Hungarian Goulash {Instant Pot}
March 21, 2022 • Meat & Poultry
I went to Budapest in 2019 and was alone for the first day there before meeting up with my friend. Whenever I find myself in a new country, one of the first things I do is seek out a meal of something that’s authentic to their cuisine. And nothing seems more authentic in Hungary than goulash. To be clear, this isn’t like the beef goulash recipes you see in the US which are more like a Bolognese sauce. This is cubes of beef (or veal like I used or even bison would work) and the sauce is heavily seasoned with paprika and caraway seeds. I started this recipe on the stovetop and finished it in the Instant Pot. You could do the whole thing in the Instant Pot but I find it easier to brown meat and things on the stovetop first. Try this delicious winter comfort food!
- 1½ pounds veal or beef stew meat, but into 1 inch cubes
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced or diced
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup chopped roasted red peppers (see Notes)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika (see Notes)
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes with juices
- 1 lemon, juiced, optional
- Cream, optional
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels then toss with the flour and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, swirl it around a bit, then add the meat in a single layer and cook until lightly browned, turning the meat a couple of times. Remove meat and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the onions plus a little bit of water to help loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring often and adding a bit of water as needed, until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Combine the browned meat, the onion mixture, and all remaining ingredients. Mix well then add to the Instant Pot. (Note you can prepare the dish to this point earlier in the day or the day before and refrigerate, covered, until you are ready to finish.)
- Cover and close the vent, then set the Instant Pot to pressure cook high for 30 minutes. Let it cook and allow the steam to release naturally.
- Remove the lid, add the lemon juice and a splash of cream to enrich the stew. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.