Crock Pot Beef Goulash Soup

Crock Pot Beef Goulash Soup

I always long for a delicious bowl of steaming hot soup when it’s cold outside. And this Beef Goulash soup is one of the recipes I reach out to. It’s hearty, flavorful, and warming.

And because you make this soup in the crock pot, it’s pretty easy to prepare. You put the ingredients in the slow cooker and then let it simmer for a few hours. This will give you a perfect bowl of soup, a crockpot goulash soup with veggies that still have a bit. Really delicious!

The History of Goulash

It is known from Hungary, but also has German variants (to which no potato is added).

An authentic Hungarian beef goulash was made in a cauldron over the fire that simmered for hours. This ultimate comfort food recipe has a long cook time. An ingredient in a traditional goulash soup is a fatty piece of meat (for example, beef shank), water, onions, red peppers, and Hungarian paprika powder. This beef goulash recipe was delicious with its tender chunks of beef.

After it became a popular recipe in the countryside, it spread to all corners of Hungary and the rest of the world. There isn’t one recipe for this delicious goulash soup, but I promise you this soup is one of the best!

What do you need for a slow cooker Hungarian Goulash Soup?

To prepare this crock pot beef goulash soup, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:

• Beef Shank - For a traditional Goulash soup, you need a fatty piece of beef. You can think of a delicious beef shank or laced (and veined) beef steaks. The soup simmers for several hours, making the stew meat nice and tender.
• Paprika powder - Hungarian sweet paprika (you can buy it ) is, of course, the best for making this soup. It is slightly sweet, mild, and yet full of flavor. You can also use mild or sweet regular paprika if you don’t have that at home. Smoked paprika has an entirely different, deeper taste and is less suitable.
• Onion, pepper, and garlic - The flavoring base of this soup. It’s fried to give even more flavor.
• Caraway seeds and bay leaf - Dried spices to flavor the soup. The bay leaf is used when simmering the soup, but you discard it before eating.
• Bacon - A fatty piece of meat. It gives a salty flavor and extra protein to this soup.
• Tomato paste - For a tomato flavor. Fry the tomato paste for 2 minutes before adding liquid. That way, the sour taste will become sweet.
• Tomatoes, carrots, red bell pepper, and potatoes - This soup filling. Sliced in small cubes and added to the soup. Because you stew the soup in the crock pot, the veggies will keep a bite.
• Sugar - To give a little bit of sweet touch to the soup as a counter effect to the vinegar.
• Red wine vinegar - Makes the beef tender and gives a slightly sour flavor to this soup.
• Beef stock - The liquid used in this beef goulash soup. Make your homemade beef broth or use cubes and dissolve them in hot water.
• Sour cream - Add a bit of sour cream to the soup when serving. It will dissolve in the soup and gives the soup a creamy flavor.

How to prepare Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash Soup

You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.

1. Heat a frying pan with some oil and fry the bacon strips for 2 minutes. Then add the onions, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, and tomato paste. Stir-fry on medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add the beef shank and bake brown on high heat (about 4 minutes).
3. Put the veggies and meat from the skillet into the crockpot. Add the sliced tomatoes.
4. Peel and cube the potatoes. Add to the slow cooker.
5. Pour the beef stock and red wine vinegar into the slow cooker. Add paprika powder, sugar, and caraway seeds. Stir everything. Then top with the bay leaf.
6. Turn the crockpot on low heat and simmer for 8 hours. When using high heat, you’ll reduce the simmer time to 6 hours.

Serve the soup in deep bowls and add some sour cream. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley (optional)