
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: ~2 hours | Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy | Taste: Melts in your mouth at the first bite 🤤
🛒 Ingredients
For the Goulash:
- 500 g (1 lb) dried pinto beans (or kidney beans), soaked overnight
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp lard or sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 tsp hot paprika (optional, for heat)
- 400 g (14 oz) beef shank or stewing beef, cut into cubes
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 parsnip, sliced
- 2 potatoes, cubed
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 green pepper (Hungarian wax pepper), sliced
- 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional, for thickening)
For the Csipetke (pinched noodles):
- 1 egg
- 100 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
To serve:
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Sour cream (optional)
- Crusty white bread
👨🍳 Instructions
- Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Drain and rinse before cooking.
- Make the csipetke dough: Mix egg, flour, and salt into a firm dough. Let it rest while you cook the goulash.
- Sauté the onions: In a large pot, heat the lard or oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add the paprika: Remove pot from heat, stir in sweet and hot paprika (this prevents burning). Add the beef cubes and toss to coat.
- Build the base: Return to low heat, add garlic, caraway seeds, bay leaves, tomatoes, and green pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the soaked beans, carrots, parsnip, and enough water to cover everything by 2 inches (about 2 liters). Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook low and slow: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5–2 hours until beans and meat are tender.
- Add potatoes: Add cubed potatoes and cook another 20 minutes until soft.
- Pinch the noodles: Pinch off small pieces of the csipetke dough and drop them into the simmering soup. Cook for 5–8 minutes.
- Thicken (optional): Mix flour with a little water, stir into the goulash, and simmer 5 more minutes.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls, top with fresh parsley and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with crusty bread.
💡 Tips
- Soaking tip: If short on time, use canned beans — add them in step 8 instead.
- Smoked version: Add a small piece of smoked pork or sausage for deeper flavor.
- Storage: Keeps in the fridge for 3 days; freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
- Vegan option: Skip the meat, use oil instead of lard, and add extra root vegetables.
Jó étvágyat! (Enjoy your meal!) 🇭🇺❤️
If someone sent this to you — you’re the lucky one. Now go make it and pass it on! 🤤









