Hairy Bikers beef goulash is a slow-braised chuck steak stew with three peppers and two paprikas, cooked in the oven for 2½ hours. It serves 6 at 306 calories per serving with just 1 tablespoon of oil for a whole kilo of beef.
This comes from the Hairy Dieters series, and Si and Dave call it “a great foot stomping feast from Hungary to stop you feeling hungry.” The calorie saving comes from using braising steak instead of fattier cuts, and only 1 tablespoon of oil for a kilo of beef.
The peppers go in after the first 90 minutes, not at the start. Si and Dave add all three colours for the final hour, which means they soften into the sauce without dissolving completely. You get tender chunks of pepper rather than the mushy strips that long-cooked peppers turn into.
Hairy Bikers Beef Goulash
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy60
servings20
minutes2
hours35
minutes306
kcal3
hoursA Hairy Dieters slow-braised goulash with 1kg of chuck steak and three colours of pepper. Two types of paprika give depth: hot smoked for heat and regular for colour. Braised low and slow at 170°C with the peppers added halfway through.
Ingredients
1kg braising steak, preferably chuck steak
1 tbsp sunflower oil
3 medium onions, cut into 12 wedges
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tbsp paprika
1 beef stock cube
600ml cold water
400g can of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 bay leaves
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 orange pepper
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Brown the beef: Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3½. Trim hard fat from the beef, cut into 4cm chunks and season. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and fry the steak over high heat until browned. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic for a further minute.
- Build the sauce: Sprinkle both paprikas over the meat and crumble the stock cube on top. Add the water, tomatoes, tomato purée and bay leaves. Season, stir and bring to a simmer. Cover with a tight lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.
- Add the peppers: Core and deseed the peppers, cut into 3cm chunks. Remove the casserole from the oven, stir in the peppers, replace the lid and return to the oven for a further hour until the beef is meltingly tender.
- Serve: Serve with small portions of rice and spoonfuls of soured cream.
FAQs
Why use two types of paprika?
Si and Dave use 2 teaspoons of hot smoked paprika and 1 tablespoon of regular paprika. The hot smoked brings a deep, smoky heat while the regular adds a milder, sweeter colour to the sauce. Together they create a richer flavour than either could alone.
The Hairy Bikers chicken paprika uses the same sweet-and-hot pairing, though with unsmoked varieties. The goulash gets the smoked version because beef can handle a stronger, more assertive spice than chicken.
Why add the peppers after 90 minutes?
Peppers that cook for 2½ hours turn to mush and lose their colour completely. Si and Dave hold them back until the final hour so they soften into the sauce while keeping their shape and a bit of firmness.
The three colours also look better if they’re not all cooked to the same brownish shade. Adding them later means you still see distinct red, green and orange chunks in the finished stew. It looks as good as it tastes.
Why braise in the oven instead of on the hob?
The oven gives gentle, even heat from all sides, which is perfect for tough cuts like chuck steak. On the hob, the bottom gets the most heat, so the stew can catch and burn without constant stirring.
Si and Dave set the oven to 170°C with a tight lid, so the liquid barely simmers. Chuck steak needs that long, gentle cook to turn its connective tissue into soft gelatine. That’s what makes the sauce glossy and the meat tender enough to cut with a spoon.
Can I use a different cut of beef?
Si and Dave say “good braising steak, preferably chuck steak.” Chuck is ideal because it has enough connective tissue to turn silky after 2½ hours. Shin works too and gives an even richer sauce.
Avoid stewing steak labelled generically, since it’s often mixed cuts that cook unevenly and some pieces go tough while others fall apart. Sirloin or fillet would be a waste here as they’d dry out during the long braise. The whole point is using a cheaper, tougher cut and letting time transform it.
What about the soured cream?
Si and Dave add a calorie warning: “soured cream contains less fat than double cream but still has 30 calories per tablespoon.” They suggest spoonfuls rather than a generous pour. A tablespoon per serving keeps the total under 340 calories.
The soured cream cuts through the paprika heat and adds a cool, tangy contrast to the hot stew. It’s traditional in Hungarian goulash and worth including even on a diet. Just measure a tablespoon per bowl rather than free-pouring, and you’ll stay well under 340 calories for the whole serving.
How do I store and reheat goulash?
Cool completely and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Like most slow-cooked stews, this tastes noticeably better on day two as the paprika settles and the sauce thickens overnight. Reheat gently on the hob until piping hot throughout, adding a splash of water if the sauce has reduced too much.
It freezes for up to 3 months in portions. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating. The Hairy Bikers chilli con carne uses the same approach to batch freezing if you want to build a stash of midweek dinners.
