Hungarian Steak and Mushroom Soup
This Hungarian steak and mushroom soup combines tender beef, browned mushrooms, sweet paprika, fresh dill and sour cream in a rich, creamy broth. It is a hearty one-pot dinner perfect for chilly nights.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: STOVETOP
- Cuisine: hungarian inspired
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ pounds boneless chuck steak or chuck roast, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons dried dill or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream, plus more for serving
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Chopped fresh dill or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Season it with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the black pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef in a single layer. Brown it for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer it to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and brown the remaining beef. Transfer it to the plate. The beef does not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter and sliced mushrooms. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown.
- Add the diced onion and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onion softens.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, sweet paprika, smoked paprika and dill. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly so the paprika does not burn.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture. Cook for 1 minute, stirring until no dry flour remains.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth while stirring and scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Return the beef and any juices from the plate to the pot.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the beef is fork-tender.
- Whisk the sour cream and milk together in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the hot soup broth into the sour cream mixture to temper it.
- Reduce the heat under the soup to low. Slowly stir the tempered sour cream mixture into the pot. Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the sour cream.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, black pepper or paprika as needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a small spoonful of sour cream and chopped fresh dill or parsley.
Notes
- Use Hungarian sweet paprika for the soup’s signature warm, savory flavor.
- Brown the steak in batches so it sears instead of steaming.
- Keep the soup at a gentle simmer to help the chuck steak become tender.
- Temper the sour cream before adding it to prevent curdling.
- Do not boil the soup after adding the sour cream and milk.
- If the soup becomes too thick, stir in additional beef broth.
- Sirloin steak may be substituted, but it will require less simmering time.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Reheat gently over low heat without boiling.