Beef, red pepper and mushroom goulash

A comforting stew that helps you limit your red meat intake

2 ratings

1 hour 40 minutes
Serves 2
2 of 5 a day

Nutrition: Per serving

Kcal434
Fat10g
Salt0.8g
Sugar10.5g

Recipe by: World Cancer Research Fund | cancer and nutrition experts

Red meat is a good source of nutrients so can form part of a healthy, balanced diet, but we don’t need to eat it every day. Aim to eat no more than about 3 portions a week

You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker – see the instructions at the end of the Method.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
100g lean beef, cut into small cubes
1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube, dissolved in 350ml water
½ red pepper, sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into batons
1 carrot, peeled and cut into batons
12 button mushrooms
50g split red lentils, rinsed
Freshly ground black pepper
80g wholegrain rice

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook the onion until soft.
Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the paprika and stir for 1 minute, then add the meat and cook until browned.
Add the stock a little at a time while stirring and bring to simmering point. Cover and simmer for an hour on the hob or in the oven.
Remove the lid, stir, and add the red pepper, parsnip, carrot, mushrooms, and lentils. Bring back to the boil and simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the meat, lentils and vegetables are tender. Season with black pepper. If needed, add a little extra water.
In the meantime, cook the rice according to instructions.
Serve the goulash over a bed of rice.

You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the beef. Transfer the beef and the remaining ingredients – excluding the stock and the rice – into the slow cooker.

Crumble over the stock cube and add 150ml of water, then stir and cover. Cook for around 6 hours on low.

Prepare the rice as instructed before serving. To thicken, add a tablespoon of cornflour dissolved in a small amount of cold water 30–60 minutes before the end of cooking.