This version of Hungarian goulash (gulyás) is hearty, comforting and so flavourful. The red wine adds richness, combined with an abundance of vegetables, white beans and the rich Hungarian paprika. An easy and perfect weekday meal!
The traditional Hungarian goulash is a classic and all-time favourite stew that consists of beef with vegetables. The main ingredients are chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and of course the Hungarian paprika, the countries national spice. This recipe has similar ingredients, however, the main difference is the beef that is added. I have made Hungarian goulash with the chunks of beef and a goulash soup. I must say, this version is surprisingly just as delicious and satisfying. It’s packed with vegetables and I decided to add beans to apt up the protein!
WHAT MAKES THIS VEGAN GOULASH SO DELICIOUS
PAPRIKA: The paprika is added to the sauteed onions and garlic. This Hungarian paprika is sweet yet rich in flavour. It is the only paprika to use in this dish to really get the full authentic Hungarian taste. I highly recommend imported Hungarian sweet paprika from Hungary for best results.
RED WINE: I like to add red wine to my goulash to give it that depth and flavour. Try to use a decent quality bottle of red. I used a Chianti Classico by Rocca Delle Macie. What you don’t use for the recipe, enjoy the rest with your dinner.
FIRE ROAST DICED TOMATOES: was my choice of tomatoes to add to this recipe. It is organic that has been roasted which gives it another level of richness and flavour to this dish.
GARLIC: don’t be shy with the garlic for this recipe, it adds additional depth and flavour to this dish.
BEANS: I decided to add beans to this recipe, it offers flavour and texture to this dish. I went with the cannellini beans which are a type of white kidney beans. Other options are butter beans, navy or Great Northern beans.
TIPS WHEN MAKING THIS RECIPE
Organic vs non-organic: You will notice I like to use organic products and produce. It all stems from growing up on a farm when we grew our own fruit and vegetables without the use of pesticides. As well, cancer is a disease that has touched our family. So to this day, I look for products and produce that are organic and I do look for sales, as we all know, prices have been become out of reach. If you can use one or two ingredients without pesticides, it is beneficial. I would recommend frozen or canned since organic fresh produce tends to be pricy. The bottom line, you don’t have to use organic vegetables for this recipe to get the nutritional benefits.
Hungarian paprika is a must when making any of the goulash recipes. It is a deep rich flavour and select the sweet paprika. Sometimes, hot paprika can be added, but use very little, as it is very hot.
Potatoes: This recipe should only take 30 minutes to cook in order for the vegetables to become tender. I used red potatoes for this recipe, it has less starch then the Yukon Gold or white potatoes. The red potatoes do take a little longer to cook.
HOW TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS VEGAN GOULASH
Wash, peel and cut your vegetables, heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onions until transparent and then add garlic. Stir in the paprika.
STORING
This delicious goulash will store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 4 days. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 4-5 months in a well sealed container with a lid or what I like to do is place it in a freezer zip-lock bag.
Garnish with chopped parsley, scallions and/or dill. Serve with vegan sour cream, crusty bread or rice or pasta if desired.
Vegan Hungarian Goulash
Equipment
- large sauce pot or cast iron pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 red pepper, diced
- ¼ cup red wine
- 14 oz (400g) can of organic diced tomatoes (I use fire roasted tomatoes)
- 4 medium organic red potatoes, diced
- 2 organic carrots, sliced
- 1 tbsp organic tomato paste
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 14 oz (400g) canned organic white beans (cannellini)
- fresh parsley, garnishing
- scallions and fresh dill for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large sauce pot or cast iron pot, over medium heat, add onion and sauté until softened about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute, then stir in the paprika.
- Add red pepper and red wine and increase heat to a boil until the wine reduces to half. Then add diced tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, tomato paste, vegetable broth, beans, salt and pepper.
- Once the liquid starts to come to a slow boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook with lid paritally on for 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally while it's cooking. Taste and add seasoning if needed.
- Garnish with chopped parsley, scallions and/or dill. Serve with vegan sour cream, crusty bread or rice or pasta if desired.
