Classic comfort food

Slow cooker beef stroganoff

Name: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pounds beef chuck roast cut into cubes; 8 ounces mushrooms sliced; 1 onion diced; 3 garlic cloves minced; 2 cups low-sodium beef broth; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1/2 cup sour cream; 12 ounces egg noodles cooked

Fork-tender chuck roast and mushrooms in a savory gravy, finished with sour cream and spooned over egg noodles.

Prep 20 minutesCook 6–8 hours on lowServes 6

Creamy beef stroganoff with mushrooms and egg noodles shown with three other slow-cooker dinners

Chuck roast is ideal here because its connective tissue softens during a long cook. Sour cream goes in only after the beef is tender, preventing the sauce from separating.

How to make it

Layer the vegetables. Spread onion and mushrooms in a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Season beef with salt and pepper and arrange it over the vegetables.
Add the sauce base. Whisk broth, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and thyme. Pour around the beef.
Cook until tender. Cover and cook on low 6–8 hours or high 3–4 hours, until the beef easily yields to a fork.
Thicken. Stir together cornstarch and cold water. Stir the slurry into the cooker, cover, and cook on high for 15–20 minutes.
Add the cream carefully. Put sour cream in a bowl and whisk in ½ cup hot gravy a little at a time. Turn off the cooker and stir the warmed mixture into the gravy.
Serve. Spoon over egg noodles cooked according to the package directions.

Food-safety check: Beef cubes will pass the safe minimum temperature before chuck becomes tender. Cook until fork-tender and refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Why cook the noodles separately?

Egg noodles can turn soft and absorb too much gravy when left in the slow cooker. Cooking them separately gives you better control and keeps leftovers from becoming dry.

Storage and reheating

Store stroganoff and noodles separately in shallow covered containers for 3–4 days. Reheat gently until steaming hot; high heat can cause the sour cream sauce to separate. Freeze the beef and gravy before adding sour cream for the best texture.

Easy variations

More mushroom flavor: Use 16 ounces of mushrooms.
Brighter finish: Stir in chopped parsley and a small squeeze of lemon.
No sour cream: Use plain full-fat Greek yogurt, tempered the same way.