Beef Paprikash
If you’re looking for a hands-off slow cooker or instant pot dinner, you need this easy beef paprikash recipe. This traditional Hungarian dish is made with tender beef stew meat and aromatic spices in a smoky, sweet tomato sauce and served over egg noodles.
Why you’ll love this beef paprikash
Stew meat is one of my favorite cuts of beef. It’s versatile, inexpensive and when cooked correctly, yields tender, flavorful meals every single time. I love this recipe because it’s a little different than our go-to red wine beef stew or vegetable beef barley soup. Not to mention, my kids love that it gets served with noodles.
I don’t use my electric pressure cooker very often, but it’s my go-to technique for cooking tough cuts of meat. We make my Instant Pot carnitas and Mississippi pot roast in it all the time, and it makes the best beans, like Brazilian black beans or homemade baked beans. Don’t have an Instant Pot? Don’t worry. You can also make this in the slow cooker.
If you’re craving comfort food, be sure to try my ground beef stroganoff, slow cooker ragu or Guinness braised beef. I also highly recommend this lemon ginger chicken soup and these smothered pork chops with gravy.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Stew meat – If you don’t have stew meat, you could substitute a chuck roast or other tough cut of beef and cut it into bite-sized cubes.
- Hungarian paprika – This is what gives the dish its signature flavor. I wouldn’t recommend substituting a different type of paprika. I used Budapest’s Best Hungarian Paprika, but this would be a cheaper option.
- Caraway seeds – There really isn’t a substitute for these either.
- Tomato paste
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make this beef paprikash in the instant pot
This is a dump and go kind of meal. You literally just add everything to the Instant Pot or slow cooker and set it to cook. Then, you thicken the sauce before serving with noodles.
Instant pot:
Make sure you put the tomato paste at the top of the Instant Pot to prevent burn issues.
Set your IP to high pressure for 30 minutes and make sure your lid is sealed. When the cooking time is done, manually release the pressure. Then, turn on the sauté function and stir in the cornstarch/water slurry. Allow the sauce cook until thickened. This should take about 5 minutes.
Slow cooker:
Add the ingredients to your slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high). Stir the flour/water slurry into the slow cooker for the last 30 minutes of cooking to allow the sauce to thicken.
How to serve:
We like to serve our beef paprikash with egg noodles, but I’ve seen it served with mashed potatoes, too. Both options work.
If you’r serving with egg noodles, I recommend boiling them in salted water (see: how to boil pasta).
If you want, garnish with fresh parsley for a little extra flavor and color.
Beef Paprikash
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
If you’re looking for a hands-off slow cooker or instant pot dinner, you need this easy beef paprikash recipe. This traditional Hungarian dish is made with tender beef stew meat and aromatic spices in a smoky, sweet tomato sauce and served over egg noodles.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef stew meat
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoons flour + 3 tablespoons water (whisked together to create a for slurry)
Instructions
In the Instant Pot:
- Combine all ingredients (except tomato paste and slurry) in the Instant Pot. Stir to distribute ingredients, then add the tomato paste to the top. To prevent burn issues, do not stir it in.
- Set IP to high pressure for 30 minutes with lid in the sealing position.
- When the cooking time is done, manually release the pressure.
- Switch IP to the sauté function and when the sauce begins to bubble, whisk the slurry together and stir it into the sauce. Allow the sauce cook until thickened. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the Instant Pot, and allow paprikash to cool for a few minutes before serving.
In the slow cooker:
- Add all ingredients (except slurry) in the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, whisk the slurry together and stir it into the slow cooker to thicken the sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Instant Pot
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 198
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 515.2 mg
- Fat: 7.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 26.6 g
- Cholesterol: 75.4 mg
