Description
A rich and comforting Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff featuring tender chunks of beef simmered in a creamy mustard-flavored sauce, finished with garlic butter mushrooms and perfect for serving over noodles, pasta, or mashed potatoes. This easy-to-make stew slowly cooks to meld deep, hearty flavors with a creamy texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef Stroganoff
- 1.75kg / 3.5lb beef chuck or other stewing beef, cut into 4cm / 1.5” cubes
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 20g / 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, halved then sliced into 1cm / 2/5″ slices
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 7 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 litre / 1 quart reduced salt beef stock/broth
- 1 1/2 cups full fat sour cream
Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- 3 tbsp / 45g unsalted butter
- 700g / 1.2 lb mushrooms, sliced into 0.5cm thick slices
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
To Serve
- Pasta, wide egg noodles, or mashed potato
- Chives for garnish
Instructions
- Season beef: Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels, then evenly sprinkle with the salt and pepper to season all sides thoroughly.
- Brown beef: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-based pot or skillet over high heat. Add the beef in a single layer without crowding and brown aggressively on all sides for about 4 minutes. Remove browned beef and repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil as needed.
- Sauté aromatics: Allow the pot to cool slightly, then return to stove. Melt half the butter in the pot, then add the minced garlic and sliced onion. Cook for 3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add flour and mustard: Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and onion mixture and stir well. Add the Dijon mustard and continue stirring; the mixture will look gluey, which is normal as the flour starts creating a roux.
- Add beef stock: Slowly pour about half the beef stock into the pot while stirring constantly to dissolve the flour mixture. It will thicken into a gravy-like consistency—use a whisk if needed to prevent lumps. Add the remaining stock, scraping the bottom of the pot, then bring to a gentle simmer. Prepare to cook using your chosen method below.
- Cook beef:
- Slow cooker: Transfer the liquid base to the slow cooker, add the browned beef, then cook 8 hours on LOW or 5 hours on HIGH until beef is tender.
- Stove: Place the browned beef back into the pot with the sauce, cover with a lid, and simmer gently on low/medium-low heat for 2 hours, checking tenderness around 1.5 hours.
- Instant Pot or other pressure cookers: Skip the flour (use gluten-free method), add beef and liquid to the pot, then cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Use the sauté function for finishing.
- Prepare garlic butter mushrooms: In a large skillet over high heat, melt half the butter. Add half the mushrooms and cook until nearly golden, about 3 minutes. Add half the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook until golden. Remove mushrooms and repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms, and garlic.
- Finish stroganoff: Mix the sour cream with about 1.5 cups of sauce from the cooked stew to avoid curdling, then gently stir this mixture into the stew. Carefully fold in the garlic butter mushrooms without breaking up the beef chunks.
- Serve: Serve the stroganoff hot over cooked pasta, wide egg noodles, or mashed potatoes, garnished with fresh chopped chives.
Notes
- Use economical stewing cuts like chuck, boneless beef ribs, gravy beef, or beef cheeks for best tender results.
- Mix sour cream with sauce before adding to prevent sour cream specks or curdling.
- For Instant Pot and pressure cookers, skip flour and use a cornflour slurry at the end to thicken sauce.
- Sauce thickness may vary by cooking method; add a splash of water if too thick during stovetop cooking.
- Gluten-free option: skip flour, hold back 1/4 cup stock, mix with 3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, add with sour cream mix, then simmer to thicken.
- Leftovers keep well for 4-5 days refrigerated and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently to keep beef tender.
- Leftovers make excellent filling for pies with puff pastry or topped mashed potato (like cottage or shepherd’s pie).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approx. 230g) of stew without pasta or mash
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
