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    Home » Recipes » Soups

    Easy Goulash Soup with Ground Beef

    Published: Mar 23, 2020 · Modified: May 14, 2024 by Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs · 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
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    Let's talk about goulash soup, a staple on the menu in Czech pubs! This soup is the very definition of comfort food and tastes of garlic, marjoram, and caraway, typical Czech herbs. It goes best with a slice of rye bread and a glass of cold beer. Here is the recipe!

    Czech goulash soup in a white plate, with slices of rye bread.

    ➜ What is goulash soup

    It is a thick soup made of ground beef and potatoes, with spices like dried marjoram, crushed caraway seeds, sweet ground paprika, or freshly pressed garlic to give it a unique taste.

    Learn, how to crush spices by hand

    The soup is not only filling but also warming. It fits perfectly into the cold winter months; however, you can indulge in it throughout the year.

    Czechs call the soup “gulasova polevka” (exactly written “gulášová polévka”). In the Czech Republic, goulash soup counts among the classic soups. You can order the soup in every traditional restaurant, but Czechs also like to make it at home from scratch.

    MY TIP: If you are looking for real Czech goulash with fluffy white dumplings, check this recipe for beef goulash (it tastes so good!)

    ➜ Pronunciation

    I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word gulášová polévka. The first word in the audio is "gulášovka", the last is "gulášová polévka", which means goulash soup.

    ➜ Ingredients

    Czech Goulash soup (gulasova polevka) ingredients listed.

    To make Czech-style goulash soup, you'll need:

    • Ground beef; such as chuck
    • Onion; peeled and finely chopped
    • Potatoes; somewhat waxy, which remain firm even after cooking and do not fall apart
    • All-purpose flour; to thicken the soup
    • Beef broth
    • Garlic; freshly chopped or pressed garlic cloves
    • Lard; or vegetable oil (sunflower or Canola)
    • Sweet ground paprika, such as Hungarian paprika
    • Dried marjoram
    • Caraway seeds; crushed or roughly ground. Do not confuse caraway seeds with cumin!
    • Black pepper, ground
    • Salt; the exact amount will depend on your taste and the salt content of the beef broth

    ✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with Photos

    STEP ⅛: Peel and finely chop the onion. Please do the same with the garlic cloves: peel and finely chop them. Crush the caraway seeds coarsely in an electric grinder or by hand in a mortar. Salt, pepper, and mix the ground beef. Peel potatoes and slice them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.

    STEP 2/8: In a heavy-bottomed soup pot or dutch oven, melt lard or vegetable oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté while stirring until light brown.

    Sautéing chopped onions in a pot.

    STEP ⅜: Add the caraway seeds and the ground meat. Stir and sauté until all the juices that the meat has released have evaporated. Slightly turn up the heat to speed up the process. Stir frequently.

    STEP 4/8: Add the flour to the meat. Reduce the heat to a third, and fry the flour with the meat for one minute, stirring constantly.

    Adding flour to a pot with fried ground beef.

    STEP ⅝: Add the chopped garlic and sweet ground paprika, mix thoroughly and pour in the broth.

    Adding broth to a pot with ground beef, sweet paprika and chopped garlic.

    STEP 6/8: Stir, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a minimum.

    STEP ⅞: Add potato cubes to the soup together with the dried marjoram.

    Adding cubes of potatoes into a pot with goulash soup and dried marjoram.

    STEP 8/8: Cook the soup over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir the soup occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom. Salt and pepper the finished soup to your liking.

    Cooked goulash soup in a laddle.

    ➜ Serving

    In the Czech Republic, goulash soup is usually served as the first course on the lunch menu. Or enjoy the soup as a lighter dinner.

    Garnish the soup in a bowl with a few fresh parsley leaves or marjoram (optional). Goulash soup goes perfectly with a slice of rye bread or white bread (rohlík roll, housky braided rolls, baguette).

    Czech goulash soup served with rye bread.

    ➜ Storage

    If you have leftover goulash soup, let it cool and store it in the fridge. It will keep for about four days. Heat the soup in a pot on the stove (recommended method) or in the microwave.

    As with other goulash-based dishes, this soup tastes better the next day after the flavors have blended.

    ➜ Useful Tips

    • Traditional Czech goulash soup has a spicy taste that warms you up perfectly. If you still want to boost its flavor, add half a teaspoon of hot ground paprika to the soup when preparing it.
    • The added flour will make sure the soup is appropriately thick. It is advisable to fry the flour briefly (see recipe) to enhance its taste and digestibility a little.
    • Goulash soup is popular with our neighbors in Germany and Austria, calling it Gulaschsuppe. You could find soupy goulash with various twists in other Central European countries as well.

    ➜ Video recipe for goulash soup

    A written recipe on my blog is not enough? I created a video for you on how to make goulash soup. You can find it on my YouTube channel.

    If you like the video recipe, don't forget to like it and subscribe. Thank you very much!

    Photo of a bowl of Czech goulash soup. link to a video recipe on Youtube Channel.

    ➜ What is the difference between goulash and soup?

    Goulash contains chunks of beef stewed slowly and for a long time. The sauce from goulash is less and thicker. Goulash goes on the table with a side dish such as bread dumplings as a main course.

    On the other hand, the goulash soup is more liquid, more flavorful. Goulash soup combines ground beef with potatoes and is quick to prepare.

    More traditional Czech soups:

    • Clear garlic soup – cesnekova polevka, cesnecka
    • Potato soup – bramborova polevka, bramboracka
    • Sauerkraut soup – zelna polevka, zelnacka
    • Tripe soup – drztkova polevka

    Also, browse the category with all soup recipes.

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!

    Goulash soup with ground beef recipe.

    Gulášová polévka - Czech Style Goulash Soup

    Author: Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs
    This hearty soup is loaded with ground beef, potatoes, and a lot of aromatic spices and herbs. An authentic Czech recipe.
    4.50 from 4 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 45 minutes mins
    Servings: 4 people

    Tap or hover to scale

    Ingredients 

    • ⅔ pound ground beef (e.g., beef chuck)
    • 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
    • 1 Tablespoon lard (or sunflower oil / Canola)
    • 1 onion peeled, finely chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic peeled, minced
    • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds crushed
    • 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika powder
    • 1 Tablespoon dried marjoram
    • 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 5 cups beef broth warm
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • salt

    Instructions 

    • Make ahead: Peel and finely chop 1 onion. Do the same with 3 cloves garlic: peel and mince them. Crush 1 teaspoon caraway seeds coarsely in an electric grinder or by hand in a mortar. Peel 2 medium potatoes and slice them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
    • In a heavy-bottomed soup pot or dutch oven, melt 1 Tablespoon lard over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté while stirring until light brown.
    • Add the caraway seeds and ⅔ pound ground beef. Break the meat into small pieces while stirring and sauté until all the juices that the meat has released have evaporated. Slightly turn up the heat to speed up the process. Stir frequently.
    • Add 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour to the meat. Reduce the heat to a third, and fry the flour with the meat for one minute, stirring constantly.
    • Add minced garlic and 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika powder. Mix thoroughly. Gradually, pour in the 5 cups beef broth - whisk constantly to avoid lumps.
    • Stir, season with salt (the exact amount depends on the saltiness of the used broth), and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat to a minimum.
    • Add potato cubes to the soup together with 1 Tablespoon dried marjoram.
    • Cook the soup over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Stir the soup occasionally. If necessary, salt and pepper the finished soup to your liking.

    Notes

    • The basic recipe makes 4 portions.
    • SERVING: In the Czech Republic, goulash soup is usually served as the first course on the lunch menu. Or enjoy the soup as a lighter dinner. Garnish the soup in a bowl with a few fresh parsley leaves or marjoram (optional). Goulash soup goes perfectly with a slice of rye bread or white bread.
    • STORAGE: If you have leftover goulash soup, let it cool and store it in the fridge. It will keep for about four days. Heat the soup in a pot on the stove (recommended method) or in the microwave.
    • As with other goulash-based dishes, this soup tastes better the next day after the flavors have blended.

    Nutritional estimate pro serving

    Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 1178mg | Potassium: 934mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 908IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 4mg
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories pro serving: 382
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech Goulash Soup, Gulášová polévka
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    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
    • 948shares

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    Comments

    1. Martha Smith says

      January 15, 2022 at 8:57 pm

      Dear Petra ,
      I waited to reply because my family is/was from The Slovak Republic Roznava.I have been to visit 3 times both sides, We always fly into Vienna and visit and then take the train. My grandmother was a cook in The Ice Caves in the Tatra Mts. We also had relatives in Kosice andfriends in Nitra. I love to cook am a widow now with two grown married children and two grandchildren one in college and one graduated.I have a Slovak World Congress Cookbook with a recipe for another wonderful cookie served to us on one of our visits called Diablove oci (Devils Eyes) Would love to continue our visit I truly enjoy your blog.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská says

        January 17, 2022 at 7:47 am

        Ahoj Martha,
        Thank you very much for your nice words! Today's Slovakia is very close to the Czechs. We lived in one country from 1918 to 1992 (former Czechoslovakia), on 1 January 1993, we split into two separate countries. I think many older Czechs and Slovaks regret the split in a way and have a certain sentiment towards each other.
        The Tatra Mountains are beautiful, much sought after by tourists for high mountain hikes and the famous Slovak cuisine. It's great that you have a cookbook with Slovak recipes to cook from. Such cookbooks are a real treasure! I truly believe your children and grandchildren love your cooking.
        Thank you for following my blog and sending you warm greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra

        Reply
    2. Sarah says

      May 03, 2022 at 10:47 pm

      5 stars
      This is delicious! The only thing I will change next time (and there will be a next time!) is to add more caraway seed. It's one of my favorite flavors. Thank you for the great recipes. Please keep posting!

      Reply
    3. Joe says

      October 23, 2022 at 10:07 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe on the first day of real fall weather with the "Czech Braised Sauerkraut". We also had bread with butter on the side. Very tasty and a very cozy meal.

      Just my preference, but next time I might start with 4 cups broth and increase from there if desired.

      Reply
    4. Alex says

      October 16, 2023 at 1:51 pm

      3 stars
      I want to know what czech pub you go to that uses ground beef…guláš should be with beef chunks.

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská says

        October 17, 2023 at 5:18 am

        Alex, that's a recipe for goulash soup, not for goulash!

        Reply
      • Vlasta says

        July 14, 2024 at 3:23 am

        I was thinking same as you Alex. I never had guláṣ̌ovou polévku with ground beef always chunks of beef. Maybe because I'm from Plzeň not Prague. We also add some root vegetables.

        Reply
    5. Tessa says

      December 10, 2023 at 8:39 am

      5 stars
      I just came back from the US from Prague on a trip. The last meal I had was Goulash and it was the best food I’ve ever ate. I quickly went online trying to find a recipe similar to what I ate, and ran into this soup version. I made it last night and my family went crazy over it. It turned out perfect. I may concert the recipe to a non soup version by using less broth. Nice work. This recipe deserves a lot more reviews!!!!

      Reply
      • Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says

        December 11, 2023 at 4:07 pm

        Hello Tessa, thank you so much for your kind words and feedback! I am delighted to hear the recipe was such a success!
        My best to you and your family.

        Reply
    6. Alice says

      October 15, 2024 at 9:31 pm

      I just came back from a vacation in Salem MA. I ordered Czech Goulash soup. It had no meat or pasta it was more like a vegan, lots of green bean and wax beans and tomatoes. It was good, but it reminded me of chili without beans and meat. So when I went looking for this soup, your recipe came up. I'm confused...lol

      Reply

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    Hi, I am Petra, a born-and-raised Czech and self-taught cook with 25+ years of experience. I am here to show you that you can cook Czech food—even if you live abroad or never learned it growing up. With clear steps and trusted guidance, Czech cooking becomes simple, joyful, and meaningful, right in your own kitchen.

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