Easy Beef Stroganoff
Serves: 4 to 6
A quick and easy Beef Stroganoff recipe, served with a creamy mushroom and onion sauce which is perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
For the Beef Stroganoff
- 500 g (1 lb) beef fillet, or rump steak, finely sliced
- sea salt
- black pepper, freshly cracked
- 4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- olive oil
- 2 large brown onion, thickly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 500 g (1 lb) white mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 to 1 ½ cups crème fraîche, or sour cream
To Serve
- parsley and/or chives, finely chopped
- pasta or rice, cooked according to packet instructions
Instructions
To Make the Beef Stroganoff
- Lightly season the beef with some sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Heat a few tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over high heat, together with a bit of olive oil to stop the butter from burning.
- Sear the beef in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Add more butter and oil as necessary.
- Once the beef is mostly cooked and golden in places (it does not need to be fully cooked through at this stage), use a slotted spoon to remove the beef to a bowl.
- Add more butter and oil to the pan.
- Sauté the onions and garlic until they have softened slightly.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to soften and release some liquid.
- Stir in the mustard and paprika.
- Turn the stove down to medium heat.
- Stir in most of the crème fraîche or sour cream. Let everything bubble away gently until the sauce thickens slightly. If you want to create more sauce, you can add a touch of boiling water and/or more crème fraîche or sour cream. It is important that the sauce is of the right taste and consistency before you add the beef in the next step. Keep in mind that you want enough sauce to also coat the pasta later.
- Return the beef to the pan, together with any juices that have collected in the bowl.
- Mix everything together and taste for seasoning. Just be careful not to cook the sauce for too long on the stove as you don't want to overcook the beef.
To Serve
- If serving with pasta, cook the pasta until it is al dente (still with a bite). Stir the cooked pasta through the sauce to make sure the pasta is fully coated. The pasta will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and/or chives before serving.
Kitchen Notes
- QUICK COOKING
When making this dish, try not to overcook the beef, otherwise it will go tough. - VARIATIONS
While it is not traditional, I sometimes like to sneak some greens into this dish to make it a bit more substantial. I often add some sliced green beans or snap peas with the onions and garlic, and cook them until they are just tender but still crisp. - SHORT-CUTS
To get dinner on the table faster, I recommend using pre-sliced fresh mushrooms in this recipe. - SERVE WITH PASTA
I like to serve this dish with tagliatelle or fettuccine, or bow-tie pasta for the children. - SERVE WITH RICE
Make this dish gluten-free by serving it with steamed Basmati rice. - OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.