Slow-Cooked Classic Slovenian Beef Goulash Recipe

I’m excited to share my recipe for slow-cooked Classic Slovenian Beef Goulash. This hearty and flavorful dish is a staple in Slovenian cuisine and is sure to become a favorite in your household too. I made it with tender beef, onions, and a combination of paprika and caraway seeds. This Mediterranean slow-cooked Slovenian beef goulash recipe is easy to follow and perfect for a cozy night. So let’s cook and learn how to make this traditional Slovenian dish together!

What Is Beef Goulash?

Goulash originated in Hungary and is a dish that has been around since the 9th century! Through hundreds of years, goulash has served as the perfect winter dish in Europe, and the Slovenians, which borders Hungary, have perfected the recipe I’m sharing with you today! 

I know what you’re thinking, “beef goulash is just beef stew, right?” They are more like cousins because there is a difference between the two. Traditional beef stew recipes often combine flour to thicken the broth and give you that hearty feel we all love. Goulash uses unique spices instead of flour to create a deeper flavor than stew.

What Is The Best Beef For Goulash?

The best beef for goulash, which we will use in this recipe, is beef chuck. As a rule of thumb, beef chuck is the best meat for stew or goulash because it has a high level of collagen. When raw, this means that it’s tough meat. But when simmered for long periods, that collagen breaks down, making the beef chuck tender and almost melting in your mouth with every bite. It also simultaneously adds juices to the goulash, bringing even more flavor to the pot!

Sweet Hungarian Paprika vs. Regular Paprika

There are so many types of paprika – sweet, smoked, regular; you name it. Although it’s the same spice, there are significant differences. Regular paprika doesn’t have as much flavor as a spice and is often used as a garnish for a pretty dash of red coloring.

Sweet Hungarian paprika brings something to a dish, which is why we use it in our goulash. As the name states, it’s a more precious spice with fruity notes and still brings some pepperiness to our goulash. If we make the most famous Hungarian food, we should also use their renowned herb! We want to be generous with this too. You can use as many as three teaspoons in this recipe.

When To Add The Veggies?

Because goulash is a long, slow cooking process, you must be careful when to add your vegetables. You don’t want them to be mushy when the soup is done! Add the onions early on because they are the base of our flavor. Many will dissolve into the goulash, and that is normal. Add the tomatoes before simmering the pot so their flavor incorporates into the stock. After simmering, add the potatoes for 30 minutes to ensure they soften enough but aren’t too soggy. Finally, we add green peppers that last only a few minutes because if added any earlier than the last step, they would fall apart and be mushy and unpleasant.

You can add other popular vegetables like carrots into your goulash as well. Add them with the potatoes because they are hearty and need time to soften.