Beef Stroganoff
A one skillet beef stroganoff. Sirloin is seared fast and set aside, mushrooms brown in the same butter, and the dry pasta cooks straight in the beef broth so its starch thickens the sauce. Sour cream goes in off the heat.
Ingredients
For the Stroganoff
- 1 lb sirloin steak sliced thin against the grain
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to season the beef and the sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 yellow onion halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef broth low sodium
- 12 oz short twisted pasta gemelli, fusilli or rotini
To Finish
- 3/4 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- fresh thyme leaves picked, to serve
Equipment
- Large skillet
- wooden spoon
- Sharp knife
Instructions
Sear the Beef
- Season and heat the pan: Season the sliced sirloin generously with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large heavy skillet, at least 12 inches across, over medium-high heat until it stops foaming.
- Sear in batches: Lay the strips down in a single uncrowded layer and sear for 20 to 30 seconds a side, just until browned. Work in batches and move each one to a plate. Do not cook it through.
Build the Sauce
- Soften the onion: Drop the heat to medium, add the remaining butter and the sliced onion, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook one minute more.
- Brown the mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Leave them undisturbed for a couple of minutes at a time so they brown rather than steam, about 6 to 8 minutes in total.
- Flour and deglaze: Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the beef broth a little at a time, scraping every browned scrap off the bottom of the pan, and bring it to a simmer.
Cook the Pasta in the Pan
- Add the dry pasta: Tip the pasta straight into the simmering liquid and stir once so nothing sits above the surface.
- Simmer uncovered: Cook at a steady simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the pasta is just past the point of resistance and the sauce coats it rather than pooling underneath.
Finish with Sour Cream
- Off the heat: Pull the pan off the burner and wait 30 seconds, then stir in the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
- Return the beef and serve: Add the seared beef and any juices from the plate, turn everything through once, and taste for salt now rather than earlier. Scatter fresh thyme over the top and serve.
Notes
Slice the sirloin while it is very cold, or half-frozen for 20 minutes, and cut against the grain. Thin, even slices sear in 30 seconds and stay tender.
Use low sodium broth. The liquid reduces by about half as the pasta cooks, and a salty broth concentrates into an inedible sauce.
Take the sour cream out of the fridge when you start cooking, and stir it in with the pan off the heat. Cold sour cream in a boiling pan is what makes a stroganoff go grainy.
Short twisted pasta works best. Egg noodles turn to mush if simmered in a reducing liquid, so cook them separately and fold them through at the end instead.
Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge and thicken as they sit; loosen with a splash of broth over low heat. Freeze the sauce base rather than the finished dish, because cream sauces separate and cooked pasta softens.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 720mg | Potassium: 890mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 5.1mg