Goulash soup is one of the best soups I know - it's hearty, healthy and with an excellent taste. Made from a few ingredients and with good fresh rolls or bread is great for a lunch or dinner. Adding celery noodles is a great way to add more vegetables to the soup and it makes it even more special.
What kind of meat shall I choose for goulash soup?
In a traditional way is the soup made from beef and for the broth is usually also used beef bone. But I also found a lot of recipes that are using vegetable broth or only some bouillon cubes. What I find the best is to buy a piece of meat with bone in, make a broth from the bone and cut the meat into cubes or grind it in a grinder. Well it requires more work and you need to plan more, but the result is just incredibly good with a strong flavor that you will want to make again and again.
So that's what I'm using for this soup and usually it's beef ribs or beef brisket with a bone, because I want to cook my own broth for the soup. Also because I buy organic beef, which is just more expensive. And beef ribs or beef brisket are from the cheaper meat parts.
If you don't have these parts of beef or you just don't want to use them in this way, you can also use 0,5 kg ground beef masa or parts without the bone like beef neck. There are also lots of good quality beef stocks or vegetable stocks in stores today that would work well in this recipe. Sure you can use only water if you want, but you may end up with a little bit of blend taste.
What to add more to goulash soup?
This soup is great for adding different vegetables. Instead of the celery noodles- that I'm using, you can add a lot of variations! To the base of the soup with garlic can be added finely chopped pepper, tomato or aubergine. Instead of potatoes would be great also peeled zucchini, sweet potatoes or squash. If you are not a big fan of celery, try making noodles from parsnip, kohlrabi or golden beetroot. The primary taste of the beef soup will always be the same, but it can be tweaked according to the stock of the fridge and pantry.
And you can also experiment with spices! For some heat, try adding hot chili pepper, or spices like white pepper, crushed caraway seeds, bay leaves with a few allspice or cloves to the base. At the end of cooking is great to add more fragrance with marjoram and crushed clove of garlic with salt. All variations are delicious, especially when served with good fresh bread!!
How to prepare goulash soup?
First we prepare meat and broth. Take a very sharp knife to process the ribs, cut off the bones for our broth broth, remove the fat parts and cut the meat into cubes about 0.5-1 cm in size.
Then add the bones into an instant pot/pressure cooker (or a big pot, but it takes more time to cook), add water and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and let it cook in a pressure cooker for at least 3 hours. It is best to start this step in the morning or the day before.
The next step is to prepare our base of the soup, heat a few tablespoons of lard or oil in a big pot. Then add cubes of meat and fry until brown. Remove the cubes aside into the bowl. Then add finely chopped onions and fry it until golden. It takes about 15-20 minutes, while stirring a lot to prevent burning.
Into the pot we can now add 3 crushed cloves of garlic and fried meat with all the juices left in a bowl. Stir and finally add a tablespoon of tomato puree, 2 teaspoons of ground paprika, salt and pepper, stir and fry for about half a minute. Be careful not to burn the spices otherwise the soup will be bitter.
Cover everything in a pot with 1,2l of our lovely beef bone broth (if you made or have less, just add more water up for the right amount of liquid). Cook for 2 hours on medium heat or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. After that add cubed potatoes and let cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. You can also lightly mash them with a wooden spoon.
The last step is to add and cook through or celery noodles, it takes a few minutes to cook. Don't overcook it, or it will be mashed and not in the shape of short noodles. Season the soup with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. The soup tastes best hot or warm with fresh bread or rolls.
How to store goulash soup?
This soup, such as a Goulash or other stews, has the best flavor the second or even third day. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
TIPS:
- if you love hot spicy soups, don't be afraid to add a good amount of chili pepper
- if you find in a fridge "not looking so good" tomato or red pepper, hop them finely and add them into the onion base
- instead of yellow onion would be very good red onion
- to garnish the soup you can also add herbs like basil, chives or spring onions
Recipe
Recipe 4-6 servings
Goulash soup with celery noodles
Ingredients:
⦁ 1 kg beef ribs (or 0,5 kg of
ground beef)
⦁ 1,2 l water, bone broth or any stock
⦁ 2 tbsp of lard
⦁ 0,5 kg onions, cubed (2 large onions)
⦁ 3 cloves of garlic, minced
⦁ 1 tbsp of tomato puree
⦁ 2 tsp of ground paprika
⦁ 2 medium potatoes (250 g)
⦁ 50 g of celery, cut into strips or noodles
⦁ salt and pepper
⦁ chopped parsley
Instructions:
- First we prepare meat and broth . Take a very sharp knife to process the ribs, cut off the bones for our broth broth, remove the fat parts and cut the meat into cubes about 0.5-1 cm in size.
- Then add the bones into an instant pot/pressure cooker (or a big pot, but it takes more time to cook), add water and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and let it cook in a pressure cooker for at least 3 hours. It is best to start this step in the morning or the day before.
- Heat a few tablespoons of lard or oil in a big pot. Then add cubes of meat and fry until brown. Remove the cubes aside into the bowl.
- Then add finely chopped onions to the pot and fry it until golden. It takes about 15-20 minutes, while stirring a lot to prevent burning.
- Add 3 crushed cloves of garlic and fried meat with all the juices left in a bowl.
- Stir and finally add a tablespoon of tomato puree, 2 teaspoons of ground paprika, salt and pepper, stir and fry for about half a minute.
- Cover everything in a pot with 1,2l of our lovely beef bone broth (if you made or have less, just add more water up for the right amount of liquid). Cook for 2 hours on medium heat or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker.
- After that add cubed potatoes and let cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. You can also lightly mash them with a wooden spoon.
- Add in celery noodles and cook them until tender, it takes a few minutes to cook but don't overcook.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. The soup tastes best hot or warm with fresh bread or rolls.
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