Beef Stroganoff | The Modern Proper (2024)

March 26, 2024

There’s a reason that beef stroganoff recipes-full of creamy beef and mushrooms-get passed down from generation to generation. Do yourself a favor and make this classic comfort food recipe tonight!

An Easy Beef Stroganoff Recipe To Make Tonight

We share a lot of comfort-food recipes here, particularly this time of year. They’re reflective of what we’re craving, and therefore what we’re cooking. We assume that the same goes for you. Once you’ve made our best beef stroganoff recipe, you should give our Creamy Mushroom Sauce or Hungarian Mushroom Soup recipe a go too! Or if you’re craving more classic beef recipes, our Hamburger Helper is a winner.

What Is Beef Stroganoff?

This sour cream-tinged, quick-to-make traditional beef stroganoff recipe goes way back in culinary history. Its origins are as Russian as the name “stroganoff” implies. The beefy recipe was likely created in the early 1800s for members of the wealthy Russian Stroganov family to indulge in. It seems likely that the dish was created by a French chef—browning the meat quickly, and making a pan sauce flavored with Dijon are both classically French techniques—working in St. Petersburg with Russian ingredients (hello, sour cream!). Beyond that, food scholars don’t know all of the details of what inspired its creation.

Ingredients For Homemade Beef Stroganoff

• Chuck or sirloin steak

• Yellow onion and garlic

• White or cremini mushrooms

• Beef broth, flour, and butter

• Fresh thyme

• Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard

• Sour cream

How To Make Beef Stroganoff

1. Slice the sirloin steak into thin strips. This is easiest to do if the steak is quite cold.

2. Sear the steak strips in a hot pan! You might want to work in batches, so that the pan stays hot.

3. Sauté some mushrooms (we like cremini, but white button mushrooms work, too) and onions in butter, and add a little garlic.

4. Roux time! Add a little flour, and whisk it in to make a roux—the base of your creamy beef stroganoff sauce.

5. Add all of the things that give this easy beef stroganoff recipe its big, bold flavors—beef broth, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, spicy Dijon mustard, and sour cream.

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6. Add the beef to the mushroomy stroganoff sauce, and admire your handiwork.

7. Serve! We love it over buttered egg noodles, because that's how Grandma made it, but it's also nice with White Rice.

How to Store Beef Stroganoff + Tips

• Leftovers are good in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze leftovers after cooled completely for up to 3 months.

• Consider the roux! The first step towards making your beef stroganoff sauce is making a roux, which simply means a thick paste of flour + fat that forms the base of most creamy sauces, including the famous French mother sauces. Don’t be intimidated, though—just be sure that when it comes time to whisk the flour into the sauce (you’ll do it after the onions and mushrooms have been cooked in butter) you give it a good whisk and a little time—you want to cook out the flours’ rawness and create a cohesive roux before proceeding to the next step.

• Use full-fat sour cream, and don’t let it boil! After you add the sour cream to the sauce, you’ll want to warm it through (of course) but be careful not to let the sauce fully boil or you’ll run the risk of curdling the sour cream. We say to use full-fat because full-fat sour cream is sturdier than low-fat, and therefore less likely to curdle.

• Make this the ultimate comfort meal with our Onion Chive Biscuits served on the side.

Looking For More Great Beef Recipes?

• Steak Pie

• Simple Ragù

• Slow Cooker Curry Ramen with Beef

Get Cozy With More Hearty Recipes From The Modern Proper

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