Vegetarian Goulash Soup ~ Meatless Monday

Vegetarian Goulash Soup ~  Where's the beef?  ~  A full flavored, meatless spin of the classic Hungarian dish.  Using TVP 'beef' chunks (& a little liquid smoke) gives this soup the look and taste of a traditional beef goulash ~ but without the meat.  Perfect for your Meatless Monday!

I'm a huge fan of all the different varieties of Paprika ~ hot, sweet, smoked, Spanish, Hungarian, Californian ~ you name it, I love 'em all.   I thought a Hungarian goulash recipe would be a good way to showcase this most vibrantly colored, yet subtle or boldly flavored spice.   I looked around the net & through some of my old cookbooks and ended up taking some of this and a bit of that.  This recipe is more of a soup than a stew, so, I'm calling it ~ Vegetarian Goulash Soup.

 

Instead of using regular beef called for in a traditional goulash recipe, I used some of the dehydrated TVP 'beef' chunks that I like.  They really do stand in quite nicely  ~ here and in other recipes calling for beef stew meat.   Those chunks really make it so easy to change-up this classic dish and spin it into a delicious Meatless Monday meal.  Enjoy! 

Vegetarian Goulash Soup
makes 6~8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried TVP 'beef' chunks, rehydrated according to package directions **(or you can use prepackaged, ready-to-eat TVP 'beef' style chunks) 
•  1 Tbsp olive oil  
• 1 medium onion, coarse chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 3 Tbsp Hungarian Sweet Paprika (or more, to taste)
• 1 tsp caraway seeds (or more, to taste)
•  1/8 tsp cayenne powder (or more, to taste)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large red potato, coarse chopped 
• 1 large carrot, coarse chopped 
• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes 
• 5 cups veggie broth or water (maybe a bit more)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke, or more to taste (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Toppings ~ sour cream, Greek yogurt, caraway seeds, dill weed

Directions

Rehydrate the TVP 'beef' chunks according to the package directions & set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, over medium heat.  When oil is hot, add the chopped onion & saute for about 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic/remaining spices to the pot and toss with the onion.

Add the veggie broth (or water), can of tomatoes, ketchup, liquid smoke & chopped veggies to the pot. (adding a bit more water if needed to completely cover the veggies)  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

Once the veggies are tender, add the reserved, rehydrated TVP 'beef' chunks to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Taste, adjust salt/pepper & you are ready to dish it up.  Serve as is or add some or all of the optional toppings... 

I like to serve mine with a dollop of Greek yogurt, an additional sprinkling of caraway seeds & a little dill weed. 

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