The Perfect Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash Meatballs Recipe for Comfort

Slow cooker Hungarian goulash meatballs convert ordinary dinners into culinary adventures of robust flavor and surprising complexity.

Traditional European spices dance through tender meat, creating a symphony of taste that awakens hungry senses.

Paprika weaves its magical warmth into each carefully crafted morsel, promising a meal far beyond standard comfort food.

Hearty ingredients merge seamlessly inside your trusty slow cooker, developing rich layers of deliciousness throughout the day.

Homestyle cooking meets international flair in this unexpectedly elegant dish that requires minimal preparation but delivers maximum satisfaction.

Families and dinner guests will marvel at the depth of flavor emerging from such simple ingredients.

Weekend meal planning just got significantly more exciting with this crowd-pleasing recipe that converts ordinary ingredients into something extraordinary.

Why These Meatballs Are the Ultimate Cozy Meal

• Effortless Slow Cooker Magic: This recipe transforms complex Hungarian flavors into an incredibly simple one-pot meal that practically cooks itself with minimal hands-on time.
• Hearty Comfort in Every Bite: Rich, tender meatballs swimming in a deeply spiced paprika sauce deliver maximum flavor and satisfaction, perfect for chilly evenings or when craving substantial comfort food.
• Versatile Serving Options: Flexible serving suggestions like egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes mean you can customize the dish to match your mood or pantry ingredients without compromising deliciousness.

What You’ll Need for That Hungarian Comfort Flavor

• Ground Beef: Lean protein base for meatballs, choose 80/20 blend for best flavor and moisture.
• Egg: Binding agent that helps hold meatballs together, provides richness.
• Parsley: Fresh herb adding color and light herbal notes to meat mixture.

• Onions, Green Peppers: Classic Hungarian base providing depth and sweetness, fresh vegetables preferred.
• Paprika: Traditional Hungarian spice essential for authentic flavor, use both sweet and hot varieties.

• Bread Crumbs: Helps meatballs maintain structure and absorb moisture, adds light texture.
• Salt, Pepper: Basic seasonings enhancing overall meat flavor.
• Sour Cream: Creamy finish that adds tanginess and balances rich meat sauce.
• Oil: Helps sauté vegetables and prevents sticking, neutral vegetable oil works best.

Let Your Slow Cooker Handle the Magic

Step 1: Sauté Vegetables

Heat of oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions and green peppers. Cook while stirring until the vegetables begin to soften.

Step 2: Enhance Flavor with Paprika

Reduce the heat to low, pushing the softened veggies to the sides of the pan. Create a well in the center. Pour an additional tablespoon of oil and mix in both types of paprika. Stir for 2-3 minutes to release the spices’ aromatic flavors.

Step 3: Transfer to Slow Cooker

Drizzle an extra tablespoon of oil into the pan if needed. Scrape all ingredients into a 4 or 5-quart crockpot.

Step 4: Prepare Meatball Mixture

• Ground beef
• Egg
• Bread crumbs
• Finely chopped onion
• Parsley
• Salt
• Pepper

Use a fork to mix thoroughly until well incorporated.

Step 5: Form and Add Meatballs

Carefully form rounded tablespoons of the meat mixture into meatballs. Gently drop them into the sauce within the crockpot.

Step 6: Slow Cook

Set the crockpot on high for 4 hours or low for 5-6 hours, depending on your schedule.

Step 7: Prepare Creamy Sauce

In a separate bowl, temper the sour cream by mixing it with a few ladles of sauce. Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir well to create a rich, creamy consistency.

Step 8: Serve and Enjoy

• Cooked egg noodles
• Rice
• Fluffy mashed potatoes

Tips for Flavorful, Fork-Tender Meatballs

• Boost Meat Flavor: Select ground beef with 80/20 fat content for juicier, more flavorful meatballs that won't dry out during slow cooking.
• Prevent Tough Meatballs: Mix ingredients gently with a fork to avoid overworking the meat, which can make meatballs dense and tough.
• Enhance Paprika Depth: Toast paprika briefly in oil to release its rich, complex flavors and create a more authentic Hungarian taste profile.
• Perfect Sauce Consistency: Temper sour cream carefully by slowly adding hot sauce to prevent curdling and ensure a smooth, creamy finish.
• Optimal Cooking Time: Check meatballs around 3.5 hours on high or 5 hours on low to prevent overcooking and maintain tender texture.

Storage Tricks That Keep the Sauce Rich

• Refrigeration: Store leftover Hungarian goulash meatballs in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking. Cool the dish completely before sealing to prevent bacterial growth. Properly stored, these meatballs will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Freezing: Wrap the meatballs tightly in freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Remove excess air to prevent freezer burn. Frozen goulash meatballs can maintain quality for up to 3 months when sealed correctly.
• Reheating: Warm refrigerated meatballs in a microwave or stovetop. For microwave, cover the dish and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each to ensure even warming.

Sidekicks That Belong on Your Plate

• Pair with Robust Red Wine: Choose a full-bodied Hungarian red like Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood) to complement the rich, paprika-spiced meatballs and enhance the deep flavors of the goulash.
• Serve with Tangy Cucumber Salad: Prepare a quick Hungarian-style cucumber salad with sour cream, dill, and a touch of vinegar to provide a refreshing contrast to the hearty meatballs and cut through the dish's richness.
• Match with Crusty Bread: Grab a rustic sourdough or traditional Hungarian white bread to soak up the delicious sauce and add a wonderful textural element to the meal.
• Complement with Crisp Pilsner Beer: Select a cold, crisp Czech or Hungarian pilsner that will balance the spicy paprika and cleanse the palate between bites of the savory meatballs.

Tasty Variations With Global Flair

• Spicy Paprika Punch: Boost heat by adding cayenne pepper or hot Hungarian paprika to intensify the flavor profile and give meatballs a fiery kick.
• Mediterranean Herb Infusion: Replace parsley with fresh oregano and thyme, then incorporate crumbled feta cheese into the meatball mixture for a Greek-inspired variation.
• Smoky Beef and Pork Blend: Substitute half the ground beef with ground pork and add smoked paprika to create a richer, more complex meat texture and deeper smokiness.
• Vegetarian Mushroom Alternative: Swap ground meat with finely chopped portobello mushrooms and cooked lentils, maintaining the original spice blend for a plant-based version that keeps the traditional Hungarian essence.

Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash Meatballs Recipe

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 32 reviews

• Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Hungarian comfort meets hearty simplicity in this slow cooker goulash meatball marvel. Savory beef meatballs simmer in a rich paprika-infused sauce, promising a soul-warming meal that brings Hungary’s culinary heritage right to your dinner table.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Meat and Protein:

• 1 ¼ pounds (0.57 kilograms) lean ground beef
• 1 whole egg

Primary Vegetables:

• 1 large yellow onion (diced)
• ¼ cup minced yellow onion
• 1 green bell pepper (diced)

Seasonings, Spices, and Other Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) Hungarian hot paprika
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup (60 milliliters) seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) fresh chopped parsley
• 28 ounces (794 grams) crushed tomatoes (canned)
• 4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) olive oil (divided)

Serving Suggestions:

• Cooked egg noodles or rice or mashed potatoes

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Sauté chopped onions and green peppers in of oil over medium heat until vegetables become translucent and slightly softened.
2. Reduce heat to low, creating a center well in the pan. Add another tablespoon (15 milliliters) of oil and sprinkle both sweet and hot paprika, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes to release aromatic flavors.
3. Transfer the seasoned vegetable mixture into a 4 or 5-quart (3.8 or 4.7 liters) slow cooker, ensuring all ingredients are scraped from the pan.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, one beaten egg, bread crumbs, finely minced onion, chopped parsley, salt, and black pepper. Gently blend ingredients using a fork until uniformly mixed.
5. Shape the meat mixture into compact, rounded meatballs approximately 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter, carefully placing each one into the slow cooker sauce.
6. Cover and cook on high temperature for 3.5-4 hours or on low setting for 5-6 hours, ensuring meatballs are thoroughly cooked and tender.
7. Create a smooth sauce by tempering sour cream: gradually whisk several spoonfuls of hot cooking liquid into the cream to prevent curdling, then slowly incorporate the tempered mixture back into the slow cooker.
8. Plate the Hungarian goulash meatballs over your preferred accompaniment such as egg noodles, steamed rice, or creamy mashed potatoes, garnishing with additional chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

• Temper sour cream before adding to prevent curdling, mixing a few spoonfuls of hot sauce gradually to equalize temperatures.
• Crockpot cooking times vary based on your schedule, offering flexibility between high (4 hours) and low (5-6 hours) settings.
• Forming meatballs requires gentle handling, using rounded tablespoons to create uniform size for consistent cooking.
• Paprika adds deep Hungarian flavor when toasted briefly with onions and green peppers, releasing rich aromatics into the base.
• Ground beef mixture needs thorough mixing with egg, bread crumbs, herbs, and seasonings to ensure tender, well-seasoned meatballs.
• Serving options include classic accompaniments like egg noodles, fluffy rice, or creamy mashed potatoes to complement the robust sauce.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Category: Dinner, Snacks
• Method: Frying, Slow Cooking
• Cuisine: Hungarian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6
• Calories: 570 kcal
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 800mg
• Fat: 35g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Unsaturated Fat: 18g
• Trans Fat: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 28g
• Cholesterol: 120mg