Gulaschsuppe, aka German Goulash Soup

This is a bowl of soup from my childhood!

Simple, hearty, and heartwarming, the kind of soups our mums made us, to keep us fed and warm all through the winter.

Goulash vs Goulash!

Goulash can mean different things to different cuisines.  For some it is more of a hearty stew.  For some of us it is a rich soup.  And I learned that for ones in North America, it can mean a melange of pasta and stew, kind of like a Hamburger Helper!  Germans will make this two ways: with larger cubes of beef and less stock and serve it over wide egg noodles, or as the soup I am showing here today.  We inherited this soup from our Hungarian neighbours way back when, but it is has been a German staple for generations!

For us, it was the way my German mum made it, as a soup.  The main ingredients will always include beef, and paprika, along with aromatics like onions and garlic, additional seasonings, and most likely carrots for the finished soup.

How my Gulaschsuppe is Different From My Mum’s

My mum always added cubed potatoes to cook with the carrots, before serving the soup.  As a kid I detested plain, boiled potatoes (I know, just don’t judge)  The potatoes would eventually soften up and start melting into the soup. I didn’t care for this.  So I would eat around the potato cubes, leaving a pile in the bowl after everything else was cleaned out.  So when I started making this soup for Jim and myself, I had a dilemma.  Would I make it like my mum, which would make Jim very happy?  Or would I find another way to add some hearty carb?

I opted for the next best thing to potatoes: gnocchi!  Like a cross between dumplings, noodles and potatoes, the desire for a carb was achieved, without the mealy consistency that I don’t care for.  I will either add the gnocchi to the soup to simmer just before serving.  Or if the pot of soup is a large one, and I know I will be storing some in the fridge for the next day, I just prepare the gnocchi in a separate pot and place the finished gnocchi in the bowls before ladling the soup over them.  I would rather make gnocchi twice, than have gnocchi sit in the soup in the fridge, since their consistency will change.

And yes, if I am feeling extra generous, I will make it with a small amount of potatoes which I ensure that Jim gets in his bowl, while I have the gnocchi. Everyone is happy!

Method

This is a pretty straightforward soup.  Start with browning the meat.  Always pat the meat with paper towel, to avoid having too much moisture in the pot when they are being seared.  Too much liquid will mean that they will end up steaming, and not achieve a lovely browned exterior.  If you do find that the beef does release a substantial amount of liquid at this stage of the recipe, just take a large serving spoon and scoop the liquid out and reserve in a bowl.  You can add this back into the soup with the stock.

Then the onions, garlic and other aromatics will be added to soften.  Once that has happened, red wine is added to deglaze and also add a hearty base for the stock to follow.  Just to reassure you, the alcohol will be all cooked off, and you will be glad for the depth of flavour that is achieved.  This is a great way to use some of the wine you may have in a bottle on the side door of your fridge.  If you would rather not use it, just replace it with more stock. Tomato paste and beef stock are the base of the final soup.

The flavour makers for this soup are: caraway seed, white pepper, hot and sweet paprikas, bay leaves, dried thyme, marjoram, and Maggi. These are all flavour boosters that my mum relied on, and they still work today.  The Maggi is a seasoning liquid (not unlike soy sauce) with a fabulous umami richness to it.  European households rely on it.  If you can’t find it where you are, feel to use Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, a spoonful of Beef Better Than Bouillon, or even dried Porchini Powder!  In the end, they will all achieve the same result, a deep, umami goodness that enhances the beef stock.  

The bite sized carrots are added about 1/2 hour before the soup is finished simmering.  This will ensure that they are cooked through without becoming too soft.  They add a lovely natural sweetness to compliment the beef flavour of the soup.

Final Thoughts

Gulaschsuppe is such a budget friendly soup.  Picking up beef when it is on sale and storing it in the freezer till needed, will be the most expensive part of the recipe.  Serve it with a slice of sourdough bread, rye bread with butter, German brötchen (bread rolls)or other favourite bread.  Or alternatively, biscuits, warm pretzels, even savoury scones (see Parsnip and Cheddar Scones for a great option) all make super sides to this soup.

To finish the soup, sprinkle on a copious amount of fresh chopped parsley.  Finish with sour cream if you feel so inclined. 

It will store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days.  It can be frozen and stored for up to two months, just let it come to room temperature first.  Remember, if you are planning on storing it long term, don’t add the gnocchi.  Only add the gnocchi as the soup is re-warming.  Add more stock if needed when re-warming.

And if you would rather use noodles, like elbow macaroni for the soup, I’m good with that as well!

This is a soup that you will turn to again and again, all winter long.  Reduce the amount of stock you add, and it will become more of a SToup!  Feel free to add cubed potatoes to help make it more of that stew vibe if you want.   

If you make this Gulaschsuppe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

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Gulaschsuppe, aka German Goulash Soup

Hearty and heartwarming, this is a soup you will make all winter long. Simple ingredients, but with rich flavours. Serve with crusty bread and sour cream, this soup even freezes great!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine German, Hungarian

Keyword beef, caraway seeds, carrots, paprika, parsley

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 lb beef sirloin, cubed into bite sized pieces
• 2 medium onions, sliced into lengths
• 4-5 large cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika, do not confuse with Hot paprika!
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle, see Notes
• 1/2 tsp ground marjoram
• 1/8 tsp hot paprika or cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 5 cups beef stock, plus more if needed or desired
• 2-3 tsp Maggi or Worcestershire sauce, taste before adding it all, see Notes
• 4 medium carrots, cut into bite sized rounds
• Gnocchi 2.5 oz per person, see Notes
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
• Chopped fresh parsley or thyme for garnish optional
• Sour cream for serving

Instructions

1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven or pot with a lid, heat the oil on medium-high heat.
2. Pat the beef with paper towel before adding it to the pot. Sear on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. If you find that a lot of excess liquid is being released, use a large serving spoon to remove it to a bowl. This can be added back in with the stock. Removing the liquid now will help the beef get a lovely exterior. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper as you are searing the meat to get the flavours starting.

3. Add the onions and sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. If the heat is too high and the onions are scorching, drop to medium heat.

4. Add the minced garlic, bay leaves, sweet paprika, dried thyme, caraway seeds, marjoram, and hot paprika. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes, to get everything melded and fragrant.

5. Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir to coat it all well. Let it continue cooking for one minute to remove the raw flour flavour.
6. Add the tomato paste and stir through.
7. Add the red wine and deglaze the pot. Let it cook through for about two minutes, stirring if needed.
8. Pour in the beef stock and Maggi or Worcestershire. Bring up to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until beef is almost tender (about 40 minutes), stirring occasionally.

9. Add the carrots, partially cover, and continue simmering for 30-40 minutes. If you want to add more stock feel free to do so here, just warm through and re-season as desired. Once the carrots are tender the soup is ready to serve.

10. Taste and season with additional salt and black pepper as desired. Re-season with more Maggi, or alternative see Notes or blog post)

11. If you are serving the whole pot at once, feel free to add 2.5 oz of gnocchi per person to the simmering soup just as the carrots have become tender. Let the gnocchi cook in the soup for about five minutes till cooked through.

12. *Alternatively, if you are only eating part of the soup this first time around, or plan on freezing part of it, cook the gnocchi separately in a pot of water and divide into the soup bowls before ladling the soup over them.

13. Stir through the fresh thyme into the soup.
14. Garnish the finished soup with freshly chopped parsley.

15. Serve the soup with a dollop with sour cream if desired. Crusty bread, breadrolls, brötchen, rye bread or even soft pretzels are a great side!

16. See blog post for more details

Recipe Notes

Caraway seeds are easily crushed in a mortar and pestle. Alternatively you can use a rolling pin, just place them in a small plastic bag to contain the flying bits!
Maggi is a seasoning liquid like Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce. Use whatever you can source. Adding a spoonful of Better Than Beef Bouillon paste will also add the depth that we are looking for.
Count on 2.5 oz of gnocchi per person. Only cook what will be eaten with the soup that day. If you plan on storing the extra soup in the fridge or freezer, then only cook the amount of gnocchi needed. Alternatively, you can add 2 or more medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed with the carrots.  And if you want, even elbow macaroni will work great.