Welcome to The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe! I tested this over and over to get the most flavorful, tender Beef Stroganoff. It includes ribeye steak, beef stock, wine and a delicious blend of seasonings.
Folks, this is one of the best dishes on Cooking with Mamma C. I worked hard to develop The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe, and anyone who's tried it raves about it!
A Russian dish, Beef Stroganoff includes strips of beef served in a sour cream sauce, often with mushrooms and egg noodles.
I grew up eating this when Mom would make it for my Hungarian Grandpa, who would visit for Sunday dinners. Hungarian Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings also was in rotation.
Mom's Stroganoff is legendary. She includes wine, as done in Europe, and a special blend of seasonings. But she braises the meat for a long time, and I wanted to find a quicker method.
After several experiments, I finally nailed The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe to share with you!
Still, it'll take over an hour of mostly hands-on time, so buckle up, Baby. I promise, it'll be worth it!
Recipe ingredients
Ribeye Steak: This is the best beef for stroganoff! It's the most flavorful and tender steak...even though we’re removing most of the fat. If you need a less expensive alternative, you can substitute pork tenderloin.
Seasonings: A blend of paprika, ground mustard, salt and pepper makes the best seasoning for Beef Stroganoff. Thanks to Mom for passing on this secret! It.Tastes.Amazing.
Mushrooms: Buy the cleanest white mushrooms you can find. I prefer buying them whole because they're much easier to clean than sliced mushrooms. If you want to use a pound of mushrooms instead of 12 ounces, feel free. You won't have to add extra seasonings!
White Wine: I always use Sauvignon Blanc, but you could substitute Pinot Grigio or sherry. Choose something not too dry. Cooking wine tends to be salty, but you could use it if necessary.
If you need to omit the alcohol, substitute an extra ½ cup of beef stock.
Beef Stock: Use stock instead of broth. It adds deep, savory flavor to your Beef Stroganoff sauce.
Egg Noodles: I always use wide egg noodles and cook them al dente. They taste delicious and hold up well as leftovers. For a healthier option, I used whole wheat egg noodles in these photos.
How to make the best beef Stroganoff
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
Tenderize the steak
Even though we're starting with a tender ribeye steak, we need to tenderize it further. Using this method will produce soft meat that's easy to chew.
- Pound the steak to ¼-inch thickness using a meat mallet (affiliate link) or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- Cut out the fat and discard it.
- Slice the beef into strips, cutting in the opposite direction of the grain to make it more tender.
Cook the Beef Stroganoff
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend on the beef strips while you're quickly browning the meat.
- Cook the mushrooms and onions until there is no liquid remaining, and the vegetables are golden brown. This is necessary to build flavor. The mushrooms must reach the stage pictured before you proceed with the next step.
- After stirring flour into your mushrooms, deglaze the pan with white wine. This provides a flavor powerhouse.
- Add beef stock instead of beef broth. Because...FLAVOR.
- Add sour cream and let the mushroom sauce thicken before returning the beef to the pan. You don't want to overcook the steak, or it'll become dry.
- Cook egg noodles, drain them and mix in a little butter.
What to serve with it
Traditional Beef Stroganoff is served over egg noodles, but mashed potatoes, rice, pasta or dumplings also would work well.
Since this is already a complete meal with mushrooms, you can simply serve this steak Stroganoff with The Best Italian Green Salad. But don’t forget the Homemade Italian Bread to dip in the creamy Stroganoff sauce!
Frequently asked questions
Beef Stroganoff dates back to the early 1800s in Russia. A French chef working for the noble Stroganoff family invented the dish, based on Russian cuisine. The original, classic Beef Stroganoff recipe included only mustard and sour cream in the sauce.
I always make stovetop Beef Stroganoff and haven’t tested a slow cooker version. This recipe would likely need adjustments.
More recipes like this
- Steak with Compound Butter
- Scallopini with Mushrooms
- Italian Sautéed Mushrooms
- Easy Chicken Marsala
- Stovetop Corned Beef
Enjoy!
If you try The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!
The Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces white mushrooms (see notes)
- 1 yellow onion (large)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 pounds ribeye steak (once you trim off the fat, you'll end up with 1 ½ pounds)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt (divided use)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (divided use)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (divided use)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc.)
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- ⅔ cup sour cream
Egg Noodles
- 1 pound egg noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Rinse the mushrooms under a cool stream of water while brushing off the dirt with a vegetable brush or (wipe with a damp paper towel). Pat the mushrooms dry with a paper towel, slice them and set aside.
- Peel the onion and slice it thinly.
- Peel the garlic clove and press it with a garlic press (or chop it finely).
- Pound the steak to about ⅓-inch thick using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to trim off excess fat. Slice the beef into strips (slice in the opposite direction of the grain to help make it more tender.) Cut any long strips in half. Wash your hands well.
- Prepare the seasoning blend by mixing the paprika and mustard with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Fill a pasta pot ⅔ full with hot water and set it on the stove without any heat yet.
- In an extra-large skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the beef strips to the pan in a single layer. Sprinkle on the seasoning blend.
- Quickly brown the meat on one side, then flip it over to brown the other side for about 30 seconds. The meat will still have some pink on the edges but will cook more later. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a platter and cover it with foil.
- Add two more tablespoons of butter to the pan and let it melt. Add the onions and mushrooms but hold off on the garlic. Stir to combine. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir again and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden, the mushrooms are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated. This should take around 15 minutes.
- When the mushrooms and onions are golden brown, stir the pressed garlic into the mushrooms and let it cook for a minute. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for another minute.
- Deglaze the pan by pouring in ½ cup white wine and using a wooden or plastic spoon to scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir everything for a minute, then stir in 1 ½ cups beef stock.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let the pan simmer for five minutes.
- While that's simmering, add a teaspoon of salt to the pot of water for the egg noodles. Cover the pot with a lid and place the pot over high heat so it can boil.
- After the mushroom mixture has simmered for five minutes, stir in the sour cream and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.
- While the mushroom sauce is simmering, cook the egg noodles in the boiling water. Cook them until al dente (check on them a minute or two before the package directions say they're done.) Drain the egg noodles in a colander in the sink, keeping just a bit of the cooking water in the pot. Return the drained noodles to the pot and stir in 3 tablespoons of butter.
- When the mushroom sauce is thickened, add the beef to the sauce and give it a stir. Let the beef cook for 2-3 minutes more. (You can cut into a strip of beef to see if it is cooked enough for you. It needs to have some pink inside in order to be tender. Keep in mind the beef will continue cooking after you turn off the heat.)
- Serve the Beef Stroganoff over the egg noodles. Serve with red pepper flakes at the table if desired.
- Store leftover noodles separately from the Beef Stroganoff. Refrigerate leftovers for up to four days.
Video
Notes
- Buy the cleanest white mushrooms you can find. I prefer buying them whole because they're much easier to clean than sliced mushrooms. If you want to use a pound of mushrooms instead of 12 ounces, feel free. You won't have to add extra seasonings.
- If you don't want to use wine, use an extra ½ cup of beef stock instead.
- If the meat is too expensive, you can buy just 1 ½ pounds and use extra mushrooms. Or, substitute pork tenderloin.
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Inspired by Mom's Beef Stroganoff. Originally published on September 20, 2018 and updated now with additional photos and information.)
Maggie Kuhn says
Can this be frozen?
Mamma C says
Hi Maggie - You can freeze the Beef Stroganoff without the noodles. The noodles would probably become mushy.
Tracy C says
I grew up with this recipe being a family favorite.
My mom would lightly coat the beef strips and shrooms with flour. Then, in a large skillet, saute the onions in oil. She would add a little more oil then brown the beef and shrooms in oil in a large skillet. Then she would add milk and the cream of mushroom soup and some sour cream. Then stir in frozen (only frozen or fresh. NEVER canned!) any sweet peas.
The flour from the beef and shrooms add body and a richer flavor than if just simply adding flour as a thickening agent.
After simmering on low heat (stirring frequently) my mom served it over either rice or pasta (to add variety). Then a dollop of sure cream in top.
So yummy!
Mamma C says
Hi Tracy - Great memory of your mom's cooking!
Tracy Young says
Guess I’m late to the game, but this recipe popped up when I search for beef stroganoff recipes. It was fantastic!! Pretty much followed the recipe but used Better than Boillon for the stock, and cooking sherry for the wine (all I had). Smoked paprika, and added some fresh parsley when added the sour cream. It was fantastic!! We got dinner for my husband and I and at least 2-4 lunches. Saved and will definitely make again!
Mamma C says
Hi Tracy - This is one of our best recipes! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.