Warm up with this easy Lamb Goulash recipe! Packed with rich, hearty flavours, it’s the perfect midweek meal for busy parents. A stress-free, family-friendly dish that makes the most of simple ingredients or leftovers. Quick, comforting, and delicious – dinner sorted!
I love a tender meat stew with a nice rich sauce, and this Hungarian lamb stew is one of the best.
Beef goulash is popular in our house, so this Hungarian lamb goulash is fairly similar, with just a few small changes for a bit of variation. It and its beefy brother feature regularly on our winter meal plans as something I know that the kids will devour.
I can’t promise that it’s an Authentic lamb goulash recipe, but I can promise delicious slow-cooked lamb and a yummy dinner that anyone can make.
Why I Love Lamb Goulash
Goulash lamb is the perfect winter midweek dinner because:
- Goulash stew is always yummy, whatever meat you use.
- While it’s got a fairly long cook time, the active time is very low.
- Hungarian stew is pretty healthy.
- It smells incredible.
- It’s really warming and tasty.
- My kids love it, and that’s always a bonus.
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Ingredients For Easy Lamb Goulash
When I make my Hungarian lamb goulash, I use:
Olive Oil – You can use other cooking oils too.
Diced Lamb
Yellow Onion
Garlic Puree – Use 3-4 fresh garlic cloves (crushed) if you prefer.
Potato – I use two fairly small baking potatoes, but a big one will do. Anything like Maris Piper or King Edward’s is fine. Use what you buy.
Lamb Stock – If you don’t have lamb stock (who buys lamb stock?!), use beef stock instead; don’t buy lamb specifically for this.
Tinned Chopped Tomatoes
Salad Tomatoes – You don’t strictly need both kinds, but I like to use both.
Tomato Puree – Or tomato paste.
Bay Leaves
Salt and Pepper
Red Peppers—You’ll notice from my photos that I use two reds and one orange. If I’m honest, I buy a pack of three, aiming for as many reds as I can, but use whatever is available. Don’t spend too much money just to get the exact colours.
Sour Cream
You’ll Also Need
I make my Hungarian goulash stew recipe in my large Dutch Oven. It’s flameproof and ovenproof, so you can use it on the hob and in the oven, which means that you don’t need to transfer the meal in the middle.
If you don’t have one, I highly recommend investing, as they are perfect for filling family dinners like this Lamb goulash recipe.
If you don’t have anything that you can use on the hob and in the oven, start in a large flameproof pan and transfer to an ovenproof Casserole dish to bake.
You’ll also need a chopping board, a large knife, a potato peeler, a jug, a whisk and a spatula.
How to Make Lamb Goulash – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One
Warm the oil in a large flameproof pan or dish or medium heat. If it’s both ovenproof and flameproof, like a Dutch Oven, that will make life easier, but don’t worry if not, you can transfer it later.
Step Two
Add the lamb and fry for a few minutes to brown, stirring often. You just want the outsides browned.
Step Three
Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat, and place it in a bowl nearby.
Step Four
Add the onions to the cooking dish.
Step Five
Fry for 5-10 minutes until they have softened, stirring often.
If anything starts to stick, pour in a little stock and scrape the bottom of the pan.
Step Six
Stir in the garlic puree. Cook for a few minutes if you are using fresh garlic.
Step Seven
Return the lamb, as well as any juices that have settled in the bowl.
Step Eight
Stir in the potatoes.
Step Nine
Add the stock, chopped tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, paprika, tomato puree, bay leaves and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Step Ten
Stir well.
Step Eleven
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C (fan-assisted).
Step Twelve
Bring the goulash to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Step Thirteen
Once simmering, remove from the heat and carefully place in the oven, uncovered.
Make sure you carefully transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish if you need to.
Step Fourteen
Bake for 1 hour.
Step Fifteen
Carefully remove from the oven.
Step Sixteen
Stir in the peppers.
Step Seventeen
Return to the oven for 1 hour.
Step Eighteen
Remove from the oven, stir in the soured cream (if desired) and serve.
Another option is taking the soured cream to the table so people can help themselves if they want to. This is ideal if some of your family prefer a creamier stew but others don’t.
Serving Suggestions
You can really serve your lamb goulash however you’d served any other stew. Some popular options include:
- Mashed Potatoes – I do like a nice big dollop of creamy mashed potato with a stew, but because lamb is expensive and often sold in smaller portions (diced lamb at least), to keep costs down, I add a diced potato to my lang goulash. So, I don’t like the idea of adding potatoes as well. It’s a great option if you can get past the double potato issue, though.
- Rice
- Pasta
- Crusty Bread – my preferred choice.
- Green Beans
- Carrots – this stew has tons of tomato and pepper to add texture, flavour and nutrition. But if you want to serve with extra veggies, carrots and green beans are fantastic choices.
Variations
I love this recipe for lamb goulash just as it is, but there are a few things that you could do differently.
Use Lamb Shoulder
Off-the-bone lamb shoulder is a delicious alternative to diced lamb. I’ve tried to keep things budget-friendly, but if that’s not an issue for you, any lamb is fine.
Use Leftover Lamb
Leftover lamb stew is delicious, and slow-cooked goulash is a fantastic way to give old, perhaps slightly dry, lamb new life.
Just make sure your lamb is stored correctly and hasn’t been kept for longer than a day or two or heated up more than once.
If you are worried that it’s off, bin it!
Add Red Wine
Sub some of the stock for red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the stock and chopped tomatoes. Otherwise, follow this recipe as it is.
It’ll add a rich, deep flavour.
Add Flour
This slow-cooked stew doesn’t need thickening. It’ll get there on its own.
But if you prefer a thicker sauce, you can add a tablespoon of flour when you return the lamb to the pan.
I never do this.
Add Beans
I’ve bulked my goulash out with potato, but if you prefer, you could add a tin of drained butter beans. These have a lovely buttery flavour and texture, which would complement the paprika sauce really well.
Add them with the peppers.
Leftovers
Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or on the hob in the appropriate cookware.
Add water or stock if dry, and simmer until the lamb has been above 75 degrees c for at least 3 minutes.
Storage
Place leftovers in an Airtight container and refrigerate for 1-2 days.
I don’t recommend keeping it if you have used leftover lamb.
FAQ
Goulash is a traditional Hungarian Stew with meat, peppers, tomatoes and paprika.
American Goulash is sometimes called slumgullion. It typically contains minced beef and pasta and isn’t the same as a Traditional Goulash.
My goulash sauce is made from stock, tomatoes, paprika and sour cream.
I usually use beef, but lamb or even chicken works, too.
Yes, you can make goulash with lamb.
Other Recipes
This is one of my favourite Lamb recipes and favourite comfort food recipes. If you like it, I recommend also trying:
One Pot Lamb Goulash
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 300 g Diced Lamb
- 1 Yellow Onion (diced)
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Puree
- 400 g White Potato (peeled and diced – something like Maris piper or King Edwards)
- 3 Tablespoons Sweet Paprika
- 500 ml Lamb Stock (or beef)
- 400 g Chopped Tomatoes
- 3 Salad Tomatoes (diced)
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 3 Red Peppers (deseeded and chopped into large chunks)
- 100 ml Soured Cream
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a large flameproof pan or dish over medium heat (preferably ovenproof, too).
- Add the lamb and fry for a few minutes to brown, stirring often.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat, and place it in a bowl nearby.
- Add the onions to the cooking dish.
- Fry for 5-10 minutes until they have softened, stirring often.
- Stir in the garlic puree.
- Return the lamb, as well as any juices that have settled in the bowl.
- Stir in the potatoes.
- Add the stock, chopped tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, paprika, tomato puree, bay leaves and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir well.
- Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C (fan-assisted).
- Bring the goulash to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Once simmering, remove from the heat and carefully place in the oven, uncovered. (Transfer to an ovenproof dish if you need to.)
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Carefully remove from the oven.
- Stir in the peppers.
- Return to the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, stir in the soured cream (if desired) and serve.
Video
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
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