Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (2024)

This traditional Polish beef goulash recipe or gulasz wolowy gives you succulent and tender chunks of beef slow-cooked in a sweet onion and mustard gravy. Serve with bread, kopytka, or boiled potatoes.

What Is Goulash? Where Did Goulash Originate?

Goulash is a traditional Polish meat stew or meat soup that originated in Hungary. Its name comes from the Hungarian word gulyás which means herdsman, and so the dish was called gulyásleves or meat prepared by herdsman that came to be called ‘goulash soup’.

The original recipe was cooked by Hungarian shepherds as portable meals. Meat was dried in the sun and packed in sacks of sheep stomach. These sacks could easily be boiled with water to become a meal.

Now made in most Central European countries, goulash can be made with pork, veal, lamb, or beef meat. Some modern versions include potatoes, red peppers, and other veggies, or even noodles. Sometime after the 16th-century paprika was brought to Europe and was also included in the dish.

The Polish version called gulasz is typically made with pork meat, but beef, chicken, or turkey can also be used sometimes. It’s also much thicker than the original Hungarian version.

How To Make Authentic Polish Beef GoulashAt Home?

To make gulasz wolowy, first cut washed beef into half-inch pieces and coat with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a covered pot and allow it to rest for a few hours or overnight.

The next day, chop an onion finely and caramelize it with butter or ghee. Coat the beef cubes with flour and add to the fried onions. Keep turning it over till it changes color to golden-brown.

Once the beef has cooked, add the garlic, mustard, and a cup of water or broth. Cover with a lid and allow to slow cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. You can cook it for longer if you want the beef more tender.

Serve with kopytka, kluskie slaskie, or bread.

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (1)
Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (2)
Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (3)

Tips For Making The Best Polish Beef Goulash

  • Half-inch by half-inch beef pieces are ideal, but you can make them bigger or smaller if you want to.
  • Add more water or broth if you want more gravy.
  • For a tastier goulash, add beef broth instead of water.
  • If you want a thicker gravy, add some sour cream or potato starch to the broth five minutes before taking it off the stove.
  • Top with sour cream, parsley, or other herbs before serving.
  • Goes really well with placki ziemniaczane.

FAQs About Making Polish Beef Goulash

What Other Meats Can I Use To Make Goulash?

You can make goulash with pork, chicken, or turkey. The Polish pork goulash is often served with potato pancakes and called Placek po wiegersku.

What Other Types Of Polish Goulash Are There?

Some other types of Polish goulash include:

  • pork goulash
  • goulash with wild mushrooms
  • goulash with bell pepper
  • pork goulash with pancakes

What To Serve Beef Goulash With?

Serve the Polish beef goulash with any of the following:

  • rice
  • kopytka
  • kluskie slaskie
  • boiled or mashed potatoes
  • groats
  • bread
  • egg noodles
  • potato pancakes
  • dill pickles
  • beetroot salad
  • red cabbage salad
  • carrot salad
  • Chinese cabbage salad

Is It Possible To Make The Beef Goulash Gluten-Free?

Yes, to make the beef goulash recipe gluten-free simply replace the all-purpose flour with potato flour or rice flour.

Is It Possible To Make Polish Goulash Vegetarian?

Yes, to make the goulash vegetarian, replace the beef with button mushrooms or portabella mushrooms.

How Long Can I Store Leftover Polish Beef Goulash?

Store leftover Polish beef goulash in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Reheat well before serving!

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (4)

This traditional Polish beef goulash recipe consists of tender chunks of beef slow-cooked and served with bread, kopytka, or boiled potatoes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Resting Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1½ lb of beef
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • ¼ tsp of black pepper
  • 2 tbsps of all-purpose flour
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tbsps of butter or ghee
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp of mustard

Instructions

  1. Wash and dice the beef (½’’/ ½’’ each piece).
  2. Coat the meat with salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
  3. After resting, coat the meat with flour.
  4. Finely chop the onion and carmelize it with butter or ghee.
  5. Add meat and fry until it changes the color to golden-brownish.
  6. Add water or broth, crushed garlic clove, and mustard. Cover the pan/pot with a lid and cook slowly until the meat is soft (for 1-2 hours). Stir as often as possible, making sure the stew won't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 347Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 469mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 30g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (12)

Did you like this Polish beef goulash recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

8 Responses

  1. I think you need to decide whether you’re making an authentic polish goulash or you’re making something else with a different name. If you want to make authentic polish goulash then you need to make it with pork and mushrooms because that’s how authentic polish goulash is made. If you’re making it with something else then generally it has a different name and you should ask someone who is Polish and understands polish cuisine what the name of that dish is. It’s the same as when someone talks about making Hungarian goulash with chicken which actually is a different dish with a specific name, chicken paprikash. Think of it this way.. when you make beef stew from chicken you don’t call it beef stew anymore, you call it chicken stew. And no polish or Hungarian herder would be making a stew based on pork or chicken because they don’t herd pigs and chickens. They heard cows goats and sheep and would be making their dishes from those animals.

    Reply

    1. I do have another recipe on the blog for goulash with mushrooms 🙂
      https://polishfoodies.com/goulash-with-mushrooms-recipe/

      Reply

  2. How much broth or water in goulash recipe. It’s not on ingredient list

    Reply

    1. 1-2 cups depending on how thick you want your goulash to be.

      Reply

  3. Love it ❤
    P.S. just a small spelling correction to make your post even better – “It’s name…” should read “Its name…”, no apostrophe.

    Reply

    1. You’re right! Thanks for pointing this out, Kali 🙂

      Reply

  4. My Ukrainian grandmother, Sophie, made this stew often in cold weather. It always had pork, always had sliced mushrooms, and about 3 times the mustard and 5 times the garlic as listed in the recipe.
    She also included a side-dish of ground horseradish root for those who dared.
    Splendid dish, fond memory

    Reply

    1. Thanks for sharing, John!

      Reply

Authentic Polish Beef Goulash Recipe - Polish Foodies (2024)

FAQs

What is Polish goulash made of? ›

Here is your shopping list if you want to try this Polish goulash: beef stew meat, flour, onion, butter, garlic, mustard and broth or water. This rich beef stew-like dish is traditionally served with potatoes, potato pancakes, Polish dumplings or bread. I served mine with dilled new potatoes and a salad.

Is goulash popular in Poland? ›

In Poland, goulash (Polish: gulasz) is eaten in most parts of the country. A variant dish exists that is similar to Hungarian pörkölt. It came to being around the 9th century. It is usually served with mashed potatoes or various forms of noodles and dumplings, such as pyzy.

What is the difference between American and European goulash? ›

American goulash is a one-pot dish of ground beef, pasta (often elbow macaroni), tomatoes and cheese. Sometimes it includes paprika, like its Hungarian counterpart. Since American goulash calls for ground beef, it cooks much faster than Hungarian goulash which relies on low-and-slow cooking to render the beef tender.

What is the difference between Hungarian goulash and regular goulash? ›

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

What is original goulash made of? ›

The classic “kettle goulash” is prepared by frying cubes of beef or mutton with onions in lard. Garlic, caraway seeds, tomatoes, green peppers, and potatoes complete the stew. Székely gulyás, another Hungarian specialty, is a stew of pork and sauerkraut flavoured with tomatoes, onions, caraway seeds, and sour cream.

What is goulash called in the South? ›

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, is an American comfort food dish, similar to American chop suey. American goulash is usually referred to in the midwestern and southern United States as simply "goulash".

What are the two types of goulash? ›

Hungarian goulash and American goulash. Hungarian goulash is a thick soup with meat and vegetables, usually seasoned with paprika. American goulash is very different. It generally has tomato sauce, macaroni and beef.

Is beef goulash same as beef stew? ›

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

What is German goulash made of? ›

A juicy and tender beef stew made with paprika, peppers, and a red wine sauce. Originally goulash (gulyás) is from Hungary but over the centuries this traditional stew obviously traveled into different cuisines, including German cuisine. Hungarian goulash has potatoes and sometimes carrots, but German goulash does not.

What is the difference between beef stroganoff and beef goulash? ›

Traditional goulash is a type of soup or stew that uses a cheaper cut of meat suitable for slow cooking as well as peppers. Meanwhile, stroganoff is a creamy dish that uses higher-quality meat and mushrooms.

What is American goulash made of? ›

This hardy American Goulash Recipe is one of my kids' favorites. It is a classic dish from our childhoods similar to Hamburger Helper, with ground beef and elbow macaroni cooked in a savory tomato sauce and topped with cheese. It's so easy to make this comforting one-pot meal.

What does goulash taste like? ›

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

What's the difference between stroganoff and goulash? ›

What is the difference between Stroganoff and Goulash? The primary difference between Stroganoff and Goulash comes down to the point that Stroganoff is a gravy whereas Goulash is a stew.

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