This beef stroganoff takes 25 minutes in one frying pan. Thin strips of steak are seared for under a minute a side, soft golden onions go into a paprika and mustard sauce, and soured cream turns it pale pink and creamy. Spoon it over mash, rice or buttered noodles.
Why this works
Thin strips of tender steak need less than a minute on each side in a hot pan. They come out pink inside and finish warming in the sauce, so they stay tender instead of turning grey and chewy.
Soured cream splits if it boils. Stirring a spoonful of the hot sauce into it first and adding it over a low heat keeps the sauce smooth, and the little flour in the pan helps hold it together.
Key ingredients
- Sirloin or rump steak. Tender cuts that cook in seconds. Stewing beef stays tough at this speed.
- Onion. One large onion, sliced thin and cooked until soft and golden, gives the sauce its sweetness.
- Soured cream. Use full fat. Reduced fat versions split more easily in a hot sauce.
- Dijon mustard and paprika. Mustard gives the sauce its tang and paprika its warm pink colour.
Amounts for 1 to 6 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.
Method
- 01
Slice the onion
Halve the onion, stand each half on its cut face and push the onion holder in near one end. Slice thinly down through the gaps between the prongs.
Onion Holder for Slicing - 02
Slice the steak
Trim any fat from the steak and slice it across the grain into thin strips, about the width of a pencil. Pat them dry and season with salt and pepper.
- 03
Sear the beef
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Add the beef in a single layer, in two batches if needed, and sear for 30 to 60 seconds a side, until browned outside and still pink inside. Lift it onto a plate.
- 04
Soften the onion
Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, onion and a pinch of salt. Cover for 3 minutes, then uncover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, stirring, until soft and golden.
- 05
Build the sauce
Stir in the paprika and flour for 30 seconds. Pour in the stock a little at a time, stirring, then add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and let it bubble for 2 minutes until it thickens.
- 06
Add the soured cream
Turn the heat to low. Stir a spoonful of the hot sauce into the soured cream, then stir it all into the pan. Return the beef and its juices and warm through for 1 minute, without letting it boil.
- 07
Finish with herbs
Snip the spring onions and parsley over the pan with the herb scissors, grind over some pepper and serve straight away.
5-Blade Herb Scissors
What to serve it with
Spoon it over mash, rice or buttered noodles. Mash soaks up the most sauce: make creamy mashed potatoes first and keep them warm while the stroganoff cooks.
Storing and reheating
- Fridge
- Cool quickly, cover and eat within 2 days.
- Freezer
- Freeze for up to 1 month. The sauce can look grainy once thawed, so stir it well as it reheats.
- Reheat
- In a pan over a low heat with a splash of water, stirring, until piping hot. A hard boil toughens the beef.
Questions
A quick cooking steak such as sirloin, rump or fillet. Braising cuts like chuck need hours of slow cooking and stay tough in a 25 minute recipe.
The soured cream boiled, or went in cold. Stir a spoonful of the hot sauce into it first, add it over a low heat and don't let it bubble afterwards. Full fat soured cream holds up best.
Many versions do. This one keeps to beef and soft onion, and you can fry sliced mushrooms with the onion if you like them (see the swaps).
Something plain that soaks up the sauce: mashed potato, rice, buttered egg noodles or tagliatelle.
Recipe
Beef stroganoff in 25 minutes
Strips of steak seared fast and folded into a creamy soured cream, mustard and paprika sauce with soft golden onions. By Hannah Ellis.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Method
- 01Halve the onion, stand each half on its cut face and push the onion holder in near one end. Slice thinly down through the gaps between the prongs.
- 02Trim any fat from the steak and slice it across the grain into thin strips, about the width of a pencil. Pat them dry and season with salt and pepper.
- 03Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until it shimmers. Add the beef in a single layer, in two batches if needed, and sear for 30 to 60 seconds a side, until browned outside and still pink inside. Lift it onto a plate.
- 04Turn the heat to medium and add the butter, onion and a pinch of salt. Cover for 3 minutes, then uncover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, stirring, until soft and golden.
- 05Stir in the paprika and flour for 30 seconds. Pour in the stock a little at a time, stirring, then add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and let it bubble for 2 minutes until it thickens.
- 06Turn the heat to low. Stir a spoonful of the hot sauce into the soured cream, then stir it all into the pan. Return the beef and its juices and warm through for 1 minute, without letting it boil.
- 07Snip the spring onions and parsley over the pan with the herb scissors, grind over some pepper and serve straight away.
