Some recipes have a timeless, almost nostalgic quality to them. They feel both familiar and sophisticated, evoking images of cozy, candlelit dinners and old-world charm. For me, no dish captures this feeling quite like a classic Beef Stroganoff. And I’m thrilled to share my perfected Creamy Stroganoff Beef Dinner Recipe with you today.
This is the meal I make when I want something that feels incredibly special and indulgent, but I only have about 30 minutes to spare on a busy Monday. It’s a beautiful dance of flavors and textures: tender, savory strips of beef and earthy sautéed mushrooms, all enveloped in a rich, velvety, and delightfully tangy cream sauce. Served over a bed of buttery egg noodles, it is the absolute pinnacle of comfort food.
Forget any fears you have of tough beef or a curdled sauce. This recipe is a foolproof guide to mastering this elegant classic at home. It’s surprisingly simple, ridiculously delicious, and guaranteed to make any night of the week feel like a special occasion.
A Taste of Timeless Comfort
With roots in 19th-century Russia, Beef Stroganoff has become a beloved comfort food classic all across the world. It’s a dish that feels both luxurious and deeply grounding. My version honors the traditional flavors while ensuring the method is streamlined for the modern home cook. The secret to an extraordinary stroganoff isn’t a long cooking time; it’s about building layers of flavor quickly and intelligently in one pan—searing the beef, browning the mushrooms, and creating a silky, tangy sauce that brings everything together. It has a similar soul to the creamy mushroom sauces, or Rahmsoßen, we love so much here in Germany, but with its own unique, tangy character.
Why You’ll Fall in Love With This Classic:
- Elegant and Impressive: This is a true “restaurant-quality” dish that looks and tastes incredibly fancy. It’s perfect for a date night in or for impressing dinner guests.
- Surprisingly Fast: While it tastes like it has been simmering for hours, this entire, luxurious meal comes together in about 30 minutes.
- Incredible Depth of Flavor: From the perfectly seared beef and caramelized mushrooms to the rich, tangy sour cream finish, every bite is a complex and satisfying journey of taste.
- The Ultimate Comfort Food: Served over a tangle of buttery noodles on a chilly evening, there are few meals more comforting than this.
Ingredients & Equipment
For the Beef Stroganoff:
- Beef Sirloin Steak (Hüftsteak): 680g (1.5 lbs), thinly sliced against the grain into bite-sized strips.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper: To taste.
- Butter: 4 tablespoons (60g), unsalted, divided.
- Olive Oil: 1 tablespoon.
- Cremini Mushrooms: 225g (8 oz), cleaned and sliced.
- Yellow Onion: 1 large, thinly sliced.
- Garlic: 3 cloves, minced.
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 tablespoons.
- Brandy or Dry White Wine: 60 ml (¼ cup), optional but highly recommended for flavor.
- Beef Broth: 350 ml (1 ½ cups), good quality.
- Dijon Mustard: 1 tablespoon.
- Worcestershire Sauce: 1 teaspoon.
- Full-Fat Sour Cream (Schmand or Saure Sahne): 180g (¾ cup), at room temperature.
- For Serving: Cooked egg noodles, and freshly chopped parsley or dill for garnish.
Helpful Equipment:
- A large, wide skillet or sauté pan.
Time Estimates
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 35 minutes
Step-by-Step Instructions
This dish moves fast, so have your ingredients prepped and ready to go!
Step 1: Sear the Beef Pat the beef strips thoroughly dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in your large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot and shimmering, add the beef in a single layer (work in batches!). Sear for just 1-2 minutes per side until nicely browned but still pink inside. Immediately remove the beef to a plate. Do not overcook!
Step 2: Sauté the Mushrooms and Onion Melt 2 more tablespoons of butter in the same skillet. Add the sliced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms, spread them out, and cook without stirring for a few minutes until they are deeply browned and caramelized. Continue to cook, stirring, for another 5-7 minutes total.
Step 3: Build the Sauce Base Stir the minced garlic into the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat everything. Cook for 1 minute more to toast the flour.
Step 4: Deglaze and Simmer If using, pour in the brandy or white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom. Let it bubble away for a minute. Gradually whisk in the beef broth until smooth. Stir in the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes, until it has thickened nicely.
Step 5: Combine Reduce the heat to low and return the seared beef and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Stir to combine and let it warm through for a minute.
Step 6: The Creamy Finish (The Most Important Step!) Turn off the heat entirely. Let the skillet cool for a minute. Add the room-temperature sour cream and stir gently until it is fully incorporated and the sauce is smooth and velvety. Do not let the sauce boil after adding the sour cream.
Step 7: Serve Immediately Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Serve the stroganoff immediately over hot, buttery egg noodles, garnished with a generous sprinkle of fresh parsley or dill.
Notes, Tips, & Variations
- The Sour Cream Secret: The key to a perfectly smooth, non-curdled stroganoff sauce is to add the sour cream off the heat. A hot, bubbling sauce will cause the sour cream to split. Using full-fat, room-temperature sour cream (or even better, German Schmand) also makes it much more stable.
- Mushroom Perfection: Don’t rush the browning of the mushrooms! A deep, caramelized color on the mushrooms translates to a deep, savory flavor in your sauce.
- Vegetarian Stroganoff: This is an easy one to adapt! Simply omit the beef, double the amount of mushrooms (and maybe use a mix of varieties), and substitute vegetable broth for the beef broth.
- Serving Suggestions: While buttery egg noodles are the classic pairing, this creamy stroganoff is also absolutely delicious served over fluffy rice, creamy mashed potatoes, or even crispy roasted potatoes. A simple green salad with a vinaigrette is a perfect fresh side.
Classic Creamy Stroganoff Beef Dinner Recipe
Ingredients
- 680 g 1.5 lbs beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 225 g 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 60 ml ¼ cup brandy or dry white wine (optional)
- 350 ml 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 180 g ¾ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- For serving: Cooked egg noodles chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season beef strips with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear beef in batches for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in the same skillet. Sauté onions for 3-4 minutes, then add mushrooms and cook until deeply browned (5-7 minutes).
- Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute.
- Deglaze with brandy/wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Gradually whisk in beef broth, Dijon, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Reduce heat to low, return the beef and its juices to the pan, and warm through.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the room-temperature sour cream until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Do not boil.
- Season to taste. Serve immediately over egg noodles, garnished with parsley.
Notes
- To prevent the sauce from curdling, use full-fat, room-temperature sour cream and stir it in OFF the heat.
- Serve over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
- For a vegetarian version, double the mushrooms and use vegetable broth.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the best cut of beef for a quick-cooking Stroganoff? For a 30-minute stroganoff, you need a tender cut of beef that cooks quickly. Beef sirloin is my top choice as it’s a perfect balance of flavor, tenderness, and price. Beef tenderloin is even more tender and luxurious if you’re feeling fancy.
2. How do I stop my sour cream from curdling? This is the most common stroganoff problem! There are three keys to success: 1) Use full-fat sour cream (low-fat versions are much more likely to split). 2) Make sure it’s at room temperature before adding it. 3) Most importantly, turn off the heat before you stir it in. Adding cold sour cream to a boiling sauce is a recipe for disaster.
3. Can I make this with a tougher cut of beef, like chuck roast? You can, but you must change the cooking method entirely. A tougher cut like chuck needs to be slow-cooked. Follow the recipe through step 5, but instead of simmering for 5 minutes, cover the pot and simmer on low for 1.5 – 2 hours until the beef is tender. Then, finish with the sour cream off the heat as directed.
4. What can I serve with Beef Stroganoff besides egg noodles? While egg noodles are the classic pairing, stroganoff is incredibly versatile. It’s fantastic served over a pile of creamy mashed potatoes, fluffy white rice, or even low-carb options like zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
Ready for a Taste of Elegance?
This Beef Stroganoff is one of those special recipes that I hope will become a treasured part of your cooking repertoire. It’s a little bit of weeknight magic. If you make it, I would be so delighted if you left a comment and a star rating below!
For more comforting classics and elegant weeknight meals, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. I love connecting with you there! Now, go get a pot of water boiling for One-Pot Mexican Beef Dinner Recipe!