Juicy beef smothered in a creamy mushroom and onion gravy. Beef Stroganoff is a crowd favourite that tastes like a slow cooked stew but is on the table in 30 minutes!
Beef Stroganoff – a timeless retro classic!!!
If you’ve ever chewed your way through dry, overcooked beef in a Stroganoff, you’re going to love this one. Just two simple rules for juicy, tender beef – using the right cut and the 30 Second Sear ( <– PS I totally made up this name).
The first rule is fairly self explanatory – for a quick cooking recipe like Beef Stroganoff, you can’t get away with using a better value tough cut like chuck beef. Sure, you could do a slow cooker stroganoff (putting that on my list!). But if you want to make this retro classic the way it’s intended and to experience all that Beef Stroganoff is when the beef is tender, juicy perfection, then there’s no getting around the fact that you will need a decent quality steak that’s nicely marbled with fat.
I know, I know, you see juicy steaks like the scotch fillets above and your instinct is to throw them on the barbie.
I hear you. I have to fight the urge myself. But then I remember that sour cream mushroom gravy, and I remind myself that the only way to experience a truly great stroganoff is to use a good steak, and it’s all good. We proceed with no regrets.
And thus, the 2nd secret to never suffer through dry beef in stroganoff again – the 30 Second Sear. Thin strips of beef like these overcook in a flash. But forgoing the sear would be a blasphemy (in my books). Sear = flavour on both the beef AND in the gravy.
Therefore, there is only one way around this. A super quick sear in a smoking hot skillet. And when I say super quick, I truly mean it. 30 seconds on each side, if you miss some pink bits too bad! GET IT OUT OF THE SKILLET!!!
If you’re wondering if the beef is still raw inside at this stage, yup, it sure is. As I said, these are pretty thin strips of beef, and now that we’ve sealed the juices inside with the sear, we’re going to finish cooking them in the gravy right at the very end. 1 minute simmering in the gravy is all it takes – the beef continues cooking in the residual heat when you take the skillet off the stove.
Serve it over noodles or mash – anything that’s a suitable vehicle to slop up all that gorgeous mushroom gravy.
Dinner – on the table in 30 minutes. EVERYONE WILL LOVE THIS!!! – Nagi x
- 600 g / 1.2 lb scotch fillet steak (boneless ribeye) (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil , divided
- 1 large onion (or 2 small onions), sliced
- 300 g / 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (not too thin)
- 40 g / 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour (Note 2)
- 2 cups / 500 ml beef broth , preferably salt reduced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 150 ml / 2/3 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper
- 250 - 300 g / 8 - 10 oz pasta or egg noodles of choice (Note 3)
- Chopped chives , for garnish (optional)
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Use your fist (or rolling pin or mallet) to flatten the steaks to about 3/4cm / 1/3" thick. Slice into 5mm / 1/5" strips (cut long ones in half), discarding excess fat.
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Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
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Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Scatter half the beef in the skillet, QUICKLY spread it with tongs. Leave untouched for 30 seconds until browned. Turn beef quickly (as best you can!). Leave untouched for 30 seconds to brown. Immediately remove onto a plate. Don't worry about pink bits and that it will be raw inside.
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Add remaining 1 tbsp oil and repeat with remaining beef.
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Turn heat down to medium high. Add butter, melt. Then add onions, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms.
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Cook mushrooms until golden. Scrape bottom of fry pan to get all the golden bits off (this is flavour!).
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Add flour, cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
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Add half the broth while stirring. Once incorporated, add remaining broth.
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Stir, then add sour cream and mustard. Stir until incorporated (don't worry if it looks split, sour cream will "melt" as it heats).
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Bring to simmer ,then reduce heat to medium low. Once it thickens to the consistency of pouring cream (3 - 5 minutes), adjust salt and pepper to taste.
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Add beef back in (including plate juices). Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from stove immediately. (Note 4)
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Serve over pasta or egg noodles, sprinkled with chives if desired.
1. Stroganoff is best made with a decent to good quality quick cooking cut of beef because the dish is cooked quickly. I used 2 x beef scotch fillets (aka boneless rib eye) which is pretty well marbled with fat and you can find reasonably priced ones at butchers and supermarkets. Sirloin, rump and any other steak for BBQ-ing is suitable, except I don't recommend skirt, flat iron and cuts like that which need to be virtually rare to be juicy and usually work best when marinated. Tenderloin is also suitable BUT it is leaner.
Pork can also be used - pork stroganoff is found in Russia too.
2. Any wheat flour is fine here, I use plain white flour (all purpose). Or use 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour (makes it Gluten Free).
3. I like serving this with short, curly pasta. I like it best with short pastas, rather than long pastas. It's also great with mashed potato, rice, polenta - anything that's suitable to slop up all that gravy!
4. Sauce thickness: You can make sauce thinner with touch of water if you want, but DO NOT keep simmering to thicken once the beef is added, it will overcook the beef.
5. KEY STEPS in this recipe: brown very quickly so the beef is still raw inside, then finish cooking through in the gravy. The more colour you can get on the beef in 30 seconds on each side = more flavour in the end result. Do not worry about pink bits remaining on some of the beef after the sear and that it's raw inside - it is more important to get the beef out of the skillet after 60 seconds! The other key steps is to use a LARGE SKILLET. Key for beef browning / fast sauce reduction.
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings (serves 4 hearty servings or 5 sensible servings), excludes pasta.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
” Dozer! Catch the water!”
And so he obliged. Well, attempted to. Oh so enthusiastically!
Made Beef Stroganoff many times but never as superb as your recipe.. A real winner in our house.
Thanks for publishing.
Hey Nagi! I just made this for dinner tonight! It was so good. Creamy and tangy. And the beef was tender and juicy. We all enjoyed it v much. I used Chicken broth though, cos there was no beef broth in the fridge. Not sure if the taste would be a whole lot different. But ours is good! THANKS again!
Made recipe exactly as specified. Both my husband and two picky children loved it! We’ll be adding it to our rotation. The note section tips were magnificent. Thanks!
That’s terrific to hear Amanda! So glad you enjoyed this! N x
This was easy to make and divine to eat! Thanks for sharing with us.
That’s great to hear Rebecca! So pleased you enjoyed this! N xx
We absolutely loved this, and will certainly be making it again. The sauce is totally addictive though – I had to force myself to stop licking the spoon! 😋 Yum!
Hi all..
Great recipe but i tweeted it..i also added garlic and spring onions… also i used corn flour… i cooked beef first, took meat out and cooked garlic as this gives the oil or butter a garlic flavour then added onion when onion was nicely cooked i added mushrooms and spring onion and cooked mushrooms well then i added everything else except flour and sour cream.. i added the flour after 10 minutes of simmering on low heat… added the sour cream before i served with rice… yummy steak is tender…
Cool
Nagi, great recipe with perfect instructions! It’s a keeper, for sure.
I chose it because it was voted five star multiple times. I’d like to add my five stars to it, as well⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So great to hear Monika!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Hunted high ‘n’ low for your recipe, again. Forgot I had texted it to myself, d’oh! Now I’ve also emailed it to me. I never want to lose it! Loved it that much! Gotta follow you!
Nagi! This is an awesome recipe; tried it tonight and my family kept asking for seconds! Took your advice and bought a good cut of meat with good marbling, and it was delicious! The mustard’s genius, added a nice kick to the sauce. Yums! Will definitely make it again!
Best,
Sze Min
Great to hear you and your family enjoyed this Sze! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x
The best beef stroganoff recipe! I just finished making it 10mins ago and I can’t wait for my husband to be home for lunch! I made myself a plate and gone in 2seconds. I’m going to have another one when he gets home. The cut of meat and the a few seconds sear made a lot of difference!
I just discovered your blog by accident and now I’m going to try your recipes!
Thank you so much!
Love hearing that Eva! So pleased you enjoyed this 🙂 N x
Just made this for dinner this evening. Fantastic recipe! We are not eating wheat these days so used potato starch with the same amount instead of either wheat flour or cornstarch. Worked very well with no flavor difference that either of us noticed. I’m allergic to mustard so replaced with some Worcestershire sauce. I couldn’t believe how well the sour cream blended in just like you said! We had mashed potatoes underneath and I think my hubby all but licked the plate. Thanks for such a delicious recipe! We’ll be doing this again!
This is delicious!😁 Thank you! My kids loved it!
Yummmmy! Thankyou, thoroughly enjoyed this dish as I have all the others!
Thanks Nagi x
Terrific to hear Cathy! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it – N x
Taste great
So glad you enjoyed this Lynda!
What would be the ideal pasta used for this dish
Wide egg noodles 🙂