Crock pot Beef Goulash

LEVEL: easy Cook: 8 minutes 6

Crock pot Beef Goulash

BOOKMARK

DELICIOUS

Description

It’s that time of year again…. time to dust off the crock pot and start stewing!

As a child I always loved this recipe so I’ve been wanting to make this just how I remember it tasted, with chunky pieces of potato and meat so tender it falls apart… the aromas this beautiful dish creates are indulgent, almost as hearty and warming as it is to devour.

One of the fantastic things about this recipe is you don’t need to serve it with anything, it’s already loaded with veg. The other great part? It’s very easy to make. It doesn’t require a spice rack of the worlds flavours, or a whole lot of time. So for the time poor and large families, this is a great way to warm up as the weather cools as well as stick to a budget and eat well.

There are lots of recipes out there that call for browning the meat, frying off the onion and developing the sauce before throwing it altogether in a slow cooker. This dish is not about culinary awesome-ness. It’s about delicious, finger-licking flavours, hearty warming goodness. I wouldn’t say the theory is defunct, however. The long, slow cook that we subject the flavours to is enough to let the flavour sing without adding extra prep time in the morning.

So the only thing you need to do is allow an extra 15 minutes in the morning before you scoot off to work or do the school run. Chuck it all in the slow cooker on high and when you get home after work, turn it to low and stir through. If you’re home at 6 and want to eat before or on 7pm (like my husband!) then this will deliver that, all that’s left to do is serve.

Ingredients

500g chuck casserole steak

1 large potato

5 mushrooms

2 carrots

1 stalk celery

1 parsnip

1 large onion

1 tbsp. arrowroot

2 tbsp. paprika

550ml good vegetable or beef stock

Salt and pepper, to season

1 garlic clove

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp. tomato paste

Directions

1: Slice the onion, dice the celery stalk and mince the garlic clove, add these directly to the slow cooker and turn onto high heat.
2: Roughly chop the potatoes into chunks and add them to the slow cooker.
3: Slice carrot and parsnip and add to the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper and toss the vegetables together.
4: Quarter the mushrooms (if large enough) and add to the slow cooker too.
5: Cut the steak into chunks, season with salt and pepper and add to the slow cooker.
6: To make the sauce, whisk the paprika and arrowroot into the stock. Add the tomato paste and whisk through again. Pour over the meat and vegetables in the slow cooker and carefully stir it through (as depending on the size of the slow cooker it may be quite full).
7: Make sure everything is covered, cover with the lid and allow to cook for minimum 8 hours. Stir occasionally, if time permits. Reduce the heat to low after 8-9 hours and allow to cook for a further hour.
8: Serve at leisure.