Peel the onions and cut them into thin strips. Deseed the red pepper and cut it into pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and brown the diced beef well on all sides. Add the onions and pepper and fry briefly.
Stir in the tomato purée and sweet paprika and fry briefly. Keep stirring so the paprika doesn't turn bitter.
Deglaze with the beef stock and simmer the goulash over a gentle heat until the meat is tender and the sauce tastes fuller.
Cook the red lentil pasta separately until al dente, or let it cook in the saucepan for the last few minutes if there's enough liquid. Then gently mix everything together.
Serve the diced beef goulash and red lentil pasta hot. Finish with a little extra paprika or fresh parsley if you like.
Good to know
A goulash like this warms you straight through. Hearty, uncomplicated and with a lovely depth of flavour. Just right when you want something down to earth.
Swaps
Diced beef → skinless chicken thighs (a little leaner, still plenty of protein) | Red lentil pasta → chickpea pasta (similar protein and fibre content) | Clarified butter → olive oil (mainly monounsaturated fatty acids) | Beef stock → homemade bone broth without additives (often a more natural flavour)
Allergens
The recipe is gluten-free as long as the red lentil pasta is labelled gluten-free; any other allergens are mainly in the stock. Season mildly for children, and in pregnancy cook the beef right through.
