Traditional Hortobágyi Húsos Palacsinta: Savoury Meat-Filled Crêpes in Paprika Sauce
Hortobágyi húsos palacsinta fills eight thin savoury crêpes with meat cooked as paprikash, then covers the eight folded parcels with a paprika-sour-cream sauce made from the same braising juices. The meat is tender and shredded, not a tomato-paste ground-beef filling.
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Illustrated cooking guide
Step-by-step visual method
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Written method
Instructions
Read through once, then cook at your own pace with the illustrated guide above.
- 1
Cook onion in lard until soft. Remove from heat and stir in paprika, then add tomato, wax pepper, meat, salt and water. Cover and braise gently until very tender, 45–60 minutes.
- 2
Lift out the meat, remove bones if needed and shred or chop it finely. Strain or blend the braising juices until smooth.
- 3
Mix enough sauce into the meat to make a moist filling. Place filling on each crêpe, fold in the sides and roll or fold into neat rectangular parcels.
- 4
Arrange the filled crêpes in a buttered baking dish. Whisk sour cream and flour with the remaining paprika juices and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
- 5
Spoon sauce over the parcels and bake at 190°C for 15–20 minutes until hot. Garnish sparingly with parsley if desired.
Cook notes
Tips
Braising meat first produces both the filling and the essential sauce.
Keep the crêpes thin and unsweetened.
Cook smarter
Helpful notes
Practical storage, serving, swap, and troubleshooting notes for a better first try.
Storage Tips
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven for best texture, covered with foil to retain moisture.
- To freeze, wrap individual crêpes tightly in plastic wrap before placing them in a freezer bag.
Substitutions
- Veal, chicken or leftover pörkölt meat can be used when its cooking juices are retained for sauce.
What to Serve With
- Serve as a warm starter or main course with a simple cucumber salad.
Common Mistakes
- Do not substitute dry ground beef and tomato paste.
- Do not make sauce from sour cream and water alone.
- Do not overfill or tear the crêpes.
- A preparation guide should show braising and shredding the meat, filling eight crêpes, making sauce from the braising juices and baking the sauced parcels without any checklist text.
Recipe FAQ
What meat is used for the filling?
Chicken, veal or another meat first cooked as paprikash or pörkölt, then finely shredded or chopped with some of its sauce.
How is the paprika sauce made?
Use the retained braising juices, smooth them, and finish them with a tempered sour-cream-and-flour liaison.
Kitchen tools
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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Baking sheet
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Blender
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Saucepan
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Chef knife
A basic prep tool for vegetables, herbs, aromatics, and proteins.
Cutting board
Keeps prep organized for chopping, slicing, and staging ingredients.
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