Beef Stroganoff seems like an old-fashioned recipe. And in a lot of ways, it is. But, that doesn't take away from how delicious and comforting it is. Though its popularity peaked in the 80s and 90s, Beef Stroganoff will never go out of style. How could it, when it is composed of slices of beef with mushrooms, onion and garlic, in a rich, slightly tangy gravy? It is as delicious as it sounds. For this recipe, I serve the stroganoff over rice, but you can serve it over noodles or mashed potatoes if you'd like. When I was a kid, to cut down on costs, my mother would make beef stroganoff with ground beef, so if you'd like to do that, you can. Either way, old-fashioned as it may be, nothing beats this Beef Stroganoff Recipe. Let's get to it.
Starting The Beef Stroganoff - 2:45 pm
The time that you start cooking doesn't matter. I only show the timing so that you know approximately where you should be in the cooking process at certain points in your cooking. You may think that I can make this in 30 minutes because I'm a professional, but there is no way that you can, but I had to keep stopping to take pictures and everything. So, if I can do it, you can too. I made my stroganoff early in the day. I started at 2:45, but start whenever you'd like.
Cooking Basmati Rice
The first thing you need to do is get the rice going. Your rice will likely cook differently than mine. So, carefully read the instructions that came with your rice and follow those. I will describe how I made my rice below, just to give you an idea.
The ratio for my rice was two parts liquid to one part rice. The liquid goes into the pot first, beef stock in this case, and bring it to a boil. Add the rice to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Aim to have ¼ cup of uncooked rice per person. The beef stroganoff serves four, so make 1 cup of rice and use 2 cups of liquid. Bring the liquid and rice to a boil. Stir. Cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 17 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat, leave it covered, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
In terms of timing, at 2:45 put the stock, rice and salt in the pot and turn the heat on to high. While the rice is coming to a boil prepare your other ingredients. Thinly slice 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 4 cremini mushrooms, 1 tablespoon rosemary and 1 lb of the eye of round beef.
At 2:52 the rice should be boiling. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and set a 17-minute timer.
By 2:55 the slicing should be done. Next, put a frying pan over medium-high heat and let it warm up for 2 minutes. Making sure your pan is properly hot before adding the beef is key to getting a good sear. If you want to learn more about why this matters, read my post on preheating your pan.
Cooking the Beef and Vegetables - 2:57 pm
At 2:57 the pan should be hot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, along with the sliced beef. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Let the beef brown for a minute or two, turn it over and add the onions. Cook the beef and onions for another minute or two and then add the mushrooms and garlic.
Adding the Liquid - 3:03 pm
By 3:03 the mushrooms should be cooked down a bit and the onions should be softened. Add about ¼ cup of red wine. Let the wine reduce for a minute then add ¾ cup of beef stock. Put the rosemary in the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for 7 minutes.
This is a quick braise. For the long version, my guide to perfect stew explains why browning and time matter.
Resting the Rice - 3:06 pm
At 3:06 the timer for the rice should go off. Take the pot off the heat and set another timer for 5 minutes.
Finishing The Beef Stroganoff - 3:11 pm
At 3:11 take the frying pan off the heat and whisk in 2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and ¼ cup of sour cream. It is important to stir the mustard and sour cream in when the heat is turned off or you risk them both breaking or separating. Also, the mustard and the sour cream both add to the flavour of the dish, but they also thicken the sauce. Taste the stroganoff and season with salt and pepper as needed. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
The technique of building a quick pan sauce like this, using wine and stock with a finish of sour cream, is similar to how you would approach a good sauce from scratch. Once you understand the method, you can apply it to all sorts of dishes.
The Wrap Up
This is one of those dishes that I keep coming back to because the effort-to-reward ratio is hard to beat. A handful of ingredients, 30 minutes, and you have a rich, comforting dinner that tastes like it took all afternoon. If you'd like to see a slightly more involved version, you can find one I did here.
If you like beef in a creamy gravy over something starchy, these pressure cooker beef tips are another weeknight answer.
Recipe
Old Fashioned Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 med Onion Baseball sized
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 4 - 6 ea Cremini mushrooms
- 1 lb Eye of round or sirloin
- 1-2 sprigs Rosemary
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 2 ¾ cup Beef Stock
- ¼ cup Red Wine
- 2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Make the rice using your preferred method.
- Peel and thinly slice the onion.
- Slice the mushrooms.
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Chop the rosemary.
- Thinly slice the beef, across the grain.
- Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef, season with salt and pepper, and brown.
- Add the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the stock and rosemary and bring to a boil. Put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mustard and the sour cream.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over the rice.
