Description
This Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff is a rich, comforting dish featuring tender beef chuck slow-cooked to perfection in a creamy, flavorful sauce with garlic butter mushrooms. Perfect for a hearty family dinner, it pairs beautifully with wide egg noodles, pasta, or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1.75kg (3.5lb) beef chuck or other stewing beef, cut into 4cm (1.5”) cubes
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 20g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, halved then sliced into 1 cm (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 black pepper
To Serve
- Wide egg noodles, pasta, or mashed potatoes
- Chives for garnish
Instructions
- Season Beef: Pat the beef cubes dry using paper towels to ensure they brown well, then evenly sprinkle them with salt and black pepper to enhance flavor penetration.
- Brown Beef: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-based pot or skillet over high heat. Add the beef cubes in a single layer without crowding and brown them aggressively on all sides for about 4 minutes. Remove the browned pieces and repeat with the remaining beef, adding more oil as necessary. This step seals in the juices and builds a depth of flavor.
- Sauté Aromatics: Allow the pot to cool slightly, then melt half of the butter in it. Add the minced garlic and sliced onion, cooking for 3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Add Flour and Mustard: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the cooked garlic and onions, stirring thoroughly. Add the Dijon mustard and continue stirring; the mixture will become gluey which is normal and this helps thicken the sauce later.
- Add Beef Stock: Slowly pour in half of the beef stock while stirring continuously to dissolve the flour mixture into the liquid, whisking if needed to avoid lumps and create a smooth gravy-like sauce. Add the remaining stock, scrape the pot’s bottom to deglaze any browned bits, and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Slow Cook Beef: Transfer the liquid and sauce to a slow cooker, add the browned beef cubes, and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 5 hours until the beef is tender and falls apart easily. Alternatively, you can simmer it covered on the stove at low/medium-low heat for 2 hours, or use an Instant Pot/pressure cooker and cook under high pressure for 40 minutes (skip the flour in this method to keep gluten-free).
- Prepare Garlic Butter Mushrooms: In a large skillet over high heat, melt half the butter. Add half the mushrooms and cook until they are almost golden, about 3 minutes. Add half of the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are golden and the garlic fragrant. Remove and repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms, and garlic.
- Finish Stroganoff: Mix the sour cream with 1.5 cups of liquid taken from the slow cooker to temper the sour cream—this prevents curdling when added to hot stew. Gently stir the sour cream mixture back into the slow cooker contents, then carefully fold in the sautéed garlic butter mushrooms.
- Serve: Spoon the Beef Stroganoff over wide egg noodles, pasta, or mashed potatoes. Garnish with freshly chopped chives for color and added flavor.
Notes
- Use good quality beef chuck or stewing beef cut into uniform pieces for even cooking and tenderness.
- Tempering the sour cream with some cooking liquid prevents it from curdling when added to the hot stew.
- For a gluten-free option, skip adding the flour and use the Instant Pot or pressure cooker method.
- Browning the beef in batches ensures a good caramelization and prevents the beef from steaming, enhancing flavor.
- You can substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt if preferred; add it off heat at the end to avoid curdling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (approximately 250g)
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
