Hungarian-inspired pinto bean goulash with potatoes and noodles
This Hungarian-inspired goulash simmers pinto beans, browned mushrooms and potatoes in a smoky paprika and tomato broth, then gets spooned over noodles with a lemony tahini drizzle that plays the role of sour cream.
Published .
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Protein
- ~20 g
- The vegan swap
- Browned mushrooms and creamy pinto beans stand in for the beef chuck, and a lemony tahini drizzle does the tangy, cooling job of sour cream.
- Make ahead
- The goulash keeps 4 days in the fridge and tastes even better on day two. Store noodles separately and reheat the stew with a splash of broth, since the potatoes drink up liquid overnight. The tahini drizzle keeps 5 days; thin with water before using.
Ingredients
Goulash
Noodles and tahini drizzle
How to make it
Brown the mushrooms
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the mushrooms in an even layer and leave them alone for 3 minutes, then stir and cook 3 more minutes until browned. Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook 5 minutes until soft.
Bloom the spices
Drop the heat to medium-low. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, both paprikas, caraway and marjoram and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Paprika burns fast, so keep it moving.
Simmer the potatoes
Add the potatoes, diced tomatoes, broth and soy sauce, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.
Cook the noodles and drizzle
While the goulash simmers, cook the noodles in salted boiling water according to the package, drain and toss with the oil or vegan butter and half the herbs. Whisk the tahini, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, adding cold water a spoonful at a time until it is smooth and pourable.
Add the beans and thicken
Stir in the pinto beans and simmer uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes. Mash a few beans and potato chunks against the side of the pot to thicken the broth. Stir in the vinegar, then season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
Serve
Pile noodles into bowls, ladle the goulash over the top, drizzle with the tahini sauce and finish with the remaining herbs.
Why this works
Browning the mushrooms hard before anything else hits the pot builds the deep, savory base that beef usually brings. Soy sauce and tomato paste double down on that, and a quick bloom of paprika and caraway in the oil wakes up their flavor before the liquid goes in.
The potatoes and a few mashed pinto beans release starch into the broth, turning it thick and silky without any flour or cream. A splash of vinegar at the end sharpens all that paprika richness, and the cool lemony tahini drizzle gives you the tangy contrast sour cream would.
Tips
- Crush the caraway with the bottom of a mug or a quick pulse in a spice grinder. Whole seeds are fine, crushed ones just taste rounder.
- Want heat? Add a pinch of cayenne or a spoonful of hot paprika with the other spices.
- Skip the noodles and serve with crusty bread or over rice if that is what is in the pantry.
Questions about this recipe
Do I need Hungarian paprika?
It helps, since it is sweeter and more vivid, but any fresh sweet paprika works. Just make sure yours still smells bright and peppery. If it smells like dust, it will taste like dust.
Can I use a different bean?
Yes. Cannellini or great northern beans are the closest swap and stay creamy. Kidney beans work too, they just hold their shape more and will not thicken the broth as much when mashed.