The Best Steak Stroganoff with Buttered Noodles

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If you're looking for the ultimate weeknight comfort food idea, then this steak stroganoff recipe fits the bill! Aside from the pot of pasta, everything cooks in one skillet, and it's ready from start to finish in about 40 minutes. Serve it with your favorite steamed green vegetable and dinner is done!

Two light blue enamel plates filled with egg noodles and steak stroganoff along with gold and wooden handled silverware and a linen napkin; one plate is on top of a wooden board.

I grew up eating beef stroganoff--it's one of my favorite dishes my parents made. I mean, what's not to love? Tender mushrooms, rich steak, and a creamy sauce are paired with delicious noodles tossed in butter--it's an umami bomb in every bite. Even my sometimes picky 9-year-old son gobbles it up!

This recipe also makes a hefty amount, and any leftovers are great the next day. The trick to getting that rich, creamy gravy is to first be sure to get those steak pieces, mushrooms, and onions nice and browned. Remember, browning equals max flavor.

You'll also want to make sure to scrape up all those delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan (from browning the beef and mushrooms) once you add in the beef stock. It's free flavor!

Guess what else is great about this recipe: Serve it with some wine, a hunk of baguette, some red wine, and a mixed greens salad (with maybe some fancy cheese--everyone loves fancy cheese) and you've got yourself either a terrific date night dinner or a meal to impress dinner guests. Love that.

While you're at, check out my kale Caesar salad recipe--that would be perfect to serve with this dinner (sans the tuna, of course). Need a cozy dessert to go with it? Why not try my make-ahead chocolate eclair cake. (It's secretly super easy.) We can't forget about a fun cocktail. My black tea bourbon hot toddy is a great one.

But, enough about that. You ready to make this scrumptious meal? Let's do it!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty Tip
Tasty Tip #2
Frequently asked questions
Related
Pairing
🍽Get the recipe
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this tasty dish:

wide egg noodles
salted butter
vegetable oil
top sirloin steak
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
yellow onion
sliced fresh mushrooms
beef stock
all-purpose flour
Worcestershire sauce
Dijon mustard
sour cream
fresh Italian parsley

(See recipe card for full recipe and quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

A Pyrex bowl of cooked egg noodles with melting pats of butter on top.

First, cook the noodles to al dente in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the butter and toss until melted. Keep warm.

Browning steak in a brown handled braiser and removing the pieces to a white plate with metal tongs.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with salt and cracked pepper. Add half of the steak to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining steak.

Sautéing onions and mushrooms in a brown handled braiser.

Then, heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 8 minutes.

Stirring sour cream into the mushroom and onion gravy in a brown handled braiser.

Finally, whisk together the stock, flour, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Add to the mixture in the skillet and cook until thickened. Stir in the sour cream and add the steak, stirring until coated in the sauce. Spoon the mixture evenly over the cooked pasta and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Hint: The steak will release its liquid before turning brown. This is totally normal. Don't rush this step--the browned bits that are created in the bottom of the pan equal a world of flavor.

Substitutions

Out of an ingredient? Need to make a swap? Here are some substitution suggestions:

Steak - For this recipe, I use top sirloin. It's a leaner cut but has tons of savory flavor (and it tends to be on the cheaper side). Feel free to use flank steak, ribeye, or skirt steak instead. You could also use ground beef.
Egg Noodles - Wavy egg noodles are the traditional pasta served with beef stroganoff, but substitute your favorite shape that you've got on hand. Penne, fusili, or even fettuccine are great choices.
Mushrooms - To keep things simple, I go for sliced button mushrooms, but really any mushroom will work. Baby portabello mushrooms (cremini) are a great option too.
Beef Stock - Out of beef stock? You can use beef broth instead. Or, use chicken broth or vegetable broth and add a tablespoon or two of low-sodium soy sauce to increase the umami flavor.
Sour Cream - Instead of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt works too. Or, substitute a little heavy cream instead.
Parsley - If you have other fresh herbs on hand they'll work great too. Thyme, rosemary, and dill are all great options.

Variations

Check out these additional ways to change up this recipe:

Spicy - Like things on the spicy side? Add a little cayenne pepper to the sauce as it thickens.
Vegetarian Mushroom Stroganoff - To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the steak and use vegetable stock instead of beef stock. "Beef" things up by adding another container of sliced mushrooms and some sliced red peppers. Or brown cubes of tofu instead.
Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff - This recipes is equally delicious with sliced boneless skinless chicken breast instead of steak. You can also swap out the beef stock for chicken stock.
Fancier Steak and Mushroom Stroganoff - Before adding the beef stock mixture, add a couple of tablespoons of dry sherry. It will create the most luscious mushroom sherry cream sauce.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need to make the best beef stroganoff recipe:

large pot
colander
large bowl
large skillet or large sauté pan
chef's knife
dry measuring cups
liquid measuring cup
measuring spoons
whisk

Storage

Store the leftover steak mixture separately from the cooked noodles in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This recipe doesn't freeze well.

Tasty Tip

How to avoid lumpy sauce: Make sure the stock is at room temperature when you whisk in the flour. Hot stock will cause lumps of flour.

Tasty Tip #2

If you discover your sauce isn't thick enough, make a slurry. Whisk together 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon cold water and stir into the sauce. Cook 5 minutes or until thickened. Repeat the process until you reach the desired consistency.

Frequently asked questions

What is stroganoff sauce made of?

Classic beef stroganoff sauce is made with beef stock, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and sometimes white wine.

What kind of noodles do you use for stroganoff?

The traditional noodles to use for beef stroganoff are wide egg noodles or extra-wide egg noodles. They're perfect for soaking up all that yummy sauce.

How do you add sour cream to stroganoff without curdling?

The trick to preventing curdling is to make sure the sour cream isn't straight out of the fridge. It should be at room temperature. You can also add a little of the thickened beef stock gravy to the sour cream and mix it together before adding to the gravy. (This is called tempering.)

When to put sour cream in stroganoff?

Add the sour cream right at the end of cooking. It has a tendency to curdle if it's exposed to high heat for a long period of time.

Do you put tomato paste in beef stroganoff?

I don't, but you certainly can! Remember that a little goes a long way--a couple of teaspoons should be plenty.

Should stroganoff have garlic?

I feel like fresh garlic is optional for this recipe, but if you have it on hand and want to add it, I so go for it. Two cloves should be plenty.

Is this recipe similar to the one from Noodles and Company?

Good news Noodles and Company steak stroganoff fans. It is---but I'm a little biased. I think it's better than the version from the national fast-casual chain.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with easy beef stroganoff:

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