Instant Pot Beef Goulash

My Instant Pot – Some Background

I finally decided to break out my Instant Pot to make Instant Pot Beef Goulash. You may not think that a big deal. You should know though that my Instant Pot has sat in my closet since July! My father in-law gave me a very generous gift certificate to Amazon for my birthday (in 2016!). Upon reading some posts in a Weight Watchers Group to which I belong, I decided wanted to try one. Someone posted it was on sale at Amazon, so I bought one! I mean if I like it, I could get rid of my rice cooker/steamer and my slow cooker. At least that’s how I justify it to me. Let’s face it though, I never use that steamer any more anyway. I should just get rid of it.

Anyway, I got this Instant pot in July and it sat in my hall closet since. Something about cooking with pressure intimidated me. I mean, how do you know what’s the difference between natural release and quick release? Will it explode in my kitchen? Will I be scalded by steam? These were the thoughts running through my head.

I grew tired though of being intimidated. So many people have been using their’s with success. I figured I give it a go.

Instant Pot Beef Goulash – Some More Background

We spent some time in Hungary last summer (geez, another area I must write more about). The food is so hearty and I love the flavoring. I did find it more attune to fall/winter dining than the heat of summer but still. Anyway, I bought a huge bag of hot paprika and a huge bag of sweet paprika while in the market. So I’ve been looking for opportunities to use them since.

I’ve also been using Pinterest a lot lately. So I’ve been combing over pins there to see what’s available and found this one for Beef Goulash. That led me to this recipe: Pressure Cooker Hungarian Beef Goulash.

Beef Goulash – My Experience

I couldn’t believe how easily this dish came together! Other than chopping the onion and the beef, it’s all about the assembly. Next time I make it, I will change how the saute goes. I would divide the oil between beef batches and incorporated that in my directions below. You don’t want to crowd the pan with beef because it will boil instead of brown.

I also deglazed the pan with the tomatoes and beef stock. This basically means pouring the liquid in and scraping the bottom to get up all the browned bits. (Hint: It also makes cleaning later much easier).

The other thing I didn’t realize was and will change in the directions is how Saute works on the Instant Pot. What I didn’t know is that when you click Saute, you should wait until you get the “Hot” message. I started sauteing the beef a bit too early because of this.

For the most part, I followed the recipe as presented. I used a fat free beef stock instead of beef broth because that’s what I had on hand. Also, she suggests stirring some sour cream at the end. I totally forgot this step. I don’t feel the dish suffered from my momentary amnesia. Next time, I may add some mushrooms to the dish. Not traditional, but I think it will be healthier and bulk it up.

Traditionally, you would serve this recipe over egg noodles. I used no-yolk noodles  but with this gravy, I might consider serving it over polenta instead. That said, I don’t know why you couldn’t serve it over barley either. Yes, again not traditional but a tad healthier.

Lastly, at 6 servings, this comes in at 6 Weight Watcher Freestyle Points (not including the optional egg noodles or polenta or sour cream) per serving.

Beef Goulash – The Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2pound(s) Beef, chuck, boneless, lean and trimmed or beef stew meet, raw 1 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup fat free beef broth or stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (yeah, I didn’t bother but the pictures would probably look better with it.
• Sour cream (I forgot but it would probably be pretty good)
• No Yolk Egg noodles (or polenta, or barley – but not included in points)

Directions

Place the flour, 2t of the sweet paprika, salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a zip-top plastic bag. Add the beef and shake to coat.

Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and add 2t of the olive oil. When the pot registers hot, add 1/3 of the beef. Sauté the beef until lightly browned on all sides, about 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat twice, with 2t of oil before each batch of beef.

Add the remaining 1T of oil and the onion to the Instant Pot and sauté until soft 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2t of sweet paprika and the hot paprika. Combine well and cook for an additional minute.

Stir in the tomatoes and beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it, scraping up the browned bits. Return the beef to the pot. Combine thoroughly and press cancel on the Instant Pot.

Lock the cover into place and use the “manual” function to set the pot to cook for 30 minutes at high pressure. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally.

Some Follow-Up Notes

It takes about 10-15 for the pot to come to pressure and about the same amount of time to release the pressure naturally, no more than 60 minutes total, probably less. So you get this great stew, that would have taken hours in the slow cooker or on the stove in about 75 minutes!

Lynne, over from MyGourmetConnection, suggests serving this over a big platter of noodles, with some left over gravy and sour cream mixed in served on the side. Oh and sprinkle the parsley on for some color. As I’ve said, we didn’t bother.

I may try substitute sirloin tips for the chuck roast next time. This will knock the points per serving down to five. It will need a time adjustment though. Stay tuned, I’ll you know!

Oh, and without the noodles, sour cream or extras, this will freeze well. I may double the batch next time and freeze for later.