The BEST Beef Stroganoff (quick and easy!) - The Kitchen Girl (2024)

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Homemade beef stroganoff is a 30-minute skillet classic made with juicy steak, tender mushrooms, and fluffy egg noodles in savory, creamy stroganoff sauce. It's the ultimate comfort food.

Why you'll love this beef stroganoff recipe

1. Beef and mushrooms in sour cream sauce is the ultimate comfort food.
2. Perfect for any cooking level – even beginners!
3. Ready in 30 minutes.

When old fashioned beef stroganoff cravings hit, this recipe fulfills the need and then some. This delicious skillet dinner is made with juicy beef and tender noodles in a super creamy, gravy-like, sour cream mushroom sauce. It's an umami flavor extravaganza, which is what makes it the ultimate comfort meal.

Even beginner cooks will love how easy it is to make beef stroganoff from scratch with a few basic ingredients. Just boil noodles, saute beef, mushrooms, and onions, then briefly simmer with broth. The aroma alone will send you right down memory lane if you grew up with this classic – or you'll make new meal memories. Win win!

This stroganoff recipe clocks in under 30 minutes and, trust me, you'll find the ten minutes of dinner silence worth every minute of effort.

Ingredient notes

• beef - Beef ribeye, beef sirloin cuts, and ground beef are popular for traditional stroganoff because they cook quickly and bring lots of flavor.
• egg noodles - Other pasta noodles can be used, if desired.
• butter - You might already know, but this is the secret ingredient behind every delicious steak, so it's perfectly appropriate for beef stroganoff.
• onions, mushrooms, and garlic - These simple ingredients add so much texture and flavor to any classic homemade beef stroganoff recipe.
• beef broth, all purpose flour, and Worcestershire sauce - This is the magical combination that makes stroganoff sauce so saucy and gravy-like.
• sour cream and Dijon - These key ingredients complete the stroganoff sauce by adding a rich, creamy texture, tangy flavor, and a hint of heat.
• fresh parsley - This optional garnish adds a pop of color and flavor to brown foods like stroganoff, mushrooms, and mushroom soup.

How to make beef stroganoff

Enjoy these step-by-step instructions, or skip to the full, printable recipe below.

Boil egg noodles and prepare to drain thoroughly, once cooked. Slice and season beef strips. Sear beef in butter until slightly pink. Then, transfer beef with juices to a covered dish.

Melt remaining butter in the same skillet and saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until tender and browned.

Whisk together beef broth, flour, and Worcestershire sauce. Add to mushrooms and continue heating until sauce thickens, stirring as needed. Be patient, you'll think there's too much moisture at first, but just you wait.

Add beef to thickened mushroom sauce mixture. Stir in sour cream and Dijon. At this point, you can continue heating the stroganoff to cook the pink out of the steak, if desired.

Make-ahead tip: At this point in the process, allow the stroganoff sauce and egg noodles to cool completely. Refrigerate separately in airtight containers and use reheat instructions below for serving.

To serve, scoop stroganoff mixture over egg noodles and garnish with chopped parsley. Or stir egg noodles (in small amounts) into the stroganoff sauce mixture and heat until warmed through.

What's the best beef for stroganoff?

ribeye - A populr beef or homemade stroganoff because the fat marbling makes it naturally rich and juicy, which also makes it harder to overcook. It's pricey, so prepare to splurge – or catch it on sale.

beef sirloin or New York strip – Also pricey, but very lean. So, just give it a quick sear and don't overcook because creamy mushroom sauce will not fix leathery beef.

ground beef – A delicious and affordable alternative that can be substituted for the pricier steak cuts in equal amounts.

Tough cuts of beef aren't optimal for a 30-minute recipe because they require significantly longer cooking time to tenderize. When building your shopping list for this recipe, I recommend referencing the saute-worthy beef cuts so you can get the right beef, preferably on sale.

What's in stroganoff sauce?

• beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce
• all purpose flour
• sour cream
• Dijon
• salt and pepper

The sauce starts with sauteed onions and garlic for aroma and texture, then mushrooms add big umami flavor and volume. Use any grocery store mushrooms for this recipe.

Recipe tips

When adding salt to beef stroganoff, be careful to not overdo it because several ingredients already likely contain sodium, such as beef, beef broth, sour cream, Dijon, and butter. In fact, you may not need to add any salt.

If time permits, allow onions to caramelize over medium-low heat before adding the mushrooms. This turns the mushrooms into a rich brown color and adds even more delicious umami flavor to the stroganoff sauce.

Recipe variations

Egg noodles can be replaced with other pasta noodles in equal amounts and may require slightly longer cooking time.

Olive oil can be used in place of butter for this recipe, but I do recommend using butter as a first choice if you can.

I used baby bella mushrooms for this recipe, but other mushrooms can be used such as white button mushrooms, Cremini mushrooms, or large portobello mushrooms.

Beef broth can be substituted with chicken broth or vegetable broth. Also, you can use a reduced-sodium broth.

The sour cream can be substituted with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt or cream cheese. Nonfat Greek yogurt is an excellent low-calorie option. Another option is to replace the beef broth with milk + 1 beef bouillon cube and follow the cooking instructions as written.

If Worcestershire sauce isn't an option, you can use soy sauce or tamari in equal amounts.

Dijon can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of mustard powder. You won't get the vinegar flavor or sodium that comes with Dijon, but it will still have a hint of heat.

What to serve with this entree

Beef stroganoff is most commonly served over egg noodles and all vegetables are welcome as sides. Add a pop of green color with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or green beans. Lemony kale salad, corn on the cob, and beets are always easy – and no one ever turns down a nosh of bread.

Storage and reheat instructions

• Refrigerate: Once beef stroganoff has cooled completely, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
• Freeze: Transfer cooled stroganoff to freezer containers and freeze up to 3 months – or longer, if vacuum sealed. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator for an overnight stay. Do not thaw at room temperature.
• Reheat: Use your microwave or stove no higher than a medium heat setting since sour cream can curdle from excessive heat.

Recommended dinner recipes

• Old Fashioned Ham and Beans
• Lasagna Soup
• Beef Braciole
• Feta Pasta
• Chicken Vodka Sauce Pasta
• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
• Beef Taco Pasta

📖 Recipe