This slow cooked German Beef Goulash stew with spaetzle recipe is made with chunks of beef chuck roast, carrots, pearl onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, and red wine.
This delicious German Beef Goulash recipe comes from my mother in law in Germany and is her traditional family recipe.
But GASP! This beef goulash with spaetzle has no paprika. But this is what she cooks and she is 100% German 🙂 Alas, it is one of my favorite braised beef recipes and reminds me of an easy Beef Bourguignon.
Beef Goulash can be cooked in a stock pot or a crockpot
This beef goulash with spaetzle recipe is slow cooked (also called braising) in a stockpot on the stovetop and then transferred to the oven.
Having said that, beef goulash can also be cooked in the crockpot. The spaetzle is cooked on the side like pasta.
The slow cooked stovetop version of German beef stew concentrates and develops the flavors a bit more. The crockpot version is easier.
Both versions create a tender flavorful beef goulash, so try it both ways sometime to see the difference.
Tips For Beef Goulash and Spaetzle
If beef goulash is cooked on the stovetop or oven, consider watching it and adding more canned tomatoes or broth if it reduces too much and dries out. The heat may also need to be reduced.
This German beef stew with spaetzle recipe doesn't have a lot of sauce but it should not be dry either.
How To Sear Beef For Beef Goulash
Searing beef is best done when the pan is not crowded. Sometimes I will sear in a large non-stick skillet that's not deep and will transfer the beef later to a larger pot to continue cooking.
A large shallow skillet ensures that the beef doesn't steam. Basically, it promotes a nice sear because of it's shallow depth.
If there is fond on the skillet, I will let the beef sit in it long enough to release a little liquid to make it all loose and then throw everything in the larger stock pot or dutch oven.
Searing beef only takes a couple minutes. Bring the pan to a medium high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, sear beef chunks undisturbed for 2-3 minutes on each side or until beef is caramelized.
Beef does not need to be cooked through as it will be thrown back in with the rest of the ingredients and cooked longer as the goulash stew.
Spaetzle substitutions for German Beef Goulash
Can't find spaetzle? Cool, use egg noodles instead.
Don't have egg noodles? Substitute regular pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Want a one pot meal? Throw potatoes in the crockpot or stockpot with the beef stew instead of cooking the spaetzle on the side.
German Beef Goulash with Spaetzle
EatSimpleFood.com
This slow cooked German Beef Goulash stew with spaetzle recipe is made with chunks of beef chuck roast, carrots, pearl onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, and red wine. This recipe comes from my mother in law in Germany.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Crockpot / Instapot / Braised
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 ½ lb beef chuck roast, chunked
- 1 ¼ lb carrots, peeled & chunked
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tbsp e.v. olive oil
- 8 ounces frozen pearl onions
- 1 ½ cup red wine
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 16 ounces (1lb) Spaetzle
Instructions
Stovetop:
- Pre-heat oven to 300F.
- Add salt and pepper to chuck roast
- Add vegetable oil to 6 qt stockpot. When hot, add chunked chuck roast and sear beef for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Beef does not need to be cooked through.
- Remove beef to plate, reduce heat, and add a light layer of olive oil (~1 Tbsp). Add carrots, onions, ¼ teaspoon salt, pinch black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, red wine, and diced tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil and cook ~ 5 minutes uncovered.
- Put a lid on it and transfer to the oven and cook at 300F for 2 hours or until beef is fork tender.
- Cook spaetzle according to package instructions (cook it like pasta).
- Serve Beef Goulash over Spaetzle and add salt to taste.
Crockpot:
- Add all ingredients, except Spaetzle, into a 6 quart crockpot. Stir & cook on low 6-8 hours.
- 20 minutes before you want to eat: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add spaetzle.
- Serve Beef Goulash over spaetzle. Add salt to taste. Guten Appetit! Beckie
Notes
- Gluten Free folks will want to use potatoes and throw them in the pot at the same time as the beef.
- Searing is best done when the pan is not crowded. Sometimes I will sear in a large non-stick skillet that's not deep and will later transfer to the larger pot to braise. If there is fond on the skillet, I will let the beef sit in it long enough to release a little liquid to make it all loose to throw in the bigger pot.
- Can't find spaetzle? Cool, use egg noodles instead.
What My Man Says
"Not a lot of ingredients, but the end result is delicious!"
"I didn't have pearl onions and I substituted 1 cup of diced yellow onion instead."
"Because I had to cook my onions, I set the beef aside after searing it and then cooked the onions until translucent. I then added the beef and the red wine to the dutch oven I was using and reduced the wine. Once reduced I added the remaining ingredients and simmered everything covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally."
"The end result was delicious! Reducing the red wine with the onions and the beef made the meat extra flavorful. It also meant I had a bit less sauce than normal, and I could have added some more diced tomatoes to compensate."
"Lastly, we didn't have Spaetzle, so I used egg noodles 🙂 "
Things In My Kitchen:
- 6 quart programmable Crockpot - For throwing everything in and walking away until dinner time.
- Spaetzle - usually found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores. Substitute Egg Noodles if you can't find it or use the link and buy it on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Serving Suggestion
This German Beef Goulash recipe doesn't need anything, but a green bean and tomato salad would be a nice starter, or you could add a side vegetable. Also, you could substitute Spaetzle with mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.
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