In need of a great comfort food recipe? Homemade beef stroganoff is just that! Slowly stew your beef to tender perfection over a deliciously deep cream sauce. Learn how to make homemade beef stroganoff with this easy to follow recipe!
Mike's Recipe Rundown
- Taste: Deep and savory. Like a nice steak in a rich cream sauce.
- Texture: Tender and creamy. The steak is slowly cooked to break down connective tissue and really leave you with a tender bite. The cream sauce and buttered noodles really provide a rich, comforting taste.
- Difficulty - Intermediate: The recipe is easy enough to follow for any stay at home chef to pull off.
- Pros: This is comfort food at it's best. Great on a cool night, or just when you need something satisfying at the end of a long, hard day.
- Cons: This recipe calls for chuck steak, which requires a long stew to break down. If you're looking for something quick, a beef tenderloin version would do the trick.
- Would I make again? Ab-so-lutely! This is a go to comfort food meal in out house.
What is Beef Stroganoff?
Beef stroganoff originated in Russia, as a sautéed piece of beef served in a sauce with sour cream. It can either be made with beef tenderloin quickly seared, or slowly cooked tougher cuts, like we use here with beef chuck roast. By slowly cooking it, we really develop the flavor and tenderness from a more affordable cut of meat.
Beef stroganoff is often served over noodles, like we use in this recipe. Rice is another popular vessel for this dish. In Scandinavia, it's not unpopular to see sausage substituted for the beef as well. We keep this super traditional with this awesome, comforting recipe found below.
There's some other great recipes you'll love, too. Like easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, perfect Pulled Pork or Parmesan Crusted Chicken. Right now my favorite comfort food recipe is the Kentucky Hot Brown, which goes great alongside a tasty Mint Julep.
What do I need to make beef stroganoff?
We'll do the vast majority of our cooking in a large cast iron skillet (affiliate). If you don't have a skillet, a large saute pan (affiliate) can also do the trick. I just prefer the sear you can get on the meat from a well seasoned cast iron pan (affiliate). Of course, you'll also boil your noodles in a large pot (affiliate).
Nerd Chef's Tips and Tricks
- As I've stated above, there's two main ways to cook stroganoff. The version in most restaurants uses quickly seared beef tenderloin. That goes best when you buy a whole beef tenderloin and butcher it. You'll often end up with tips that are great for this. The more affordable everyday version uses a nice chuck roast, but requires a much slower braise to make it as tender as we want it.
- Use a high heat oil when searing beef in a cast iron. Using a oil with a low smoke point - like olive oil - will easily smoke out your kitchen.
- If your meat has cooked an hour and it's still tough, it simply needs more time. Add a splash more water and continue to cook, checking it every ten minutes and adding more water as needed.
- Chef John's version of this recipe comes with a nice video, if you're more of a visual learner.
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How to Make Beef Stroganoff
Getting Going
Heat a large cast iron pan (affiliate) over medium high heat. Meanwhile, take your chuck roast out and lay it on a cutting board. Cut your across the chuck roast widthwise in ½ inch slices. Next, lay slices flat and cut lengthwise into ½ inch slices. You should now have a bunch of evenly sliced beef ribbon strips. Season strips with salt and pepper.
Add a high-smoke point oil to the cast iron pan. I used grapeseed oil. Allow oil to heat and add beef to pan. Sear until beef is browned on all sides, then remove to a pan to rest. Reduce heat on pan to medium.
Add mushrooms, onions and 1 Tbsp butter to pan. Stir together and season with another pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.
Braise The Bar
Pour white wine into pan. When it simmers, use the end of a spatula to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add one cup of beef stock and continue scraping up any remaining bits. Once all bits have been scrapped up, add remainder of stock and reduce heat to low.
Return beef to cast iron pan, pouring in any juices that collected while the beef rested. There's a ton of flavor in those juices, we want that! Stir everything together then cover with a lid. Braise over low heat for one hour.
Finishing Up
When meat has about 15 minutes left, bring a pot to boil and cook egg noodles according to instructions on the package. Drain noodles and toss in a large mixing bowl (affiliate) with parsley, remaining butter and a pinch of salt and pepper.
After an hour, check your meat for tenderness. If it's done, remove from heat. If it's not fully tender, add a splash of water and cook an additional ten minutes.
In a side bowl, mix together sour cream and a ladle full of the braising liquid. Stir together for 30 seconds to bring the sour cream up to temperature. This will keep the cream from splitting when it hits the pan. Pour cream mixture into pan and stir together. Cook over medium low heat for 3 minutes and taste for salt and pepper.
To serve, put noodles down first in a wide bowl. Get a full ladle of beef and cream sauce and spoon over. Goes great with a yeast roll or white bread alongside.
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Beef Stroganoff
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other high oil with a high smoke point)
- 2 lb chuck roast
- salt and pepper
- 12 oz sliced mushrooms
- ½ red onion, sliced in half moons
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 lb wide egg noodles
Instructions
Heat a large cast iron pan (affiliate) over medium-high heat. Slice chuck roast width-wise into ½ inch slices. Lay sliced down and cut widthwise again into ½ inch slices. The result should be a bunch of evenly sized strips. Season strips with salt and pepper.
Add grapeseed oil to pan and allow to heat for 30 seconds before adding beef strips. Cook until beef is browned, then remove to a pan to rest. Reduce heat to medium then add mushrooms, onions and butter to pan. Stir together and season with another pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add white wine to pan. It will quickly simmer. When it does, scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan using the end of a spatula. Add one cup of beef stock and continue scraping. When all bits have been scrapped up, add remaining stock and reduce heat to low. Return beef to pan, including any juices that pooled while it rested. Stir everything together then cover with a lid and braise on low for one hour.
When meat has about 15 minutes left, begin making your egg noodles according to instructions on the package. Drain noodles and toss in a bowl with 1 Tbsp butter and chopped fresh parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix together.
After an hour, check your meat for tenderness. If it's done, remove from heat. In a side bowl, mix together sour cream and a ladle full of the braising liquid. Stir for 30 seconds and pour it all in the pan. Stir everything together well and cook over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.
To serve, put noodles down first in a wide bowl, then spoon over stroganoff. Goes great with a nice yeast roll alongside.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: Russian
Keywords: Russian Food, Comfort Food, Family Dinner