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Beef stew meat, brown gravy, and a few other pantry favorites are all you need to make this delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff. This hearty meal served with crispy garlic bread is the perfect meal for weeknights or weekends.
If you like hearty meals like this, you’ll enjoy my Slow Cooker Beef Noodle Casserole and Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole.
Table of Contents
Why this is the best beef stroganoff
This delicious meal always comes in handy when I am craving something with a creamy sauce, beef, and pasta. It’s a wonderful recipe with minimal ingredients, quick prep time, and yields tender chunks of beef packed with so much flavor.
If I’m having friends or family over, this is a recipe I’ll make that will wow them and leave them asking for the recipe. Take the guesswork out of what you’ll cook for dinner tonight and make this beef stroganoff.
Recipe Ingredients
- Beef Stew Meat Cubes – or 2 pounds of beef roast into cubes.
- Brown Gravy Mix – I use McCormick Brown Gravy Mix
- Water – Use only 1.5 cups (note- this is less than what the packages of gravy call for, using less will produce a thicker sauce).
- Seasonings – Thyme, oregano, and black pepper
- Yellow Onion – Diced
- Mushrooms – Use fresh mushrooms, sliced.
- Egg noodles – Do not add to the slow cooker raw, cook on the stove-top according to package directions and drain well before adding, at the end of the cooking time
- Sour Cream – This is the key ingredient in the dish, makes the sauce mellow and creamy. Add this at the end of the cooking time as well.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Whisk together the two brown gravy mixes and the water until smooth.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker, no need to brown.
- Add the mushrooms, onions, and seasonings over the beef.
- Pour over the gravy mix and water.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook covered on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Cook the noodles on the stove-top as directed on the package.
- Add the sour cream into the sauce and stir until smooth.
- Add the drained noodles. Stir and serve
What do I serve with beef stroganoff?
- Serve alone with no sides if you are in a hurry or low on groceries.
- Green salad or green vegetables.
Meat Variations
- Meatballs – Use 1 pound of frozen meatballs, but cut the timing back to 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
- Ground beef – Be sure to brown and crumble the meat before adding to the slow cooker
- Chicken – You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs, and make chicken stroganoff. Change the brown gravy packets to chicken packets. Shred the chicken before adding the noodles and sour cream.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can use 8 ounces of any pasta you would like, even whole grain. Cook according to package directions and drain well before adding to the slow cooker.
Yes! Just skip adding the pasta to the sauce and beef and spoon this beef stroganoff mixture over hot steamed rice.
Yes, you can, but the consistency of the sauce will be thinner.
Yes. You can play around with flavors by using mushroom soup, onion soup mix, fresh minced garlic (or garlic powder), and seasonings like fresh parsley or other fresh herbs.
More slow cooker recipes with beef stew meat:
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. beef stew meat, (raw cubed beef)
- 1.74 oz brown gravy packets, (two .87 oz. packets gravy packets)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- ½ tsp. dried leaf thyme, (not ground)
- ½ tsp. dried leaf oregano, (not ground)
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Add these items after cooking time is up:
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 8 oz. egg noodles, cook according to package directions on the stove top
Instructions
- Add stew meat, onions and mushrooms to slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the thyme, oregano and pepper.
- In a small bowl whisk together the water (only 1.5 cups, not what the packages say) and gravy mixes. Pour over the meat and veggies in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Add the sour cream, stir until smooth.
- Add the drained cooked noodles, stir and serve!
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- Meatballs – Use 1-2 pounds of frozen meatballs, cut the time down to 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Ground beef – Be sure to brown and crumble the beef before adding to the slow cooker.
- Chicken – You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Use chicken or turkey gravy instead of beef. Shred the chicken before adding the noodles and sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Would it be better to brown the beef
I think it would be better to brown the meat fist. My meat looked a little too pale. If I made it in a hotpot it would be easier to brown and then change setting to slow cook. I did not mix the noodles and sauce together, but put the noodles on each plate and covered with sauce. That’s just the way I’ve always made it.
Was delicious, but we have leftovers. Can they be frozen?
Yes, this recipe freezes well.
Very easy. It wasn’t bad but it certainly lacks something in flavor. Next time, I’d add a couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire and, in place of part of the water, some dry wine (red or white).
Can you use Chuck roast cut into squares raw?
Yes!
Can you make this last minute in the instant pot ?
It should do fine unless the instant pot decides it’s not enough liquid (it may be too thick).
My family and I loved this recipe! I would like to double the recipe. Do I double all ingredients??
Thanks
Yes, you would want to double all the ingredients. Or you can get away with adding a little more beef without changing anything.
Can I substitute the sour cream for something? My fiancé and I don’t care for sour cream.
You can add a touch of heavy cream instead.
How much heavy cream would you suggest?
I would do about 3/4 cup and I would whisk in 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch to it before adding it to the slow cooker.
I too am not particularly fond of sour crème. I used it anyway and I could not taste it all.
Would be okay to replace the 1.5 cups of water with beef broth instead to add a little extra flavor?
Yes! Though it may be on the salty side.