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Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Make Beef Stroganoff Recipe with tender seared beef, mushroom gravy, and buttered egg noodles for a cozy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Season and Dust the Beef

Place the thin 1/4-inch strips of sirloin in a roomy bowl, then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper so each strip is evenly seasoned. Dust the meat lightly with the majority of the flour and toss just until each strip wears a fine, even coating; shake off any excess so the surface remains dry but dusted. Let the beef rest briefly at room temperature—this gentle pause helps the exterior sear evenly and gives the flour a chance to adhere for a better brown crust.

Step 2: Sear the Strips to a Deep Brown Crust

Heat a heavy, dark matte skillet until the surface is shimmering, then sear the floured strips in a few quick batches so each piece gets a tight, caramelized crust while staying slightly pink inside. Transfer the warmed, glossy, well-seared strips to a resting plate as you work in batches; you want pieces with concentrated mahogany edges and little pools of flavorful juices collecting on the plate. This is the moment the beef’s texture changes from raw to richly caramelized and fragrant.

Step 3: Soften and Sweeten the Onions

In that same skillet, add butter and toss in the thinly sliced yellow onion with a pinch of salt. Cook gently until the onions collapse into soft, translucent ribbons and their edges pick up a gentle golden tension—use a wooden spoon to sweep up the browned bits glued to the pan. Those dissolved fond fragments are tiny flavor mines that will mingle with the next additions and build depth.

Step 4: Brown the Mushrooms, Add Garlic and Tomato Paste

Push the softened onions aside and add the sliced creminis; increase the heat just enough for the mushrooms to release their water, then dry down and turn a deep, concentrated brown at the edges. Fold the mushrooms and onions together, add the minced garlic for a quick 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens and becomes glossy—this concentrated paste clings to the vegetables and amplifies the sauce’s savory backbone.

Step 5: Thicken, Deglaze, and Simmer the Sauce

Dust the vegetable mixture with the remaining flour, stirring constantly until it pastes over the mushrooms and onions, then slowly stream in beef broth while scraping the pan to release every last browned particle into the liquid. Stir in Worcestershire, Dijon, bay leaf and thyme, bring to a gentle simmer, and reduce until the sauce takes on a gravy-like sheen that coats the back of a spoon. The texture here shifts from chunky vegetable bits to a unified, glossy, spoon-coating sauce—taste and adjust seasoning now.

Step 6: Cook the Noodles and Temper the Sour Cream

While the sauce reduces, boil the wide egg noodles in well-salted water until al dente, reserve a little starchy pasta water, then drain and toss the hot noodles with butter so they glisten and stay separate. In a small bowl, whisk a few tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid or a bit of the simmering sauce into the room-temperature sour cream to gently warm and loosen it—this step prevents curdling when it hits the hot sauce.

Step 7: Gently Finish with Beef and Sour Cream, Plate and Garnish

Remove the bay leaf, return the rested seared beef and any accumulated juices to the low-warm sauce, warming just until the meat is heated through but not overcooked. Turn the heat to low and stir in the tempered sour cream until the sauce is silky and homogeneous—do not boil. Adjust salt and pepper, loosen with reserved pasta water if needed, then serve generous spoonfuls of the beef stroganoff over the glossy buttered egg noodles and scatter chopped parsley on top for a fresh finish.

Notes