Slow Cooker Steak Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff hits all the cravings: comfort food with pasta, hardy with the steak, light yet filling... It's a winner every time. The sauce is made with an herby seasoned broth and packed with all the flavor.


What you'll need:
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1.5 - 2 lbs of stew meat
2 cups low sodium beef broth (or half 32 oz container)
16 oz bag of egg noodles
pinch of salt

For the gravy:
2 Tbl butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of broth from the cooked meat
1/2 cup sour cream *optional

How to make it: 
I cook this in my InstantPot but it's very easy to throw in a Crockpot as well. You could cook it on the stovetop, but the meat won't be nearly as tender.

Sauté half of a yellow sweet onion finely diced in the InstantPot. Add minced garlic once the onions have softened. Sauté for one minute. Then add in parsley, thyme and rosemary. If using dried herbs, chop up the rosemary into smaller pieces; cover them with one hand and roughly chop with the other so they don't pop and fly around. Let cook for 1 minute to bloom the herbs.

Add 2 pounds of stew meat (fresh or frozen), and brown.

Add in about 2 cups (or half the container) of beef broth, just covering the meat. Add a pinch of salt if you used low sodium broth.

Turn InstantPot to Meat/Stew and adjust the time to 35 minutes (IP recommends 15-20 mins per pound). If you're cooking in a Crockpot, cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. (Stovetop cooking won't get you the fall-apart texture, but you can sear them for a couple minutes on each side to maintain a tender, medium-doneness.) Set it and forget it.

Boil egg noodles after meat is cooked. While those are cooking... 

In separate large skillet, melt 2 Tbl butter and sprinkle in just under a 1/4 cup flour to make a roux over medium-high heat. This might be dry and clumpy but that’s totally normal. Continue to whisk it around and let that cook for one minute so the flour taste cooks out.

Slowly whisk in a half a cup of the cooked broth - three or four times (slowly) until your sauce is the right consistency of a gravy for you. You can absolutely use the broth from the box, but it's top-notch if you use the broth from the meat after it's done cooking - just ladle it from the pot. It will slightly boil and thicken each time you add more liquid. Making a roux eliminates the need for any cornstarch later - and it tastes better.

If you're dairy free, you can stop here and enjoy the gravy sauce over your noodles without adding the sour cream. It's delicious on its own.

Reduce heat and whisk in 1/2 cup sour cream *2 Tbl at a time*. If it all goes in at once, it can curdle. 

Turn heat off and add the cooked steak bites from the IP or crockpot to the sauce in the skillet. Combine the noodles to the sauce and let the flavors meld for a couple mins while you steam broccoli or your other favorite veggie. 

Enjoy!