Hearty and comforting Beef Stroganoff becomes fall-apart tender with a few hours in the slow cooker. Perfect for a busy day when you don’t have time to cook dinner. Serve it over egg noodles!
Beef Stroganoff is a very adult-sounding dish, isn’t it? To think, when I was a teenager, I was desperate to become an adult so that I could get out there to conquer the world! Now, I’m grateful to be able to sneak in a nap on the weekend—adulthood brings so many responsibilities.
Thankfully, I have a slow cooker at my disposal, which helps me make the most out of busy days. Because once those ingredients are in the pot, it’s hands-off cooking for hours at a clip.
I dream about this Beef Stroganoff while I’m away from home. I simply prep the ingredients and get them into the slow cooker prior to making my mad dash out of the house. When I walk in the front door hours later, I’m greeted with its hearty, welcoming aroma.
One of the things that I love about this particular recipe is its use of bottom round roast —an especially meaty cut of beef. You can also use chuck or chuck roast, but you definitely want something that has the connective tissue typical in these types of cuts. The connective tissue is key to tender bites of meat— it breaks down over the course of the long, steady cooking in the slow cooker and helps the meat become fall-apart tender.
Don’t skip the step of searing the meat prior to cooking. This browns the meat and adds a rich, caramelized flavor to the finished dish.
The sauce portion of this recipe (without noodles) keeps well for up to a week in the fridge or a month or so in the freezer. Prepared noodles can be stored separately for up to a week and stirred into the stroganoff before reheating.
More Slow Cooker Meals to Try
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 4 to 8 hours
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Stroganoff:
- 1 1/2 pounds bottom round roast or chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cups beef broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
To finish:
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Special equipment:
Method
1 Season the meat: In a medium-sized bowl, season the beef with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Allow the meat sit for a few minutes to absorb the spices while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
2 Sear the meat: In a Dutch oven, or a pot with a heavy bottom, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. While your oil is heating, add the all-purpose flour to the bowl with the seasoned meat. Toss the beef in the flour to coat it completely.
Once your oil is hot and you can see ripples on its surface, add half of the beef to pot. Keep the pot over medium-high heat in order to sear properly—you may want to open a window or turn on your stove vent because this can get smoky!
Sear the beef for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the beef releases easily from the pan and the bottoms look brown and crusty. Give the beef a toss with a wooden spoon and sear for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. You don’t need the meat to be cooked; you just need some good searing on the surface.
Transfer this batch of beef to a 6-quart slow cooker. Repeat the searing process with the remaining meat.
4 Cook the onion and garlic: Once all of your meat has been seared and transferred to the slow cooker, add the onion and garlic to the hot pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are glossy and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
5 Deglaze the pan: Add 3 cups of the beef stock to the hot pot and use a stiff wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Carefully pour the mixture into the slow cooker to cover the beef chunks.
6 Cook the stroganoff: Add the bay leaf and mushrooms to the slow cooker. Give everything a stir, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
7 Cook the noodles: About 15 minutes before you’re ready to eat, cook the egg noodles in a pot of boiling water. Drain and toss with a little melted butter or olive oil to keep them from sticking. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
Alternatively, you can cook the dry noodles directly in the slow cooker—stir them in about 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve and let them cook along with the sauce. (Just note that the noodles can quickly overcook and become mushy, so plan on serving the stroganoff as soon as the noodles are ready.)
8 Finish the stroganoff: Warm 1 cup of beef broth in the microwave for 2 minutes. In a small mixing bowl, gradually add the warmed beef broth to the sour cream, stirring constantly to temper the cream and keep it from curdling. Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
9 Garnish with herbs. Prior to serving, remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped dill and parsley. Serve over noodles along with crusty bread and a green salad.
