This Czech Goulash is loaded with tender chunks of beef, onions, aromatic marjoram and a hearty sweet paprika sauce. Serve this rich Czech stew with dumplings, mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Make sure to check out my Hungarian Chicken Paprikash and Lazy Cabbage Rolls next.
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About Czech goulash
Goulash is a meat stew dish that originated in Hungary in the 9th century. It quickly became popular in Eastern and Central Europe, which is why we can see variations of this dish, such as Hungarian, Czech, and Austrian.
Czech goulash is usually made with just beef, onion, paprika, marjoram, and caraway seeds.
This one goes to my husband, as it is the dish he always keeps talking about. When we visited the Czech Republic, we tried this type of goulash at a monastery in Prague, and it became our favorite dish there.
Ingredients
- Beef: I like to use chuck roast for my goulash. You can also stew meat, beef shank, short ribs, or brisket.
- Onions: I used regular yellow onions.
- Garlic: a few cloves of fresh garlic
- Tomato paste: it makes the sauce have better flavor.
- Sweet paprika: use good quality paprika. Sweet Hungarian paprika is always the best.
- Bay leaves, marjoram, and caraway seeds: classic herbs and spices to European-style goulash.
- Flour: to make the sauce thicker.
- Salt and pepper: adjust to taste.
- Water or beef broth: for stewing the meat.
- Oil: to saute the onions and beef. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or clarified butter.
Recipe instructions
Note: This is a recipe overview. You can find the ingredients quantities and full recipe instructions in the recipe card below this post.
- Heat oil in a large pot or a Dutch oven. Saute the dices onions for 8-10 minutes until golden-brown.
- Add cubed beef to the pot and sear over medium heat until browned on all sides.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Stir in tomato paste, minced garlic, sweet paprika, caraways seeds, marjoram. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the spices bloom.
- Sprinkle the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes until the flour does not smell raw.
- Pour water or beef broth, add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 1.5-2 hours until the beef is fork-tender.
Recipe tip
Don't trim all the fat. Keeping a small amount of fat on beef allows it to render down during the cooking process, giving goulash sauce a rich, deep flavor.
How to serve goulash
- With dumplings: In Central Europe, goulash is often served with bread dumplings (knedlíky) or potato dumplings.
- Over egg noodles: egg noodles are a popular option because they make a filling and hearty meal.
- With mashed potatoes: tender chunks of beef and gravy-like sauce pair perfectly with soft and creamy mashed potatoes.
- With crusty bread: the bread is great for dipping. We enjoy it with sourdough or rye bread.
- With sour cream or pickled vegetables: add a dollop of sour cream or try it with pickled beets, cucumbers or other pickled vegetables.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3. You can also freeze it for up 3 months.
For best results, reheat it in a small saucepan over low heat.
📖 Recipe
Czech Goulash
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven or large pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 pounds chuck roast
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon salt reduce to ½ if using broth
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- ½ teaspoons caraway seeds
- 4 cups water or beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables and the meat. Cut the beef in to 1.5-2 inch cubes, trimming any large chunks of fat. Dice the onion and mince garlic.
- Cook the onions. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil or clarified butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add diced onion and cook for about 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
- Brown the meat. Add cubed beef to the pot and sear over medium heat until browned on all sides.
- Bloom garlic and spices. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Stir in tomato paste, minced garlic, paprika marjoram, and caraway seeds. Cook, stirring continuously, for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat until the spices and garlic become fragrant.
- Add flour. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the meat and onions. Cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, to coat the beef and cook out the raw flour taste.
- Add liquid. Pour in water or beef broth and add the bay leaves, ensuring the liquid covers the meat completely.
- Simmer until tender. Bring to boil, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for about 1.5 hours, or until the meat is fork tender and the sauce thickened. While it simmers, stir it occasionally to ensure nothing sticks ti the bottom of the pot. If the sauce is still too thin, remove the lid and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes to reduce.
Notes
- Beef: you can also use stew meat, short ribs or brisket.
- Liquids: you can also use beef or even chicken broth in place of water, but make sure to reduce the amount of salt if using the broth.
- Marjoram: if you do not have marjoram, use dried oregano, thyme or basil.
- To Store: Let the goulash cool down, store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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