I have been making Beef Stroganoff since the 1980s when I was a feral teenager, forced to feed me and my little brother while our parents were off in the workplace!
Beef Stroganoff Recipe
I am not sure where this Beef Stroganoff recipe originated. If I had to guess I would think that I read the back of either the Campbell Mushroom Soup can or the egg noodles package.
None-the-less, I have been making it for at least 37 years now so the original is gone with time!
Also, there is no “fancy pants recipe with amounts and nutritional facts”. It is basically a list of ingredients and how to add them to pot to make delicious classic Beef Stroganoff in crock pot!
Beef Stroganoff Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make your beef stroganoff…
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup (my husband bought some bougie organic kind that actually did taste delicious, but I am sure somewhere out there a Campbells Soup magnet is weeping in his broth!)
A Pound and Half of Stew Meat (you can use sirloin, but this is such a great recipe because it can tender up some lesser quality cuts)
8 Ounces of Mushrooms (we do portobellos because they are a little more dense but you can use white ones too!)
2/3 Block of Cream Cheese (we use the Neufchatel kind even though we don't know to say it… it has less fat and works great!)
Several Squirts or Tablespoons of Sour Cream (we use that squirty kind now, I do about three squirts, you could do a couple of tablespoons if you want!)
17 Shakes of Worcestershire Sauce and 12 Shakes of Worcestershire Sauce, so a total of 29 shakes
Bag of Egg Noodles (just the normal kind, brand doesn't matter, get whatever is available)
Salt and Pepper To Taste (I can never remember whether it is better to put it in the cooking or after so I do both, I am sure the grumpy chef on TikTok would mock me… oh well!)
Beef Stroganoff Directions
I am including pictures so you can follow along!
1. Get your first batch of ingredients together first
This plus your mushrooms is what you need to put in the slow cooker at the start of the day!
2. Cut the yucky bits off your beef and slice your mushrooms
This doesn't have to be perfect, but get the grissely bits off. I have a little face so I like to cut the beef into bite sized pieces! I like to cut the mushrooms on the thin size, you do you!
3. Use some butter to brown your beef
It is totally worth taking a wee bit of time to get all the sides of your beef browned. You can use super high heat because we aren't trying to cook it, just get it browned!
4. Dump your beef and the juice into the slow cooker or insta pot
I have found that the juices from the beef and the butter are all the liquid you need to make the soup melt.
5. Throw your sliced mushrooms on top
I have never mixed these in, I would think they might get mushy if they were in liquid all day long so just throw them on the top!
6. Put a whole can of cream of mushroom soup on top (no need to stir)
I don't do anything special fancy here like stirring it up (remember I started to make this when I was about 12 or 13… this is a true dump-it-in dinner)
7. Shake 17 squirts of Worcestershire Sauce onto the soup
I counted how many shakes of a Worcestershire Sauce tail were needed and it was 17!
8. Put it in slow cooker or crock pot for at least 6.5 hours
You can use a slow cooker, crock pot, Instant Pot, or even a pot on the stove if you don't have anything else!
9. 20 minutes before the end, cook your egg noodles according to the directions
If you have to pick, undercook them more than over cooke them… they need to be a little bit hearty to hold up to the beef and soup mix.
10. Take bowl out of cooker (you will make it all in this pot)
I like to add the 12 more shakes of Worcestershire Sauce and salt and pepper now.
11. Add 2/3 block of cream cheese and a fair bit of sour cream
Cube up to the cream cheese to make it easier to melt. Just keep stirring until everything is mixed up!
12. Stir it up until all the cheese and cream is melted
I KNOW, this is not the prettiest dinner, but it IS delicious!
13. Mix in your cooked egg noodles
After you add your egg noodles and stir, you are done! Make sure to get all the bottom bits up to the top or serve yourself last to have the best meal!
14. The Beef Stroganoff is done and ready to serve!
This batch will serve 4 adults… two men and two women with a wee bit left over at the end. For sure there will be no leftovers!
Beef Stroganoff FAQs
I have taught my kids how to make this recipe so here are some of the things that they have asked me!
What if you forget to brown the meat?
It will be fine, it is really hard to screw up this recipe!
Do you HAVE to have the mushrooms?
This recipe will taste exactly the same, with or without the mushrooms. If your family hates mushrooms, leave them out!
Does changing the type of soup change the taste?
This is a classic recipe that is “supposed” to use Cambells Cream of Mushroom soup. My husband keeps insisting on buying fancy soup from Sprouts… don't tell him this, but I think the fancy soup does add a wee bit of flavor!
Can you use regular noodles?
Over the years we have used regular pasta noodles when we didn't have egg noodles. It isn't as good, but it will fill you up if that is all you have on hand!
1980s Beef Stroganoff Wrapup
Okay, that might seem like a lot, but I am here to tell you that this is the easiest, no fail meal that you can make.
Functionally all you have to do is cut up some meat and dump it in a pot for 90% of the time and then stir it a bit… ANYONE can make this dish!
