This beef stroganoff without sour cream combines quickly seared beef, mushrooms and a creamy Dijon and Worcestershire sauce made with Greek yogurt. It takes around 30 minutes and provides approximately 43g of protein per serving, making it an easy dinner that also holds up well for meal prep (because it doesn't include heavy creams)
When my brother and his (now) wife were knee-deep in wedding planning, I cooked about 15 serves of this beef stroganoff alongside my lemon mustard chicken for them (there's even a video of the meal tower on Instagram to prove it). I swapped sour cream for Greek yogurt, making it lighter but still creamy, and the whole batch was split between the freezer and their fridge. They could just reheat and eat, which is exactly what I'll show you how to do too.
I've said before in recipes like my cajun chicken pasta and creamy mushroom chicken that Greek yogurt is my preference for meal prepping. Not just because it is lighter in comparison to a lot of the heavier creams, but I've found it's also less likely to split in the reheating process
TL;DR
- Servings: 6 servings
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
- Meal prep: For best texture, cook the pasta approx. 2 minutes under packet instructions then store beside beef stroganoff mixture.
- Fridge storage: Airtight containers for 4-5 days.
- Freezer storage: 3 months for best texture. Cook pasta halfway, freeze separate or on top of sauce (or cook fresh)
- Reheating: Microwave on 1 minute intervals or slowly on the stovetop
- Customise: Swap Greek yogurt for sour cream, use beef mince for affordability, add extra veggies and swap the serving from pasta to rice or mashed potato for variety.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Healthier swap. Using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream keeps it creamy but lighter, perfect for an athlete's meal prep like my creamy mushroom chicken with mashed potatoes.
Versatile protein base. Works with beef steak slices or ground beef for different textures and prep styles.
Quick 30-minute dinner. Perfect for busy nights. Try out my beef pad see ew or teriyaki beef noodles for other super quick eats.
Meal-prep friendly. Stores and reheats beautifully, like my teriyaki ground beef rice bowl or beef black pepper stir fry with rice.
Ingredients
Pasta. This is my choice for a freezer-friendly beef stroganoff as it tends to freeze and reheat better than other options (particularly because you can halt the cooking halfway through to prevent it from turning to mush).
Beef slices. I use a thinly sliced scotch fillet steak. You could use ground beef for a more budget-friendly choice and something that has more room for error.
Mushrooms. I use button mushrooms as they're easy to get and soak up the sauce well. You want to thinly slice them like you do for a mushroom risotto.
Stock. Beef stock deepens the flavor, but homemade chicken stock works if you have it.
Greek yogurt. I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for the creamy, tangy finish. Choose a thick plain Greek yogurt rather than a pouring yogurt. Full-fat or a higher-fat Greek yogurt is the most forgiving because very low-fat yogurt is more likely to split when exposed to heat.
Worcestershire sauce. This is my secret ingredient in a lot of beef recipes such as my curried mince with rice. It adds this amazing depth and you should definitely keep a bottle in the fridge.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Does beef stroganoff need paprika?
Not necessarily. Many modern stroganoff recipes include sweet or smoked paprika, but my version gets its flavour from browned beef and mushrooms, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. You can add sweet paprika if you prefer a more paprika-forward sauce.
Substitutions and variations
Dairy-free. Swap in coconut cream or coconut milk for a lighter option. I have made it with coconut cream before and it doesn't quite thicken the sauce the same as the sour cream or yogurt so you may need to thicken with a cornflour slurry.
Check out Sally's dairy-free beef stroganoff if you want all the tips.
Mild. Reduce worcestershire for a softer flavour (but this might be a little bit bland).
Protein. You can substitute the protein for ground meat, chicken pieces or tofu. If you want to continue using sliced beef but don't have scotch fillet, sirloin, rump or eye fillet also work well. Because the beef cooks briefly, tougher stewing cuts are not suitable unless you change the recipe to a slow-cooked method.
Vegetables. If you want to bulk this dish out further, you can add in lots of additional veggies. Things like your zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, can be added the same time as the sauces. And you could always stir in some spinach until wilted at the end.
How to make beef stroganoff
Step 1: Heat oil in a large pan or wok over HIGH HEAT.
Once hot (you can check by flicking a small amount of water in it and if it sizzles, it's hot), add beef and quickly sear (approx. 1 minute - 30 seconds a side - for each batch). Remove.
Note - they will still be pink which is fine because they'll finish cooking when returned to the sauce.
Step 2: Once beef is done and removed. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion until soft and fragrant (approx. 3 minutes). Then add sliced mushrooms and cook until golden brown (approx. 5 minutes).
Step 3: Add stock, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine, making sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan for extra flavour. Stir the beef back in.
Once simmering, add cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with water) and allow it to thicken for approx 5 minutes.
Step 4: Once thickened, reduce the heat to low (this helps prevent splitting) and add Greek yogurt.
For extra assurance against splitting, stir a few spoonfuls of the hot stroganoff sauce into the Greek yogurt first. Once smooth and warm, stir that mixture back into the pan over low heat.
Step 5: Serve with your choice of grains or keep separated if using for a meal prep.
Lauren's Top Tips
Sear beef in batches so it browns, not steams.
Let the pan cool slightly before adding yogurt to prevent curdling. For extra insurance, temper by mixing the Greek yogurt into a few spoonfuls of the hot stroganoff sauce stir a few spoonfuls of the hot stroganoff sauce before adding it to the mixture.
Slice beef thinly across the grain for tenderness.
How to meal prep beef stroganoff?
This dish is a dream for meal prepping as it's got your source of protein, carbs, healthy fats and veggies. It's perfect for lunches, a quick 30-minute dinner or even for stocking the freezer. I've done it for all and it's such a good recipe to have in your back pocket.
If you're meal prepping with the pasta, I recommend only cooking up to half the time the package says. This is because the stroganoff sauce, when stored, will continue to hydrate it and when reheating it'll cook further. If the pasta is cooked al dante it'll get mushy.
Store the stroganoff and pasta on separate sides of the container (like shown in the photo) for up to 4-5 days.
Reheating
Stove. Warm the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pasta and cook together for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
Microwave. Add a small drizzle of water or splash of oil to the pasta and reheat on 1 minute intervals (stirring only after the first reheat). It should be reheated after 1-2 minutes.
Can you freeze beef stroganoff?
For best results, I recommend only freezing the sauce and cooking the pasta fresh. If you do freeze both, freeze them as separate as possible and cook the pasta only half the way (it'll continue to rehydrate when stored, frozen, thawed and reheated).
I am a little bit lazy and do freeze them together because I want to take just the one component from the freezer instead of trying to find each component. As you can see in the image above, I do this in my 2-cup souper cubes and I pop the pasta on top. When reheating, I just swap it around so the pasta lies on the bottom and the sauce gradually covers it and rehydrates.
Note the mushrooms will soften when frozen so it's best eaten within 3 months.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Traditional and modern stroganoff recipes use several methods to thicken the sauce, including flour, reduction and sour cream. Because Greek yogurt should not be boiled heavily, I use a cornflour slurry to thicken the stock before gently stirring through the yogurt.
Pasta is the classic choice, but it's also great over wholegrain rice, mashed potatoes, or even mashed cauliflower for a lighter option. If you want to keep it lower-carb, zucchini noodles or steamed vegetables work well too.
Let the sauce cool slightly before adding the yogurt, and avoid boiling it once it's in. Stir it in gently over low heat to keep the sauce silky.
Mushrooms release a surprising amount of liquid. Continue cooking them until most of that moisture evaporates before adding the stock. A crowded pan can also cause both the beef and mushrooms to steam.
Other beef meal prep recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my beef meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Beef Stroganoff without Sour Cream
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Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) pasta, See Note 3
- 1 tablespoon high-heat oil, e.g. avocado, canola, peanut
- 800 g (1 ¾ lb) scotch fillet steak, thinly sliced (subs note 1)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 onion
- 500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 ½ cup stock, beef or chicken, store bought or homemade
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt, See Note 2
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon corn starch / corn flour, + approx.2tbsp water (cornflour slurry)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prepare
- Dice: 1 onion; Thinly slice: 500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms
- Thinly slice 800 g (1 ¾ lb) scotch fillet steak and coat in 1 tbsp cornstarch Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit.
- Heat a large pot filled with water for the pasta. Pasta option 1: If having this for meal prep, you can start cooking the pasta as soon as the water is boiled but cook only for half the packet time, then drain and rinse with cold water. if not, leave it until Pasta Option 2 below.
- Heat 1 tbsp high-heat oil in a large pan or wok over HIGH HEAT.
Cook
- Once the pan is hot (you can check by flicking a small amount of water in it and if it sizzles, it's hot), add half of the 800 g (1 ¾ lb) scotch fillet steak and quickly brown off each side to lock in the juices (approx. 30 seconds each side for each batch ~1 minute). Remove and reheat for each batchDon't overcrowd the pan. I recommend doing this in batches
- Once beef is done and removed. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 onion until soft and fragrant (approx. 3 minutes). Then add 500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms and cook until golden brown (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add 1 ½ cup stock, 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp dijon mustard. Stir to combine, making sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan for extra flavour.
- Pasta option 2: If not having this for a meal prep, add 500 g (1 lb) pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packet instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Once the stock mixture is simmering (approx. 3 minutes), add beef back in and mix together 1 tbsp corn starch / corn flour with 2 tablespoon of water and pour into the pan. Allow to thicken for approx. 3 minutes.
- Lower the heat to as low as it can go (or remove entirely) then add 1 cup Greek yoghurt. For extra insurance to avoid splitting, mix a small amount of the hot stroganoff sauce with the Greek yogurt and then add.
- Taste and adjust with Salt and pepper. Serve with pasta.
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