years I spent in Szeged I’ve never seen or even heard of someone putting tomatoes and köménymag in gulyás. So i guess their addition is so region-specific as to be from Austria.
What would clear up a lot of confusion is if you told us where you got this recipe from exactly.
Insinuating that I’m mixing in french cuisine is just insulting.
What really hurts your credibility is that you used my surname as if it was my given name, because in Hungary, surnames come first. It is something every tourist remarks on, so I’d expect someone with Hungarian background to know that.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m not debating your particular family’s recipe and whether or not it includes those additions. I’m simply pointing out that yours is one of many, and that there are many others that differ from yours. Does that make all others inauthentic? As as you noted yourself, even with these variations (“a brussel sprout in the broth”) a recipe can still be “authentic”, so I’m really not sure what the argument is here unless you’re simply arguing for the sake of argument.
Austrian influence? I’ve no doubt. And that should come as no surprise considering Hungary was under Austrian rule for centuries. Again, I’m not sure what your point is.
I’m sorry that you feel insulted by my comment about cooking with wine, but that red wine was not included in traditional gulyás is not conjecture.
My credibility of understanding food and food history is nullified by my calling you by your surname? Now that’s just absurd. How about being more civil and we simply agree to disagree?
Jerome says
If you are in or near California, or if they ship, Kruegermann’s Makes real German sauerkraut, no preservatives, simply cabbage salt and water. Delicious, nothing like the canned tinny Sauerkraut you find in most stores. Some stores in Los Angeles carry it. But you can buy directly from them. We also have a full line of pickles but I’m not as partial to German pickles as I am to their sauerkraut. Once I discovered them. I never went back. And don’t even buy the important anymore. I don’t work for them.
Nick says
Another hit from your site to my table. My 6 year old LOVES your recipes. His favorite is rouladen. I have bought him a kid’s knife set and he is eager to help me out and said next time I make this, he wants to help (he didn’t today as he was in trouble). This was super simple. I will admit to having to use some cherry tomatoes since we didn’t have anything else as well as a roasted pepper since I didn’t have any fresh bells. Turned out amazing. My wife’s family are Danube-Schwabians and she compared this to her Oma’s sarma. Seems I’ll be making it again in March.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Nick, I’m so happy it was a hit, thank you! And I’m even happier that your 6 year old enjoys my recipes! :) That’s wonderful that he’s eager to help out in the kitchen. And Rouladen…he has excellent taste, that’s one my favorites too :)
Tiffany says
This turned out so delicious! I replaced the pork shoulder with beef chuck, because that’s what I had on hand. Served with some egg noodles, bread, and a salad; OMG! Super comforting~ I’ll definitely be making this again
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Tiffany, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
er says
you forgot to mention where the broth actually comes from …( i mean espcelly for beef goulash recipe ), im a novice. i boiled the beef first and just used that as stock…
it didnt taste like gullash more like an ordinary hot tasting beef stew !
help ! so where to create said broth ?
the virgin hungarian.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You can used canned beef broth or bouillon cubes dissolved in water. If making homemade beef broth it will need to incorporate vegetables and spices in order to have enough flavor to be used as broth.
Katalin says
no broth should be added, just pour water
Michael Carter says
I am writing this after having stuffed 2 huge bowls of this into my face very happy and very full. first time cooking this dish and I am so happy this came out so well considering I quadrupled the recipe ( all i had in the freezer was an 8lb bone in shoulder ).This is the first authentic Hungarian dish I have ever made and may have ever eaten, and now I’m the real Keyser Söze, and can play piano like Franz Liszt. Can’t wait to try chicken paprikash. Seriously if this is what Hungarian cooking is all about count me in!
Another dish conquered and added to the repertoire. thank you again for blessing my kitchen !
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, Michael, that’s so awesome!! This is indeed what Hungarian cooking is all about and I’m in full agreement with you – Hungarian food is fabulous. So glad you enjoyed this and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Julie Anderson says
This was delicious. I remember soup like this when I was living in Austria. I did use canned sauerkraut that I rinsed well first to remove some of the salt and substituted 1T smoked paprika for 1 T of the plain since my bacon wasn’t very smokey. Next time I will add a bit more caraway seed because I love that unique flavor.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Julie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Anonymous says
My wife is making it today and It will be delicious, but wondering where the letter n at the end of Szegedi came from?
Frank Laczko says
Do you rinse the sauerkraut?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Frank, no need to rinse it.
Judit says
One of my very favourite Hungarian dishes along with Rakott Kaposta, or layered sauerkraut. I am Hungarian and live in Canada on the west coast. Your recipe is spot on including the peppers, althoygh in Hungary they would most likely have been Hungarian yellow peppers which are a thin skinned light yellow pepper.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Judit. Most definitely the Hungarian sweet yellow wax peppers which are nearly impossible to find outside of Hungary. I’ve never seen them in the U.S. I was actually able to find some heirloom seeds for those peppers that were brought to the U.S. by Hungarian immigrants in the 19th or early 20th century. I’ve grown several Hungarian yellow wax pepper plants from seed – they’re about 12 inches high now in my greenhouse and I’ll be transplanting them out in my garden this summer. My fingers are crossed they yield a successful crop!
Wanda says
This is most amazingly delicious thing ever. Is it the sauerkraut? The Hungarian paprika? I don’t know what, but it makes your taste buds sing!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
It’s everything in combination, Wanda! :) I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!