Gulaschsuppe (German Goulash Soup) is a rich beef soup that’s spiced with paprika and seasoned with thyme, caraway, marjoram, onion, and garlic.
Ithaca, NY, which is located on the southern end of Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lake region, is one of the quaintest little towns I know of. While the name Ithaca may not be familiar right away, it might ring a bell when you hear that it is home to Cornell University.
There is an adorable pedestrian shopping mall in downtown Ithaca called the Commons. It has various stores and restaurants (for more pics of the Commons, see this post from mine and Mike’s last anniversary).
There’s plenty of variety when it comes to places to eat! Mine and Mike’s favorite restaurant is a German place called Brötchen, and when we’re walking the Commons around lunchtime we end up there for lunch more often than not.
Homemade Gulaschsuppe served along with a pretzel roll and a salad of baby spinach, chopped apple, walnuts, oil, and vinegar.
At Brötchen I always order this soup and Mike always orders some kind of sandwich. And then he inevitably regrets not ordering this soup, and eats half of mine. Which is ok because then I have room for dessert.
Gulaschsuppe (German Goulash Soup)
German Goulash Soup actually originated in Hungary. However, it’s quite common and considered traditional fare in Germany. (Read more about Gulaschsuppe on German Culture.)
This flavorful soup features pieces of beef slowly simmering until tender. The broth is richly spiced with sweet paprika and flavored with onion and garlic. Add a touch of hot paprika (or cayenne pepper) for a hint of heat if desired.
More Beef Soup and Stew Recipes to Try:
- Sweet and Spicy Beef, Butternut, and White Bean Stew
- Vegetable Beef Soup
- Ethiopian Ground Beef Stew
- Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
- Basic Beef Stew Using Pantry Staples
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Gulaschsuppe (German Goulash Soup)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point
- 1 1/4 pounds beef sirloin trimmed of fat and cubed
- 2 large onions diced
- 5 large cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds ground
- 1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper more or less to taste
- 6 cups beef stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 2 ounces tomato paste
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a 5-quart pot with a lid, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the beef and sear on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Add the onions and sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, paprika, thyme, caraway, marjoram, cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is fragrant.
- Stir in the beef stock, Worcestershire, tamari, and tomato paste, and bring up to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until beef is tender (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally.
- Taste and season with additional salt and black pepper as desired.
Helpful Tips
- Net Carbs: 11g per serving
- This soup is even more delicious the next day after the flavors have had the chance to blend.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on April 10, 2011. I updated it with more information on May 7, 2020.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Fantastic…just like the soup I ordered when I lived in Hielbronn put some creame on top…It was wonderful
thanks so much for putting it on line!
Made this last night. Followed the recipe but added on diced red pepper. Delicious…just like I used to eat in Wiesbaden! Thanks!
Sounds just what I am looking to make,but,how much is 6 c of beef sock?
Thanks
Roger, 6 cups of beef stock is about 1.4 liters. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Is there a recipe for the awesome pretzel roll you have in the photo to go with the soup? If so may I have it? :D
Hi Jenny, You read my mind, I’ve been wanting to make homemade pretzel rolls! :) I actually didn’t make the ones in the picture (they’re from a local grocery store called Wegmans), but a while ago my friend Joanne posted a really delicious looking recipe for them…here’s the link if you want to check it out!
Warm comfort…great flavours…and a little crusty bread on the side…mummmm. I’m set for a wonderful meal ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
German GOULASH SOUP!?! WOW! This sounds amazing! I have German roots on both parents’ side of the family, so I see no excuse not to try this!
Looks and sounds like a delicious bowl of soup! I would love to have a bowl right now.
I can see why Mike eats your soup. So hearty and a great combination of flavors.
Mimi
Sorry … I know it’s me … but I can’t eat Gulaschsuppe unless I’m wearing fleece and gore-tex and have a pair of 215 cm Volkls strapped to my feet. It’ll always be ski-food for me, just like a canned iced coffee and a Ritter-Sport is always an autobahn gas station break snack. Cheers!
As it is getting colder here in Sydney, that is just the perfect recipe. Lovely, rich and flavour packed.
I have never had this soup but wish I had because it looks delicious, full of wonderful flavor. That pretzel roll looks pretty darn good too:)
Looks like a terrific, rich and flavorful soup, and it sounds just perfect with a pretzel roll (we get those at wegmans all the time).
This German soup looks awesome. Nice flavors.
That sounds like a nice hearty, comforting bowl of soup!!
Lovely course. Beautifully presented and executed.
Bravo!
This soup looks delicious – the flavours all sound so good! Love the story behind it as well :)
I love all the spices and flavors in this soup! When do we get the recipe for the pretzel rolls?
My mother made goulash all the time (her side was German) but never goulash soup. This looks great, Faith!
I prefer mine with pretzel too :-)) This looks so nice.
Oh yum! This sounds perfect. Ryan and I just made pretzel rolls too. Thank you for infusing your posts with your kind spirit, your thoughtful words, and your beautiful photographs. Even in the midst of sadness, I find such solace visiting the blogs that I’ve grown to love this past year. I hope you have a wonderful start to your week, my friend. A big hug from Austin!
Hi, I just came across your blog!
I absolutely LOVE your about page- so informative!
Your soup looks great and so does that roll on the side-yum. I don’t think I’ve ever had traditional German food. I love saurkraut, though!
This is something my partner (and his German dad) would greatly appreciate! Sounds amazing!
Now if only I had the ingredients for this at home I could enjoy it tonight!! Diane
What a great soup Faith! I love the little bit of tamari in it – interesting with the more traditional German ingredients. I want that pretzel roll too!
What a hearty soup! It’s chilly and damp here today, and a bowl of this would sure taste good. :)
Yum! I have a recipe very similar to this. The taste of marjoram in this brings back so many childhood memories. I love it! Mine doesn’t have caraways seeds though, but I can imagine it would taste fantastic. I’ll try to remember to add some to mine next time :)
This soup is fabulous! I tried it when I travel to German two years ago and love it, and it looks exactly like yours! :)
Delicious! What great flavors.
Cheers,
Rosa