Make the best beef stroganoff tonight in less than 30 minutes! This delicious and classic comfort food recipe is savory, delicious, and sure to be a hit with your family for dinner tonight! With just a few simple ingredients, you can have this easy dish on the table in no time!
I'm so excited to share this delicious and easy beef stroganoff recipe with you since it's one of my favorites. I always enjoyed eating the Hamburger Helper version of beef Stroganoff back in my university days since it was so convenient. This version is much different because it's made using regular and fresh ingredients and not from a package. When I make this, we can't help but go for seconds or even thirds so I have to make sure I prepare enough!
Honestly, I like to double this tasty recipe; it's that good! If you pan on doing the same, make sure you have a large enough pan!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! ❤️ If you give it a try, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments section at the bottom of the page or share a pic of your om noms on Instagram and tag @dishesanddustbunnies! ❤️
What is beef stroganoff?
Beef Stroganoff is a classic Russian comfort food dish of sautéed beef in a delicious sour cream sauce. It usually contains mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. This dish is said to have been created in Russia and was named after a nineteenth century Russian diplomat, Count Pavel Stroganov.
Beef stroganoff gained popularity in the United States during the 1950s, thanks to the popularity of Russian cuisine among Americans. It became a popular dish in home kitchens and was often served at parties and potlucks.
Today, beef stroganoff is still a popular dish, and it can be found on the menus of many restaurants. It is also a popular choice for home cooks looking for an easy-to-make, hearty meal.
This beef stroganoff recipe is easy to make and can be on the table in just 30 minutes. It is perfect for a quick weeknight meal!
What is the difference between beef stew and beef stroganoff?
Beef Stroganoff typically includes sour cream in the sauce, and the dish is served with egg noodles. Beef stew doesn't include sour cream in the sauce, which is usually thicker and contains flour. Beef stew typically contains more veggies and other ingredients.
What Ingredients are Used to Make Beef Stroganoff?
What is stroganoff sauce made of?
Beef stroganoff is made with simple ingredients such as ground beef, sliced onions, mushrooms, beef stock, butter, garlic, a little flour, Worcestershire sauce, sour cream, salt, pepper and some parsley. It's typically served over egg noodles or rice.
Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredients & instructions!
How to make The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe from Scratch – Overview
You can find the full recipe details, including ingredient amounts and the full instructions at the bottom of this post, but first here's a quick overview on how to make homemade beef stroganoff from scratch.
In a large pan or skillet on medium heat, brown the ground beef. Let the meat simmer, then add butter, sliced onions and sliced mushrooms. Combine and allow to cook until the onions are lightly browned a bit and mushrooms have softened. Add garlic, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Next, sprinkle in flour 1 tbsp at a time, while stirring – make sure to avoid leaving any lumps – crush any with your spoon. This is an important step as it thickens the sauce. Allow the contents of the pan to cook with the dissolved flour for a couple minutes – you should see it begin to thicken.
Bring the mixture in the skillet to a boil. Turn down the heat, then add the sour cream. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, then add ½ cup of water, the noodles and combine. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are cooked.
Next, lift the lid on you pan and stir everything. Grab a spoon and give it a taste test – add more pepper if needed. Serve and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
What is the best beef for stroganoff?
This dish is traditionally made with beef tenderloin, but in this recipe calls for ground beef as it's quicker to cook. By using ground beef, you'll end up with a dish similar to Hamburger Helper beef stroganoff you can find in store, but it'll be homemade and way more delicious and flavorful!
Instead of ground beef, you can use any cut of beef that you like!
Make sure to cut whatever beef you're using into chunks so that it'll cook evenly. Also keep in mind that if you're using something other than ground beef, you may have to add some cooking time before adding the other ingredients.
Here are some more types of beef that work well with stroganoff:
- sirloin steak
- flank steak
- beef tenderloin
- stewing beef
In the future, I'm planning trying other cuts of beef for this recipe and will give you more tips then!
What type of noodles are best for beef stroganoff?
There are many types of noodles that can be used for beef stroganoff, but my personal favorite is egg noodles. They have a nice, soft texture that goes well with the creamy sauce. Wide, flat egg noodles are best!
Should I cook the noodles before adding to the sauce? In this recipe, you simple have to add the noodles to the pan and the liquid from the sauce will soften them up in about 10 minutes. I felt this helps keep the recipe as simple as possible and also reduces how many pots you're going to have to clean! lol
If you'd like, you could definitely cook egg noodles separately, then simply pour the stroganoff over top when you serve it! It's up to you! 😋
How do I make my beef stroganoff sauce thicker?
For this recipe, I've used all purpose flour to help thicken the sauce – 4 tablespoons should be enough. Allowing the sauce to cook for a bit without the lid on, while stirring occasionally will help make it thicker.
Recipe Variations & Tips
What can I use instead of sour cream in stroganoff?
If you'd like to substitute sour cream for something else in this recipe here are a few options:
- Greek yogurt
- Dairy free sour cream
If you've used a different substitute that's work well for you, please let me know and I'll add it to this list!
What can I use instead of mushrooms in beef stroganoff?
Personally, I love mushroom, so I would never leave them out in this recipe! I feel mushrooms in stroganoff add a delightful and subtle earthy flavour in the dish.
If you choose to leave out the mushrooms, the recipe should still taste good, but I might recommend adding a little soy sauce in its place.
Storing Leftovers
When stored in an airtight container it will be good for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can also freeze beef stroganoff for up to 2 months.
What to serve with beef stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is traditionally served served over noodles or rice, but you can also serve it over mashed potatoes, bread, or even eggs.
Homestyle Beef Stroganoff from Scratch
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 3 tbsps butter
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 8 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 4 tbsps all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup sour cream (full fat is best!)
- ½ cup of water
- 340 g package of broad egg noodle pasta (I use No Yolks kind)
- Flat leaf Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pan or skillet on medium heat, brown the ground beef.
- Add butter, sliced onions and mushrooms. Combine and allow to cook until the onions and mushrooms have softened.
Tip: You'll get a lot more flavour if you allow the onions to caramelize a bit! To do this, I push the ground beef and mushrooms to the sides of the pan and let the onions cook in the center as the heat is more concentrated there. Once browned a bit, I combine the beef, onions and mushrooms again. - Add garlic, stir and cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle in flour 1 tbsp at a time, while stirring – make sure to avoid leaving any lumps – crush any with your spoon. This is an important step as it thickens the sauce. Allow the contents of the pan to cook with the dissolved flour for a couple minutes – you should see it begin to thicken.
- Bring the mixture in the skillet to a boil. Turn down the heat, then stir in the sour cream. Allow to cook for a couple minutes.
- Next, add ½ cup of water, then add the noodles and combine. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are softened. It's super important to cover the pan with a lid in this step so the moisture can cook into your noodles!
- Next, lift the lid on you pan and stir everything. Grab a spoon and give it a taste test – add more pepper if needed.
- Serve and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
When browning the ground beef: Since we're using extra lean ground beef in this recipe, you won't have to worry about draining any excess fat from the pan before moving onto the next step. If you're using a more fatty ground beef than the recipe originally called for, you'll need to remove some of the excess fat. Just use a large serving spoon to scoop it up, then pour it into a heat proof dish.
Adding Water at Step 7: Depending on how thick of a sauce you end up with in step 6, you may need to add a little more than ½ cup of water so the noodles have enough moisture to soften up. Also keep in mind that if you use MORE noodles than the recipe originally called for, you'll likely need to add more water.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Method: Stovetop
