Traditional Beef Stroganoff

Traditional Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish that consists of tender sirloin strips nestled in a tangy mustard and sour cream sauce. This easy recipe comes together in no time and is typically served over tender egg noodles.

There are many variations of classic Beef Stroganoff – some include condensed soups while others use ground beef instead of sirloin. This recipe is based on the traditional stroganoff with the exception of a few seasonings and the option to include sliced mushrooms.

You’ll love this recipe!

This is a quick and easy weeknight beef dinner that the whole family loves!

Tender slices of sirloin with buttery egg noodles in every bite! It’s virtually a complete meal – all you need to add is a side of something green like Brussels sprouts, collard greens or roasted broccoli and you have an easy and delicious busy weeknight meal.

Tastes great as leftovers, too! Simply store the noodles in a separate container from the beef and sauce!

Here’s what you need

Easy beef stroganoff doesn’t require a lot of fancy or gourmet ingredients. Simple ingredients and the dish is ready in no time.

I recommend using a high quality cut of beef like sirloin. It tenderizes even further in the rich braising liquid and results in fork-tender bites of seasoned beef.

• Sirloin steak -cut into 1/2″ inch cubes or 1/2″ inch strips
• Onion-I use sweet yellow onion, but you can use plain yellow or white
• Mushrooms – sliced button mushrooms are optional, but they do give a nice earthy flavor to the beef stroganoff
• Beef broth– or beef stock
• Beefy onion soup mix– I use Lipton’s Beefy Onion Dry Soup Mix for this traditional beef stroganoff; it has just about all the seasonings I need
• Dry ground mustard– dry mustard does two things: it gives the dish a bit of a tang and it serves as a thickening agent for that delicious tangy stroganoff cream sauce
• Sour cream-adds a little acidity, texture and tangy flavor to the sauce
• Distilled white vinegar (optional) -I usually add a teaspoon of white vinegar at the very end because I like the flavor it gives the final dish
• Prepared wide egg noodles– wide egg noodles are my favorite, but I’ve used thin ones, too. 

How to make traditional beef stroganoff

Cut the steak into cubes or strips; lightly season with salt and pepper;

In a large skillet, add a little oil and on medium heat, brown the thin beef strips in pan; once the beef sirloin strips are browned, transfer to a plate and make the tangy and creamy stroganoff sauce.

Add chopped onions and sliced mushrooms to the skillet that you browned the beef strips; saute 5 minutes

Deglaze the skillet by adding a little beef broth; use a wooden spoon to scrape up any meat residue 

Add beefy onion soup mix, dry ground mustard and sour cream to the skillet; combine well; add semi-cooked sirloin strips back to skillet; cover and simmer until meat is tender throughout – about 30 minutes

Type of beef for Stroganoff

For best results, use sirloin steak for this dish, however, you can use round, rib eye, skirt, flank or flap steak. The important thing is to make sure the meat is fork-tender. Sirloin is the most tender of these and doesn’t require as much braising as the other types of steak.

If you use round steak, marinate it in a citrus-based mixture. Use lemon, lime, vinegar and a little oil; put the steak into a plastic bag, pour the marinade in the bag and massage it into the steak.

Allow the round steak to marinate for at least an hour to ensure tenderness.

If you use skirt, flank or flap steak, brown the meat first, then add broth and seasonings, cover and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes or so. 

Serve this traditional Beef Stroganoff as a one-dish dinner or with a crisp green salad! Enjoy!

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