Beef Stroganoff

Creamy beef and mushroom stroganoff is ready and on the table in less than 20 minutes!

Comfort food at its finest! Steak in a creamy white wine sauce, served over pasta OR noodles. Your family will go crazy thinking there's a hidden chef in your kitchen with this easy beef stroganoff recipe!

Why This Recipe Works

Okay, if there's something we've learned after all these years of cooking, it's that homemade and from scratch is always better. And this recipe is no exception. Sorry, no shortcuts this time, but learning how to make beef stroganoff is still SO EASY that you're going to say 'Wait, is that it?!'

No more canned soups or ready made packets of anything for this beef stroganoff, and no coating the beef with ANY flour. Just a beautiful, silky cream sauce with a hint of wine aromas gently simmering away on the stove. Rivals any restaurant!

It is also incredibly versatile. If you are cooking on a budget, you can easily swap the steak for lean ground beef. Just brown the meat and drain off any excess fat from the skillet before moving on to the sauce.

We first shared this stroganoff recipe ELEVEN years ago (Vakac is getting OLD), and readers LOVED it so much back then that we thought we'd fix up the old photos and republish it with some tips so all of our new readers can make it for dinner!

a reliable Cut Of Meat For Beef Mushroom Stroganoff

We prefer the following beef cuts for a classic beef stroganoff. They stay tender during the cooking process without drying out and causing overly chewy pieces of meat in your sauce:

• Sirloin
• Eye fillet (known as beef tenderloin or filet mignon in the United States)
• Scotch fillet
• Flank steak

Because there is nothing worse than chewy, dried-out meat!

If you want to get a reliable, most tender beef possible, eye fillet is the absolute best cut to use to keep it soft.

We promise you, one of the first things people say when they try this stroganoff recipe is how soft and easy to eat the beef is. Picking the right meat for beef stroganoff is not random; a good recipe starts with the right choice of ingredients.

What Is Stroganoff Sauce Made Of?

This version is lightened up with a light or reduced-fat sour cream and extra broth (or stock) for MORE SAUCE! There are so many different beef stroganoff recipes out there: some with or without sour cream, and some using brandy instead of wine. During testing, our family, friends, and everyone who tried it loved this version the most. We also include Dijon mustard in this one. There is something about Dijon together with wine in a creamy beef stroganoff sauce that warms our soul. With added paprika and a good hint of garlic, this sauce is pretty much perfection.

On the stove

Boil your pasta al dente first. We do this so the pasta cooks on a back burner while we make the rest of the meal, helping get dinner on the table much faster. While the water boils, season your steak with salt and pepper.

Melt a little butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sear your steak. We sear the meat in single-layer batches because crowding the pan steams the beef instead of giving it a proper brown crust. Once browned, transfer the steak to a plate.

In the same pan, melt the rest of your butter to sauté the onions, garlic, and mushrooms until tender. Stir in the mustard and paprika, then pour in the white wine. As it bubbles, use your spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The flavors are going to be like it came from a restaurant; deglazing those pan juices is the key. Let the wine reduce by half.

On the stove

While the wine reduces, whisk the beef broth, flour, and Worcestershire sauce together in a small jug. We mix this in a separate jug rather than straight into the pan so the flour dissolves completely without clumping. Pour this smooth mixture into your skillet and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until it thickens.

Return the beef and its resting juices to the pan. Turn the heat down to low before stirring in the sour cream. We do this specifically to prevent the dairy from curdling!

Toss your cooked pasta right into the skillet, garnish with parsley, and your easy beef stroganoff is ready to serve.

Kitchen tip

Do you want to avoid common mistakes? We know exactly how to get a great dinner on the table.

• Cube and sear in batches: Cut your beef into even pieces so it cooks at the same rate. Cook it quickly in single layers. Overcrowding the skillet will cause the meat to steam instead of sear, leaving you with tough, chewy beef.
• Cook down the mushrooms: Let the mushrooms cook until their liquid evaporates. This deepens the overall flavor of your sauce.
• Do not skip deglazing: When you pour in the wine, use your spoon to scrape up all the flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan. Skipping this leaves the final dish tasting flat and watery.
• Simmer the sauce: Let the broth and flour mixture simmer for the full 5 minutes. This thickens the liquid and cooks out any starchy, raw flour taste.
• Prevent curdling: Bring your sour cream to room temperature before you start cooking. Always turn the heat down to low before stirring it in, because adding cold dairy to a boiling liquid causes the sauce to separate.

Serve it with

We love how versatile this dish is. And we know exactly what you need to pair with the sauce.

• Egg noodles: This is the most popular side because they hold the sauce perfectly. Once the sauce is ready, just throw in your cooked egg noodles and mix everything in the pan.
• Pasta: Any type works; spaghetti, penne, tagliatelle, pappardelle… but for THIS sauce, fettuccine or angel hair were our preferred choices for a few years. If you can find mafalde corte at the store, it is good for stroganoff. The short, ruffled edges grab onto the sauce perfectly.
• Plain rice: A simple pantry staple that absorbs all the flavor. We personally like to skip the pasta sometimes and add the beef and sauce to a plate of garlic butter rice.
• Spaghetti squash: If you want a healthy beef stroganoff dinner, this is a fantastic low-calorie option.
• Zucchini noodles: Also known as zoodles, these are another excellent choice for a lighter meal. You can find out how to make the zoodles in our chicken zucchini recipe!

Recipe FAQ's

You can swap the wine for extra beef broth mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar or extra Dijon mustard to give the sauce that needed acidity.

The flour whisked into the beef broth naturally thickens the sauce as it simmers. If it still seems too thin, just let it simmer a bit longer before you stir in the sour cream.

Heavy cream or crème fraîche work well. We recommend avoiding half-and-half because it can make the sauce too thin.

Cremini or baby bella mushrooms give a deeper flavor, but standard white button mushrooms work perfectly fine too.

4.95 from 38 votes

Creamy Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff

What you need

• 1 pound egg Fettuccine dry weight
• 4 tablespoons butter divided
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic crushed or minced
• 1 pound mushrooms sliced
• 24 ounces lean beef fillet steaks seasoned with salt and pepper and cubed into 1 1/2-inch pieces – sirloin, tenderloin, eye fillet or scotch fillet
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika smoky or mild
• 1/3 cup dry white wine, or more if you like it stronger
• 2 cups beef broth or stock, or 2 cups water mixed with 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pinch salt to taste
• 1 pinch pepper to taste
• 1 cup light sour cream at room temperature, or reduced fat cooking cream
• 1 pinch fresh parsley chopped, to garnish

Method

1. Boil the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to packet instructions until al dente. Remove; strain and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sear the steak in single layer batches until browned.
3. Melt the remaining butter in the pan; add the onions and sauté until transparent, then add the garlic and fry until just fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender and cooked through (about 4 minutes). Mix in the mustard and paprika.
4. Add the wine and cook for about 3 minutes while stirring occasionally to mix all of the flavours through, deglazing the pan while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan with your spoon.
5. While the wine is reducing, whisk together the beef broth (or stock), flour, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.
6. Mix well and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce begins to thicken.
7. Add the pasta or noodles to the pan
8. Reduce the heat to low and mix in sour cream. Heat until hot (do not boil).
9. Garnish and serve!