Name: Skillet Goulash
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Eastern European & GermanEurope
Ingredients: 2 (12-ounce) strip steaks , about 1 inch thick, trimmed; Salt and pepper; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 onion , halved and sliced thin; 1 red bell pepper , seeded and chopped fine; 1/4 cup paprika (see note); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 4 cups low-sodium beef broth; 8 ounces (4 cups) wide egg noodles; 2/3 cup sour cream

Why This Recipe Works

We turned to strip steaks for our Skillet Goulash for their intense flavor and meaty texture. We sliced the steak thinly and added it to the sauce before serving. For maximum flavor, we built the sauce from the brown bits left in the pan from searing the steaks. We used a lot of paprika in our recipe for Skillet Goulash. Tasters preferred sweet paprika so that the goulash wasn’t incendiary. Cooking the egg noodles right in the pan with the sauce not only saved time, but also added additional flavor to our Skillet Goulash.

Before You Begin

Be sure to trim the steaks of all visible fat before cooking. Use sweet paprika, not the hot or smoked varieties, in this recipe.

Instructions

Pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Heat remaining oil in empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and noodles and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Cut steaks in half lengthwise, then cut into thin slices. Stir sour cream and sliced steak, along with any accumulated juices, into pan. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.