As I served up a helping of Beef Goulash and Dumplings to my 12 year old for dinner, he looked at the cook book and said it “even looks like the picture!” This dish is the only one that has a photo in the fantastic recipe book by Sally Wise – Slow Cooker as it is on the cover.
What do you think – this was what it looked like when it finished cooking in the slow cooker?
The kids loved this dish. I did make a few tweaks to the original recipe and used smaller quantities than the original too. Next time I would use larger quantities than listed below as there was no left overs from this meal! As with most slow cooker recipes you could easily cook this in the oven on about 180 degrees Celsius for 1.5 – 2 hours.
Beef Goulash and Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 500 grams diced blade
- 1.5 cups of diced canned tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1.5 tablespoons paprika – now I didn’t use paprika, which probably means this really isn’t a goulash, but my kids are bit iffy with paprika. Instead I used 3 tablsepoons of sweet chilli sauce.
- 2 teaspoons beef stock powder
- 1/2 cup water
Ingredients for dumplings:
The ingredients for dumplings listed below is actually double what the book listed. I doubled it as I knew my kids would all want a few each – and I was right! If you have a family smaller than 7, then you may want to halve the quantities below.
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 75 grams butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (I used dried)
- 3/4 cup milk
Method:
- Finely chop onion.
- Toss the meat in flour. (If the meat is in a plastic bag, I just add the flour to the bag and shake with some vigour.)
- Heat butter in frying pan, add onion and garlic and fry for a minute or two then add meat and brown.
- Add spices and stir constantly for a couple of minutes, so the heat releases the flavours.
- Transfer meat to the slow cooker, add tomatoes, tomato paste, sweet chilli sauce (or paprika), beef stock powder, water and salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine well then place lid on and cook on High for 4 or 8 hours on low.
- About 45 minutes before you want to serve, start making the dumplings. The dumplings will need to cook on high, so if you have the slow cooker on low, change it to high now.
- To make the dumplings, it is very much like making scones. Add salt to the flour and then rub the butter in until it looks like bread crumbs.
- Add the parsley and pour in milk to combine into a dough, using a knife to mix.
- Roll into balls – ours were just a bit bigger than the size of a walnut.
- Measure out a piece of baking paper that will cover and over hang slightly from the slow cooker. Spray the baking paper with cooking oil on one side.
- Place dumplings on top of the goulash and then cover with the baking paper. The oil covered side should be closest to the goulash.
- Cook for about 40 minutes, then serve.
Our Family Menu Plan for this week.
Baking: 100s of biscuits
Monday: Savoury Beef – new recipe to try for the week.
Tuesday: Chicken Lasagne
Wednesday: Fried Rice
Thursday: Left Overs
Friday: Scrambled Eggs
Saturday: Marinated Chicken Sticks With Salad
Sunday: Sausages and Steamed Vegetables
If you are looking for further recipe inspiration, check out my complete list of Family Friendly Recipes. All of these recipes are in the database of the Planning With Kids Free Menu Planner. You can use the menu planner to plan a week of meals for your family and then print out the associated shopping list.
9 comments...read them below or add one
I have had no success with my slowcooker, I think its too big for the size of meals I make, so Im going to borrow my mum’s smaller one to see if I have any success. The goulash looks lovely and Im always envious when people talk of the lovely slow cooker meals they make.
Also your meal plan looks great for this week!
This is definitely a family favourite dish. I love dumplings, and they are so fun to make. Loving the slow cooker at the moment too, such a great time saver. I will give your Beef ghoulash ago next time I make it.
Nic xo
mmm… looks better than my mom’s meatballs.
Yum! I’ve made something similar to this before and it was divine. This week I’m going to make meatballs and cook them in the sauce for while – kind of casserole style. Inspired by a meal I had in the hospital of all places. No recipe so we’ll see how I go!
We made this and it was a big hit!!! My twin boys who are 6 loved it as did my hubby and I. Next time we will double the meat part of the recipe so we have enough left over for pie night on Sunday
. It was demolished between the 4 of us 
! Thanks so much!
P.S. I have a delcious recipe for a lasagne in the slow cooker that I am happy to share. I’ll try to locate the source so I can add the link. I’ll be back!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Never tried lasagne in the slow cooker so will be interested to see the recipe.
I couldn’t find the link – so here it is
I have a large crockpot.
Crock Pot Lasagna – SERVES 6-8
Ingredients
• 800g lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 cans of tin tomatoes
• 170g tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano and any other spice you love
• 1 Tbsp jam
• 1 cup grated carrot
• ANYTHING ELSE YOU LIKE TO ADD TO YOUR BOG MIX
• 500g ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or asiago cheese
• 500g shredded mozzarella cheese
• 12 lasagna sheets, uncooked
Directions = Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in frypan.
Add tin tomatoes, carrot, tomato paste, jam, salt and oregano/herbs.
Cook long enough to get it warm.
Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker. (1/2 of the amount)
Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna sheets (break to fit)
Mix the three cheeses together in a bowl (hands is best) and top the lasagna sheets with cheeses. You really have to level this across the sheets with your hands – gooey yummy mess
Repeat with sauce, lasagna sheets and cheeses – it makes two layers.
Add 1 cup of water, around the edge of the pot, to stop it from sticking to the sides.
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours and YUMMY!!!!
ENJOY!!!
[...] in years so think I will give her a Winter Stew ago next!NB: I made an error when typing up the Beef Goulash recipe last week and it should have said 2 cups of flour, not 4 tsps! Sorry about that.Easy [...]
Wow, this was amazing! The smell of it cooking had us all anticipating a great meal and it didn’t disappoint. Next time I’m going to try adding an extra tin of chopped tomatoes and some carrots to stretch it out a bit further. Yum.