I know what you’re thinking…
‘A real Hungarian goulash in 15 minutes? Impossible’.
And if you’re expecting a dish of soft slow cooked meat that’s been simmered for hours. You’re right. That ain’t going to happen in 15 minutes.
BUT if you’re in the mood for something that tastes deeply meaty and savoury with some sweetness from the peppers and the refreshing contrasting tang of sour cream AND you are short on time, you could do much worse than this humble approximation.
I love ground (minced) meat because it’s inexpensive but more importantly it cooks quickly AND all the surface area from the meat being cut so finely means that the flavour permeates your dish much more rapidly than bigger chunks of meat.
Oh and just between you and me…
While the paprika and peppers are essential for making this feel like a goulash, it’s the Worcestershire sauce which magically adds the depth of flavour you’d expect from a much longer cooking time.
With the paprika – make sure you buy SWEET Hungarian paprika not the smoked Spanish stuff. If you only have smoked paprika, reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon as it will over power with bitter flavours if you go for the whole 4 tablespoons.
15-Minute Goulash
Ingredients
- 450 g ground (minced) beef
- 3 large roast peppers from a jar
- 4 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 bag baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan on a high heat. Add a splash of oil. Then add the meat and cook, stirring to break up the chunks for a few minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Slice peppers and add to the beef. Then add the paprika, Worcestershire, water and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has started to thicken slightly.
- Serve goulash on a bed of baby spinach with sour cream swirled over.
Nutrition
Variations & Substitutions
no sweet Hungarian paprika – use smoked paprika, reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon as it will over power with bitter flavours if you go for the whole 4 tablespoons.
no Worcestershire sauce – use soy sauce but reduce the quantity to 1 tablespoon. Or 2 teaspoons miso paste.
vegetarian – replace meat with crumbled tofu or cooked lentils. I’m also thinking scrambled eggs in the goulash style would be amazing,
different protein – any ground (minced) meat or poultry will work. Or you could use sliced chicken thigh or breast fillets – just make sure you simmer long enough to cook the chicken through. Scrambled eggs or an omelette with these flavours would be great. And I don’t see why fish wouldn’t work – especially something with stronger flavoured like salmon.
goulash eggs – I made this with eggs instead of the meat and it was amazing. Just substitute 6-8 eggs and use 2 tablespoons each of the Hungarian paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over a medium heat stirring until thickened and serve with spinach and sour cream.
dairy-free – cashew sour cream or use this lemon tahini sauce.
nightshade-free – try this stroganoff instead.
more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with steamed or mashed potatoes or rice or soft egg noodles.
more substantial (low carb) – serve with wonderful cabbage wedges and some roast almonds.
different vegetables – feel free to add any cooked veg to the sauce. Grilled eggplant or zucchini will also work.
pantry-friendly – serve with defrosted frozen green beans, frozen peas, frozen spinach or rice instead of the baby spinach.
more fancy / for entertaining – use one of the more substantial suggestions above.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
ground (minced) beef – freeze it.
roast peppers from a jar – in an unopened jar will last in the pantry for months. Once open keep in the fridge and use for another meal.
sweet paprika / salt – keep them in the pantry.
Worcestershire sauce – keeps in the fridge for months.
sour cream – keeps for weeks in the fridge.
baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt! Or a spash of red wine vinegar or other vinegar. Or add in a flavour bomb.
too dry – add more water. And remember the sour cream will help.
sticking to the pan – next time make sure your pan is hot before adding the oil and make sure the oil is hot before adding the food. For now remove from the heat and stirring in a splash of water will help it release.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the sour cream and baby spinach separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, bring back to a simmer.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I made this with 250g mince as I used the other 250 for the pesto bean recipe. I added a small chopped and roasted yellow zucchini and a small amount of diced onion as I had it. I mixed sweet and smoked paprika. It was very nice.
Excellent!
I can’t rate this recipe yet, even though I made it tonight and we ate it. The problem is that it didn’t have the taste I expected – the taste that comes from real Hungarian paprika. I made the mistake of buying the Spice Hunter brand of sweet paprika, and it does not have any flavor. Unfortunately the recipe makes 4 servings for us, so we have another meal of it. I will go out looking for the real deal paprika, and I will try the recipe again. I’m giving consideration to roasting fresh peppers, because I think I’d like their flavor better than the jarred ones, even though my jar came sliced. I will also suggest that it would be a good idea to stir the sour cream into the mix before serving – it flavors the gravy nicely (that’s how chicken paprikás is made, and it is the chicken version of goulash).
Oh no Susan!
Yes fresh peppers would be nicer but way more than 15 minutes 🙂
I had to run some errands including picking up some items that never made it onto my weekly list, so I looked for paprika. They’ve changed the packaging, so I’m hoping that what I got works. I’ve realized that I can add some to my leftovers before reheating, so that may fix it. I’m hoping. I don’t mind trying the fresh peppers at least once. Being long retired, I can afford to take the time to do fresh peppers if their flavor is better.
Yes great idea to add more paprika to the leftovers – some Worcestershire sauce will help boost the umami flavours as well if you have it.
The fresh peppers will definitely be nicer!
I tried adding about a tablespoon each of paprika and Worcestershire sauce, and it was better, but still not great. I think in the final analysis there was too much paprika. So my next go around when I start over, I’ll probably start with 3 tablespoons of paprika and possibly an extra one of Worcestershire (depending on flavor). And the fresh peppers. I’m still not sure about the paprika I bought, even though it is Hungarian. It is really annoying that I can’t find the stuff I used to buy.
Good to know Susan!
I tried this again, using fresh peppers sauteed with a little onion, and your original amounts of paprika & worcestershire sauce. I’m still not sure about my Hungarian paprika, even though it is supposedly what I’m used to. The dish tastes okay, but unfortunately it does not inspire me to make it again. (That has to do strictly with the flavors, not with any prejuidice I have toward this kind of incarnation of the dish I grew up on.)
Good to know Susan!
You can please all the people all of the time 🙂
I went for the vegetarian alternative of lentils (fully vegan when I had coconut yoghurt instead of sour cream on the leftovers), and it wasn’t bad, but the paprika was a bit raw given the short cooking time.
Maybe it would have been better to add some butter or oil to balance the paprika in the lentil version and make up for the lack of meat fat Mark 🙂
I like to be unpredictable on occasion… ? But I’m also willing to try something that sounds good. And this one definitely sounds good. The other thing is that the way you’ve done it, I would not confuse this recipe with the one I grew up with. it will be something new with good Hungarian flavor.
Always good to keep people guessing Susan 🙂
I really enjoyed this! Was glad I ordered the sweet paprika just to try this goulash. It’s the perfect weekday meal for working folks like me who want something quick, yet filling, tasty and nutritious. Used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because that’s what I had on hand and liked the added creaminess. Garnished with a small handful of thinly sliced almonds to add to the overall prettiness of the dish, but they proved to be a nice texture addition, too! Along with the spinach, I served over rice because I was a little hungrier than usual, but my German grandfather would have both preferred and approved of Jules’ potato option.
Good idea with the almonds!
And the Germans love their spuds as much as the Irish 🙂
Dear Susan!
I just want to say Hi! I grew up with many-many-many dishes with “édes nemes” paprika too. 🙂
Nice to meet you!
Krisztina
Believe it or not, I would actually make this one, even though I originally thought I wouldn’t. It sounds quite nice, and I haven’t made the “real deal” one in many years. One thing I like about it is the absence of tomatoes of any sort. One comment about paprika: most commercially sold paprika (at least in the US) unless otherwise labeled is Spanish paprika, which does tend to be bitter. Only paprika specifically labeled Hungarian will work here. It comes in both sweet and hot, so you need to read the label carefully…
You’re surprising me Susan! I thought you’d be a no for sure.
Thanks for the tips about paprika – yes definitely needs to be labelled Hungarian for this dish.