When my brother and his (now) wife were knee-deep in wedding planning, I cooked about 15 serves of Beef Stroganoff without Sour Cream 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.
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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. This is the swap for the sour cream. It gives the same tang but without it being heavy.
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.
Zucchini. This isn't traditional in a stroganoff, but I like to add extra veggies into my meal preps. You don't have to include it or you can swap it for another veggie.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
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.
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 brown off each side to lock in the juices (approx. 1 minute for each batch). Remove.
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.
Step 4: Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and add Greek yogurt and slowly whisk in the cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with water) to thicken (approx. 5 minutes)
Step 5: Serve with your choice of grains or keep separated if using for a meal prep.
My Top Tips
Sear beef in batches so it browns, not steams.
Let the pan cool slightly before adding yogurt to prevent curdling.
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.
This keeps the pasta firm and the yogurt-based sauce smooth when reheated. Like the tips in the meal prep section, you'll want to only cook the pasta half way.
Before freezing, let everything cool completely for no more than 2 hours. Store in freezer-safe containers, ziplock bags (flatten for easy stacking which is perfect for the sauce), or souper cubes. You can freeze for up to 3-6 months.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
I use a cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with water) as a thickener. Other beef stroganoff recipes have sour cream which naturally thickens the sauce.
For the cornflour slurry, simply whisk the slurry into the simmering broth. The sauce will thicken as it cooks, usually within 5 minutes. If you prefer a thicker consistency, add more slurry a tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, until you reach your desired texture. For a gluten-free option, you can substitute cornstarch with arrowroot powder.
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.
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
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) high-heat oil, e.g. avocado, sesame, peanut
- 800 g (1 ¾ lb) scotch fillet steak, thinly sliced (See Note 1)
- 10 g (1 tablespoon) cornstarch
- 1 onion
- 500 g (1 lb) mushrooms, sliced
- 325 ml (1 ½ cups) stock, beef or chicken, store bought or homemade
- 250 g (1 cups) Greek yoghurt, See Note 2
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) worcestershire sauce
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) dijon mustard
- 10 g (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) mushrooms
- Thinly slice 800 g (1 ¾ lb) scotch fillet steak and coat in 10 g (1 tablespoon) cornstarch. 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 15 g (1 tablespoon) 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 800 g (1 ¾ lb) scotch fillet steak and quickly brown off each side to lock in the juices (approx. 1 minute for each batch). Remove.Don't overcrowd the pan. Do it 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) mushrooms and cook until golden brown (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add 325 ml (1 ½ cups) stock, 30 g (2 tablespoon) worcestershire sauce, 30 g (2 tablespoon) 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. 5 minutes), add beef back in and move off the heat gently stir in 250 g (1 cups) Greek yoghurt.
- If it's not thick enough mix 10 g (1 tablespoon) corn starch / corn flour with 2 tablespoon water then pour into pan. Put heat back on for another couple of minutes to allow it to thicken. Taste and adjust with Salt and pepper
- Serve on top of 500 g (1 lb) pasta.
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