The Great Goulash with Potato Dumplings

The Great Goulash with Potato Dumplings
A slow cooker is a magical thing. How many other appliances do you know that allow you to throw in a few inexpensive ingredients in the morning and at the end of the day, dinner has miraculously prepared itself?

With most dinners, a little planning goes a long way. I started my morning browning cubes of stew meat and sauteing diced onions and garlic. My Oldest commented that she thought it was odd I was starting dinner at 6:30 in the morning while wearing my pink robe. She did not think it was so odd when she was devouring The Great Goulash with Potato Dumplings for dinner that night. Some tomato paste, flour, paprika, oregano, beef stock, and lemon juice are stirred in and added to the slow cooker along the the seared beef and dinner is under way.

Off to work I go while my trusty slow cooker does the work.

Upon arriving home, another 20 minutes are spent preparing the potato dumplings, and they are oh so worth the extra 20 minutes of work. Don't skip this step. Saute a couple zucchinis for a fresh tasting side dish and, dinner is on the table.

My husband who said he wasn't in a stew kinda mood had two servings plus the leftover bite or two from No Thank You Boy's dish. At first glance, My Middle One and No Thank You Boy turned their noses up at the new dish gracing our dinner table. After one bite, they were hooked and requesting that I make this entree again. My Oldest's only concern was that there was enough for leftovers the next day.

Print out the recipe. Add it to your list of dinners to make. Now.

Dinner's ready!

The Great Goulash with Potato Dumplings

The potato dumplings are a delicious addition to this tasty goulash. If you are pressed for time, serve goulash on top of wide noodles or mashed potatoes.

adapted from a recipe in The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes

serves 5
for the goulash,
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 pounds stew meat, cut in large chunks
2 cups onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups beef stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup sour cream

for the potato dumplings,
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubes
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

In a large saute pan over medium high heat add the olive oil and brown the stew meat in batches. Transfer to slow cooker.

In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add onions and garlic and saute for 3 - 4 minutes. Add paprika, oregano, pepper, and flour and cook for an additional minute. Add tomato paste and stir well. The mixture will be thick. Add beef broth and lemon juice and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.

Transfer mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 - 5 hours. The beef will be very tender and shred easily.

About 45 minutes before dinner time, make the potato dumplings. Cook potato chunks in a large pot of water until tender. Drain and mash until smooth. Add bread crumbs, egg, and salt and mix well. Form into 2 inch balls. Set aside.

Stir sour cream into goulash. Top with potato dumplings, spooning some of the sauce over them. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 15 minutes.

To serve, spoon goulash and dumplings into shallow bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

22 comments:

Jeff said...

I have to be honest my poor crock pot feels not love at my house. I really need to remedy this because it could mean I am not stuck braising dishes at 5 p.m. and eating somewhere around 9.

Looks awesome!

Unknown said...

With a Czech dad I grew up eating Goulash and Dumplings, this just brought me back!

Anonymous said...

This looks so good. I love the dumpling idea. Can't wait to try it.

Ninette said...

I don't use my crock pot either, but I LOVE my pressure cooker. It's my go to appliance when I need to stew something fast. I'm sure this recipe would translate well. Yum!

teresa said...

YUMMY! I'm in love with my crockpot too!

Robin said...

The dumplings really make this dish! I loved eating dumplings while in Europe as they are better than noodles any day. But I never have time and end up with noodles. Oh to be organized!

kat said...

That looks like one comforting meal!

Anonymous said...

I don't have a pressure cooker but I love the idea of using this recipe for a standard crock pot dinner. The dumplings sound and look fantastic.

Martha said...

Wow, with all of those raves from your family, this sounds like a winner! I will definitely try this as I'm always looking for new crockpot recipes. Thanks!

Dewi said...

Goulash is a favorite dish of my family, I never put potato in my goulash, but his really sound like a good idea, I will do that next time I make it.
Cheers,
elra

Sara said...

I love my slow cooker, and I'm always looking for new recipes. This looks like a great one to try.

test it comm said...

That looks tasty!

Elyse said...

Wow! This goulash sounds like a great hit with the family! I love any recipe that lets me use my crock pot. Plus, knowing that I'm going to get a yummy dinner keeps me going throughout the day. And, those potato dumplings sound AMAZING.

MaryBeth said...

Amazing...I would love to enjoy this meal.

Sara said...

I love goulash but don't usually make dumplings with it. I think I'll have to change that.

Dragon said...

I love, LOVE this dish! So warm and comforting. :)

Unknown said...

This dish is pure comfort to me. I am carving out time to make this.. my husband would adore it!

Leslie said...

ohhh, yum..I just printed off this recipe!

Angela in Texas said...

It is in my crock pot right now...should be done at about 6 pm CST...can't wait to try it with my family!

angela@spinachtiger said...

Nice site and dish. This exact recipe and picture is on another blog.

http://domesticblissinoregon.blogspot.com

Look in October 2009
She likes to lift photos and recipes.

Anonymous said...

"Off to work I go while my trustee slow cooker does the work."

This is the trouble with spell check. It doesn't care if the word is correct, it only checks to see if each word exists in the dictionary. The necessary word was "TRUSTY" "... trusty slow cooker..."

amycaseycooks said...

Anonymous - Thanks for catching that typo. I guess I need to hire a human spell checker.