- Though this recipe is simple, it doesn’t take shortcuts — no canned cream of mushroom here.
- The velvety sauce (made with stock, Worcestershire sauce, and sour cream) provides a savory, lightly tart complement to the steak and mushrooms.
- Maybe the best part: The dish comes together in just over half an hour.
Beef Stroganoff is a nostalgic midcentury throwback, but it’s also a comfort food staple — and for a reason. The meat and mushrooms are braised in a creamy, savory sauce with onions and herbs, then ladled over simple buttered egg noodles.
Our recipe is for American-style Stroganoff, but the dish actually originated in Imperial Russia and was named for the Stroganoff (or “Stroganov”) family of nobles. The version we know in the U.S. emerged around the 1950s and ’60s: What had once been an aristocratic dish became an easy weeknight dinner with the help of convenience foods like canned soup.
The best cut of beef for Stroganoff
Part of the beauty of beef Stroganoff is how quickly it comes together. That means you’ll want a cut that slices easily and doesn’t require simmering all day to become tender. This recipe calls for hanger steak, known for its marbling and tenderness. Other beef Stroganoff recipes might use cuts like tenderloin, sirloin, flank steak, flap meat, or boneless rib eye.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
- The most traditional Russian versions of beef Stroganoff are made with smetana, a product similar to sour cream; if you have an Eastern European or Central Asian grocery near you, feel free to use smetana here for a slightly richer dish.
- Some versions of beef Stroganoff incorporate tomato paste or puree, but we omit that here.
- Be sure to flour the beef well before cooking it; the flour helps the meat brown and thickens the sauce.
