Taking comfort food to the next level with this delicious vegan nod to Hungarian “Chicken” Paprikash.  Sweet onions, earthy garlic, vibrant red bell peppers, hearty mushrooms, protein-packed soy curls, and rich tomatoes come together in a flavorful velvety paprika gravy and served over a bed of tasty noodles.  Our Vegan Hungarian “Chicken” Paprikash is a flavor experience that is sure to have the whole family seated at the dinner table in a flash!

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi there, Ameera here!

I think the hardest thing about this dish was getting Dad to say the name correctly. It really isn’t that difficult to pronounce, but he really struggled with it. He had not had the dish before nor hear of it before and struggled getting the name out.

He was trying to pronounce the name really hard as he said “Vegan Chicken Pepper… peppercrrr… peppercro… peppercrotch.” We were dying laughing because his pronunciation was just soooo absurdly hilarious as he tried to get out the name.

I told him that we were putting it in the blog, and he was like “OK, go ahead, it’s hard for me to pronounce!” LOL

Now, I know where I get my pronunciation problems from!  lol 😉

WFPB Conversion

Mom and I LOOOOOVED this conversion. It is so darn flavorful! First of all, we love soy curls so any chance we can get them in a dish, we do; and it was a natural choice for this dish as the traditional recipe uses chicken.

Soy curls are a great substitute, but you can easily substitute the soy curls for white beans, marinated and baked cubed tofu/tempeh or cooked Seitan strips (if you don’t need to be gluten free.)

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Sweet Paprika vs Hungarian Sweet Paprika

There are subtle differences between sweet paprika and Hungarian sweet paprika. Hungarian sweet paprika seems to be more full-bodied and has more depth of flavor in our humble opinion.

You do need to make sure you get “sweet” paprika as some Hungarian paprikas have some heat to them. We love Penzeys Hungarian Style Sweet Paprika.

I’ll let Mom tell you more about this tasty dish!

Hi!  Robin here!

We all fell in love with this dish.  TP absolutely loved it and kept wanting us to make it over and over again.  It has a very creamy, dreamy gravy with a lovely flavor that we ate all up in a flash and went back looking for more!

We would love for you to give this recipe a try!  We just know you are going to love it.

If you try this flavorful dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Products Used:

• Enamel/Ceramic lined skillet or similar skillet
• Medium stock pot to boil the pasta (if serving with pasta)
• High-Speed Blender to make the cashew cream

Vegan Hungarian “Chicken” Paprikash

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 40 Minutes (+3 Minutes Rest)
• Yield: 5-6 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Hungarian

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Description

This Vegan Hungarian “Chicken” Paprikash is brimming with wholesome goodness, bathed in a flavorful paprika gravy, and served over a bed of noodles. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

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Ingredients

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Skillet Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
• 1 cup red bell pepper, small diced
• 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon tamari *
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoon GF flour (or flour of choice) *
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes, drained *
• 1 cup vegetable broth *
• ½ cup water (or broth)
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar (+/-)
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Cashew Cream Ingredients:

• ¼ cup cashews *
• ½ cup unsweetened plain plant milk

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tablespoon + ½ teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika (+/-) *
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-) *

Other Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups soy curls (or beans of choice) *
• 12 oz. cooked pasta, (of choice) (or cooked rice, or boiled, mashed, roasted potatoes)

Optional Toppings:

• Freshly chopped parsley

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Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.
2. Place the cashews into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, set aside for 15 minutes.
3. If using the soy curls, hydrate the soy curls according to package directions, squeeze out the water, then set aside.
4. Measure out the Spice/Herb ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
5. In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven, skillet or similar stock pot, add the diced onions and red bell pepper, sauté over medium-high heat until the onions begin to soften, approximately 5 to 7 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent burning. Add a tablespoon or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
6. Add the sliced mushrooms with 1 Tablespoon of tamari and sauté for approximately 3 to 5 minutes to allow the mushrooms to release some of their water.
7. Push the mushrooms and veggies to the side, then add the garlic, tomato paste and flour, sauté while stirring constantly for one minute. Then add all the remaining Skillet Ingredients and the Spice/Herb Mix. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
8. In the meantime, make the cashew cream by placing the soaked cashews (minus the soaking water) into a high-speed blender with the plant milk, blend on high until smooth and emulsified, then add to the skillet. Stir to incorporate.
9. Next, add the hydrated soy curls (see notes) and stir well to mix in. Then add the cooked pasta (if serving with pasta).  Cook for several minutes on medium-high heat to allow the soy curls and pasta to absorb the flavors.
10. Remove from the stove and allow to set for several minutes to allow the flavors to marry, then top with some freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!

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Notes

*Tips for Success: 

• Petite Diced Tomatoes: Make sure you drain the liquid from the can of petite diced tomatoes. Just open the can and place the tomatoes in a strainer and allow the liquids to drain off.  You should be left with about 1 cup of strained diced tomatoes.
• Sitting Time: Don’t skip the sitting time when the dish is finished.  The flavors are not fully developed until the dish has been removed from the stove.  The extra time to develop the flavors and allow the pasta to absorb some of the liquid.
• Soy Curls: If using soy curls, be sure to squeeze them after hydrating them to remove any excess liquid before adding to the dish.
• Pasta Substitutions: You can serve this over a bed of rice, on top of mashed potatoes, or oven baked potatoes.

*Notes Continued:

*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Hungarian Sweet Paprika:  We used Penzeys Hungarian Style Sweet Paprika. There is a difference between Hungarian Sweet Paprika and the typical paprika you find at the store.  You can use regular sweet paprika, but the flavors will be slightly different, and you may need to ramp up some other spices.

*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium.  You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.

*Flour:  We used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose baking flour blend.  You can use the flour of your choice.

*Substitutes for Cashews:  We have not tested any substitutions.  You can try to substitute with macadamia nuts, blanched almonds, silken tofu, mashed white beans, or sunflower seeds with the understanding that the flavor and texture will change, and you may need to ramp up other spices/ingredients.

*Soy Curls:  We found it challenging to find soy curls in our local grocery stores.  We ended up buying them from Amazon.  We purchased Butler Soy Curls 100% natural, no additives or preservatives, non-GMO, grown without chemical pesticides.  However, if you want to make this dish without soy curls, you can add 2 cans of your favorite bean, marinated and baked cubed tofu/tempeh, or cooked Seitan strips (if you don’t need to be gluten free.)

*Baking Soda:  The baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture will bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Makes: 5-6 Servings

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 5 days.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.