An easy pork goulash recipe made with diced pork and sliced peppers, in a rich tomato sauce flavoured with caraway seeds and paprika.
Serve the Hungarian pork goulash with rice, sour cream, and parsley for a delicious dinner on busy weeknights. You might also like this tasty pork stroganoff recipe too!
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This rich paprika pork stew is one of our favourite midweek dinners when there's not a lot of time to cook!
It's easily adaptable as well. Add more veggies, diced potatoes, or even sweet potatoes!
👩🍳 Love goulash? Try my easy chicken goulash recipe next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- An easy pork dinner using diced pork (loin or shoulder).
- Ready in 45 minutes.
- Rich, meaty, and very tasty.
- Can be served with rice, noodles, or even mashed potato!
- It's freezer-friendly making it a great recipe for batch cooking.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Pork - use diced pork loin or shoulder. You could also use leftover roast pork.
Flour - plain flour is used to coat the pork prior to frying.
Olive Oil - for frying.
Onion - one large onion, finely chopped.
Garlic - two garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped.
Peppers - I use a combination of green and red peppers, but use whatever colour peppers you like.
Bacon - smoked bacon lardons or bacon bits for the best smoky flavour.
Herbs & Spices - smoked paprika, ordinary paprika, oregano, and caraway seeds
Tomato Puree (tomato paste) - adds a rich flavour.
Stock - chicken stock made with a stock pot or stock cube.
Passata - or use a tin of chopped tomatoes if you like a chunkier textured sauce.
Seasoning - salt, pepper and sugar.
Parsley - chopped finely for garnish.
🔪 How to make pork goulash
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Toss the diced pork with the plain flour on a plate and shake off any excess.
Two: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a shallow casserole and brown the diced pork in batches. Remove to a plate.
Three: Heat another tablespoon of olive oil and fry the onion, garlic, peppers and bacon lardons for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
Four: Add the smoked paprika, paprika, caraway seeds, and oregano. Give it a quick stir.
Five: Pour in the stock, passata and add the tomato puree. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes.
Six: Serve with chopped parsley, rice and sour cream.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Traditionally Hungarian goulash is served with noodles, but I like to serve it with rice, crusty bread, or mash.
A side of seasonal green vegetables is also nice. Roasted Tenderstem broccoli or stir-fried garlic green beans are a good choice!
📖 Variations
- Use diced chicken, beef or lamb instead of pork. You may need to revise the cooking time accordingly.
- Add a bay leaf for extra flavour.
- Make the paprika pork goulash in a slow cooker. Reduce the stock to 200ml, and the passata to 200ml, then cook on low for 6 hours.
- Use leftover roast pork instead of fresh diced pork. Add leftovers to the pan 10 minutes from the end of cooking to warm through.
🥡 Storage
Store - leftover goulash can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat - reheat the goulash in the microwave until piping hot. Alternatively, return it to a pan on the hob and heat it until hot.
Freeze - cool leftovers and place them in a freezer-safe container then freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating in the microwave.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Although long established as the national dish of Hungary, its origins actually go back as far as the 9th century, when herdsmen would prepare a supply of meat before they left home on long journeys. This was cooked and seasoned, along with onions, on an open fire until all the liquid was gone. Then all that needed to be done was to add boiling water when they were ready to eat!
By the 16th century, explorers had begun to bring back peppers to Europe from Mexico, which could also be dried to make the spice paprika. Goulash thus evolved to become more stew-like with the addition of peppers, tomatoes and paprika, which is how we know it today.
😋 More easy pork recipes
- Pork Bolognese
- Slow Cooker Pork Chops
- Pork Stroganoff
- Pork and Chorizo Stew
- Slow Cooker Pork & Apple Casserole
Tried it? Let me know what you think and rate it ⭐️ below. Tag me @effortlessf00d-I'd love to see! Don't forget to subscribe for more recipes.
Recipe
Easy Pork Goulash
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Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 750 g Diced Pork loin or shoulder
- 1 tablespoon Plain Flour
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
- 2 Peppers sliced
- 100 g Bacon Lardons
- 2 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 300 ml Chicken Stock
- 300 ml Passata
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Caster Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Toss the diced pork with the plain flour and shake off any excess.750 g Diced Pork, 1 tablespoon Plain Flour
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a shallow casserole and brown the diced pork in batches. Remove to a plate.2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Heat another tablespoon of olive oil and fry the onion, garlic, peppers and bacon lardons for 5 minutes.1 Onion, 2 Garlic Cloves, 2 Peppers, 100 g Bacon Lardons
- Add the smoked paprika, paprika, caraway seeds, and oregano. Give it a quick stir.2 tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 teaspoon Oregano, 1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds, 1 teaspoon Paprika
- Pour in the stock, passata, and add the tomato puree. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and simmer with a lid on for 30 minutes (medium heat).300 ml Chicken Stock, 300 ml Passata, 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Caster Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Serve with chopped parsley, rice, and sour cream.1 tablespoon Parsley
Notes
- Use diced chicken, beef or lamb instead of pork. You may need to extend the cooking time accordingly.
- Add a bay leaf for extra flavour.
- Make the goulash in a slow cooker. Reduce the stock to 200ml and the passata to 200ml.
- Add leftover roast pork to the goulash, instead of using fresh diced pork. Add it to the pan 10 minutes from the end of cooking to warm through.
Heather Johnston says
When do you add the pork back in?
Aubree says
Very good! I used the white wine, it brought the dish to a higher level. I will def make again when my mom sends me home with overcooked pork chops
Katherine says
I love all the rich flavors in this goulash!
Cathleen says
The mixture of flavours here is my new favourite! My husband loved it so much. Thank you so much for a great recipe 🙂
Andrea says
This was really easy. Thank you so much for the great goulash recipe. The family loved it.
Beth says
This is the perfect recipe for my family! I love recipes like this that I can put together quickly and feed everyone.