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Goulash Soup

A hearty beef soup with paprika, onions, garlic, potatoes, and tomato paste, simmered in broth and wine.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Goulash Soup

Time45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Brown the meat in oil or butter.

  2. Add the onions and garlic and fry until the onions are translucent.

  3. Add the paprika, bay leaf, carraway seeds, water, and broth.

  4. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes.

  5. Add the potatoes and simmer for an additional 45 minutes.

  6. Stir in the tomato paste and red wine.

  7. Salt and pepper to taste.

  8. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

735Calories
33 gProtein
41 gFat
56 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 13 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Seednot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef
Provides the main meaty texture and rich flavour as it browns and slowly tenderises.
Onions
Soften and sweeten as they cook, building the savoury base of the soup.
Paprika
Gives the soup its characteristic red colour and warm, sweet-smoky aroma.
Tomato paste
Adds concentrated savoury depth and a little acidity to the broth.
Potatoes
Release starch as they simmer, thickening the soup slightly and adding body.
Red wine
Adds acidity and depth of flavour that balances the richness of the beef.

The step that matters

Brown the meat in oil or butter. Browning creates flavour through the Maillard reaction. Meat that is crowded or steamed in the pan turns grey and tastes flat, so brown it in batches over good heat.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, butter, onion, garlic, pepper, tomato, red wine):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Rosemaryfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, butter, onion, garlic, pepper, tomato, red wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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