Cuisine: The Polish Palate
•
Course: Soups
•
Diet: High-Protein, Gluten-Free

Zupa Gulaszowa (Polish Goulash Soup)

A hearty, paprika-spiced Polish beef and pepper soup with waxy potatoes and smoked sausage.
Prep time 30m
Temp 100°C (212°F)
Cook time 2h 50m
Rest time 10m
Total 3h 30m
Yield 6
Per serving:
481 kcal
24g Carbs
33g Protein
28g Fat
By Adam Dworak

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Ingredients

  • 800 g
    Beef Chuck
    Beef Chuck
  • 200 g
    Polish Smoked Sausage
    Polish Smoked Sausage
  • 300 g
    Brown Onion
    Brown Onion
  • 400 g
    Red Bell Peppers
    Red Bell Peppers
  • 500 g
    New Potatoes
    New Potatoes
  • 30 g
    Lard
    Lard
  • 3 pcs
    Garlic cloves
    Garlic cloves
  • 30 g
    Tomato Puree
    Tomato Puree
  • 20 g
    Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
    Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
  • 5 g
    Smoked Paprika
    Smoked Paprika
  • 3 g
    Caraway Seeds
    Caraway Seeds
  • 1500 ml
    Water
    Water
  • 15 g
    Salt
    Salt
  • 5 g
    Black Pepper
    Black Pepper

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Kitchen Kit

  • Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot
  • Chopping Board
  • Sharp Knife
  • Wooden Spoon
Cooking scene with a pot on a stove, wooden cutting board, and herbs hanging on the wall. | Cook & Keeper - zupa gulaszowa

Method

  1. Get a large, heavy-bottomed pot over a high heat. Add the pork lard and let it melt until shimmering.
  2. Sear the diced beef chuck in batches. Do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of browning. You want a deep, crusty sear on all sides. Remove the beef and set it aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
  3. Drop the heat to medium. Tip in the chopped onions, red bell peppers, and caraway seeds. Sauté for about 10 minutes, scraping up the meaty fond from the bottom, until the onions are soft and translucent.
  4. Bash the garlic cloves, chop them finely, and chuck them into the pot for 1 minute until fragrant.
  5. Pull the pot off the heat for a moment. Scatter in the sweet and smoked paprika, stirring constantly for exactly 30 seconds to bloom the spices in the residual fat without burning them.
  6. Immediately stir in the tomato purée to drop the temperature and stop the paprika from scorching. Return to a low heat and cook for 2 minutes to cook out the raw, tinny tomato flavour.
  7. Chuck the browned beef and all its resting juices back into the pot. Pour in the water. Add exactly half of the salt now to season the base broth. Hold the rest back, as our smoked sausage will release its own salt later.
  8. Crank the heat to high. It will take roughly 15 minutes for this 1.5L volume of liquid to reach a rolling boil. Once boiling, immediately drop the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 1.5 hours.
  9. Slice the smoked sausage (Kielbasa) into thick coins and dice the waxy potatoes. Tip them into the soup.
  10. Simmer uncovered for another 30 to 40 minutes. The soup is ready when the potatoes "smile" (start to split slightly around the edges) and the beef yields completely to the gentle press of a spoon. The liquid will have reduced into a rich, slightly thickened state.
  11. Taste the broth. Stir in the remaining salt if needed, along with the black pepper. Take off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving so the fat settles and the flavours marry.
Chef's Note & Storage
Fridge 4 days. The flavour deepens significantly overnight. Reheat gently on the hob; you may need a splash of water as the potatoes will continue to absorb liquid as they sit.
Beef stew with potatoes and tomatoes in a bowl with a wooden spoon. | Cook & Keeper - zupa gulazowa

The Heart & Soul of the Polish Winter

There are few things more restorative on a biting, damp day than a proper bowl of Zupa Gulaszowa. While its roots are undeniably Hungarian, the Polish take on goulash soup is a robust, thick, and deeply savoury affair that leans heavily on root vegetables, smoked meats, and a generous lick of paprika. It bridges the gap between a soup and a stew—a meal in a bowl that requires nothing more than a hunk of crusty bread to mop up the dregs. We aren't making a delicate broth here; this is peasant food at its absolute finest, built on layers of browned meat and sweet, caramelised peppers.

CHEF'S SECRET: Paprika is fat-soluble. To unlock its full depth of flavour and that vibrant ruby colour, you must bloom it in the hot lard before adding your liquids. But beware—it contains high sugar levels and will turn bitter if scorched. Give it exactly 30 seconds of heat off the flame, then immediately kill the frying process by stirring in the tomato purée. This drops the temperature to protect the spices while allowing the raw tomato flavour to cook out.

❖

The Right Cut for the Job

Do not waste your money on lean, expensive cuts of beef for this. You want heavily exercised muscles like chuck or shin. They are riddled with connective tissue and collagen, which, over a slow two-hour simmer, will melt down into gelatine. This natural thickening agent gives the soup a rich, lip-smacking texture that a watery broth can never achieve. The addition of smoked Kielbasa later in the cook introduces a deep, woody flavour and acts as our "hidden salt" reservoir, seasoning the pot from the inside out.

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Zupa Gulaszowa (Polish Goulash Soup)
Cuisine:The Polish Palate
Course:Soups
Diet:High-Protein, Gluten-Free

Zupa Gulaszowa (Polish Goulash Soup)

By Adam Dworak

A hearty, paprika-spiced Polish beef and pepper soup with waxy potatoes and smoked sausage.

Prep 30m
Temp 100°C
Cook 2h 50m
Rest 10m
Total 3h 30m
Yield 6
Cooking scene with a pot on a stove, wooden cutting board, and herbs hanging on the wall. | Cook & Keeper - zupa gulaszowa

Kitchen Kit

  • •Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot
  • •Chopping Board
  • •Sharp Knife
  • •Wooden Spoon
Per serving:
481 kcal
24g Carbs
33g Protein
28g Fat

Ingredients

  • 800 g Beef Chuck
  • 200 g Polish Smoked Sausage
  • 300 g Brown Onion
  • 400 g Red Bell Peppers
  • 500 g New Potatoes
  • 30 g Lard
  • 3 pcs Garlic cloves
  • 30 g Tomato Puree
  • 20 g Sweet Paprika (Noble Sweet)
  • 5 g Smoked Paprika
  • 3 g Caraway Seeds
  • 1500 ml Water
  • 15 g Salt
  • 5 g Black Pepper

Method

Step-by-step instructions.

Chef's Note:
Fridge 4 days. The flavour deepens significantly overnight. Reheat gently on the hob; you may need a splash of water as the potatoes will continue to absorb liquid as they sit.
Beef stew with potatoes and tomatoes in a bowl with a wooden spoon. | Cook & Keeper - zupa gulazowa
  1. Get a large, heavy-bottomed pot over a high heat. Add the pork lard and let it melt until shimmering.
  2. Sear the diced beef chuck in batches. Do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of browning. You want a deep, crusty sear on all sides. Remove the beef and set it aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
  3. Drop the heat to medium. Tip in the chopped onions, red bell peppers, and caraway seeds. Sauté for about 10 minutes, scraping up the meaty fond from the bottom, until the onions are soft and translucent.
  4. Bash the garlic cloves, chop them finely, and chuck them into the pot for 1 minute until fragrant.
  5. Pull the pot off the heat for a moment. Scatter in the sweet and smoked paprika, stirring constantly for exactly 30 seconds to bloom the spices in the residual fat without burning them.
  6. Immediately stir in the tomato purée to drop the temperature and stop the paprika from scorching. Return to a low heat and cook for 2 minutes to cook out the raw, tinny tomato flavour.
  7. Chuck the browned beef and all its resting juices back into the pot. Pour in the water. Add exactly half of the salt now to season the base broth. Hold the rest back, as our smoked sausage will release its own salt later.
  8. Crank the heat to high. It will take roughly 15 minutes for this 1.5L volume of liquid to reach a rolling boil. Once boiling, immediately drop the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 1.5 hours.
  9. Slice the smoked sausage (Kielbasa) into thick coins and dice the waxy potatoes. Tip them into the soup.
  10. Simmer uncovered for another 30 to 40 minutes. The soup is ready when the potatoes "smile" (start to split slightly around the edges) and the beef yields completely to the gentle press of a spoon. The liquid will have reduced into a rich, slightly thickened state.
  11. Taste the broth. Stir in the remaining salt if needed, along with the black pepper. Take off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving so the fat settles and the flavours marry.

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History

The Heart & Soul of the Polish Winter

There are few things more restorative on a biting, damp day than a proper bowl of Zupa Gulaszowa. While its roots are undeniably Hungarian, the Polish take on goulash soup is a robust, thick, and deeply savoury affair that leans heavily on root vegetables, smoked meats, and a generous lick of paprika. It bridges the gap between a soup and a stew—a meal in a bowl that requires nothing more than a hunk of crusty bread to mop up the dregs. We aren't making a delicate broth here; this is peasant food at its absolute finest, built on layers of browned meat and sweet, caramelised peppers.

CHEF'S SECRET: Paprika is fat-soluble. To unlock its full depth of flavour and that vibrant ruby colour, you must bloom it in the hot lard before adding your liquids. But beware—it contains high sugar levels and will turn bitter if scorched. Give it exactly 30 seconds of heat off the flame, then immediately kill the frying process by stirring in the tomato purée. This drops the temperature to protect the spices while allowing the raw tomato flavour to cook out.

❖

The Right Cut for the Job

Do not waste your money on lean, expensive cuts of beef for this. You want heavily exercised muscles like chuck or shin. They are riddled with connective tissue and collagen, which, over a slow two-hour simmer, will melt down into gelatine. This natural thickening agent gives the soup a rich, lip-smacking texture that a watery broth can never achieve. The addition of smoked Kielbasa later in the cook introduces a deep, woody flavour and acts as our "hidden salt" reservoir, seasoning the pot from the inside out.