This easy beef stroganoff recipe is comfort food at its finest. Indulge in juicy strips of steak slathered in creamy mushroom sauce. While extravagant in taste, this satisfying meal will serve your whole family in 40 minutes or less.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain when tender.
While the noodles are cooking, in a small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place the beef slices in a single layer in the skillet. Sear for about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the skillet.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet swirling until melted.
Add the mushrooms and onions. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are tender and browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Slowly stir in the beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Whisk 2 tablespoons of the hot beef broth mixture into the sour cream mixture. (This will temper the sour cream so it doesn’t curdle.) Add the sour cream mixture to the skillet and continue stirring until the sauce is creamy and fully combined.
Return the beef to the skillet and simmer until beef is heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately over the cooked egg noodles. Garnish with chives, if desired.
Notes
Freeze the steak just until firm. Freezing the whole steak for 15 minutes firms the meat up, making it easier to slice thinly. A sharp knife helps too!
Quickly sear the beef. Before putting the meat in the skillet, ensure the oil is hot and sizzling. Don’t continuously flip the steak; leave it to sear on one side for 30 seconds before flipping. Even if the meat is still pink inside, don’t worry because it will continue to cook later in the recipe. A quick sear works best for optimal flavor and creates juicy and tender strips of beef.
Don’t curdle the cream. An important step is to add some hot beef broth to the sour cream mixture to help temper the sauce before fully combining. Also, be sure to thoroughly heat the combined sauces without bringing them to a boil. Both steps make it less likely to curdle.
Optional: Ground beef stroganoff recipe. If you have ground beef on hand that you’d like to substitute for an even more low-maintenance meal, use 1 pound of it in place of the steak, and use the same recipe steps, cooking and crumbling the beef until cooked through instead of just searing it. I recommend using 90% lean beef, but if the fat content is higher, just brown and strain the fat.
Optional variations. This meal is traditionally served with egg noodles but it also tastes delicious with a variety of other foods, like a bed of warm mashed potatoes or instant pot brown rice.