Skip to content

Meat, European

Hungarian Beef Pörkölt with Nokedli

Hungarian beef pörkölt with nokedli is a stew for 4 people, ready in 2 hours 10 minutes, easy to make, for €3.30 per serving. It's beef chuck simmered slowly with as many onions as meat and sweet paprika, no flour or cream involved, served over little nokedli noodles with pickles on the side. The key is patience with the onions, which melt down into the sauce.

Tonight I'm making you a pörkölt, the Hungarian stew without any cream, tender beef simmered with lots of onions and paprika, served with little nokedli noodles.

Hungarian Beef Pörkölt with Nokedli
Total time
2 h 10
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.30
Calories per person
680 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Pörkölt is the real Hungarian stew, often confused with goulash even though its sauce has no cream or flour at all. Here, onions cooked in nearly the same quantity as the meat slowly break down and become the thick, flavorful base of the dish. Sweet paprika gives it color and a round, mild flavor, and beef chuck turns tender after two hours of gentle simmering.

This is a good Sunday dish or a relaxed weeknight meal, for when you have time to let it simmer without much attention. Kids generally like nokedli, those soft little dumplings that soak up the sauce, and pickles add a crunchy, tangy contrast that balances the richness. Mon Chou suggests this one for days when you want a comforting meal without spending too much active time in the kitchen.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 4
  • Green bell pepper 1
  • Tomato 1
  • Garlic 2 cloves

Pantry

  • Sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Flouroften in the pantry 350 g
  • Picklesoften in the pantry 8
  • Lard or oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Eggs 2

Allergens Gluten, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Thinly slice the onions and cook them gently in the lard until golden. 15 min

    The onions should almost fall apart, they're the base of the whole sauce.

  2. Remove from the heat, add the paprika, then the beef cubes, garlic, salt and pepper, and put it back on the heat. 5 min

    Don't let the paprika sit alone on the heat, it turns bitter within seconds.

  3. Add the chopped bell pepper and tomato, cover halfway and cook over very low heat, without adding water at first. 1 h 40

    The meat releases its own juices, add a little water only if the bottom starts to stick.

  4. Mix the flour, eggs, salt and a bit of water for the nokedli batter, then drop small pieces through a colander into boiling salted water. 8 min

    Skim the water well, the nokedli float to the surface once they're cooked.

  5. Serve the stew over the nokedli with the pickles on the side.

    The crunchy pickles cut through the richness, it's the classic pairing.

Our tips to get it right

  • Cut the chuck into even cubes of about 3 cm, so they all cook at the same rate and stay tender.
  • Use good quality sweet paprika that isn't too old, it carries all the flavor of the dish, dull paprika makes a dull pörkölt.
  • Let it simmer gently, covered, over very low heat, a rolling boil dries out the meat instead of softening it.

The variations

  • You can swap the beef for pork shoulder, which cooks faster, for a pörkölt that's just as traditional.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with mushrooms and cubed potatoes, simmered the same way with the onions and paprika.
  • To save time with hungry kids, serve the pörkölt over plain pasta or rice instead of homemade nokedli.

What to serve it with

  • Fresh bread for the sauce
  • Crunchy cabbage salad
  • Glass of light red wine

Storage

Pörkölt keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and it's often even better reheated the next day. It freezes well for up to 2 months, though it's best to make the nokedli fresh. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you make pörkölt ahead of time?

Yes, it's even recommended, the onion sauce gets better after resting overnight in the fridge. Reheat it gently the next day and make the nokedli fresh right before serving.

Can you replace the nokedli with something else?

Yes, short pasta, rice or steamed potatoes all pair well with this stew. Nokedli remain the traditional choice because they soak up the sauce so well.

Why shouldn't paprika cook alone in the pan?

Paprika burns very quickly and turns bitter the moment it hits a hot pan without liquid. That's why you remove the pan from the heat before adding it, then return the meat right away.

Can you make this without lard?

Yes, a neutral oil works well for cooking down the onions. Lard gives a more traditional flavor, but it's not essential to getting this dish right.

How long does it take to make a Hungarian beef pörkölt with nokedli and pickles?

Count 2 h 10 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Hungarian beef pörkölt with nokedli and pickles?

About 680 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Hungarian beef pörkölt with nokedli and pickles cost?

About €3.30 per serving, or €13.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

European Cuisines

See all

Beef recipes

See all