Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
This mushroom stroganoff is a meatless main dish with browned mushrooms, soft onion, Dijon mustard, and a sour cream sauce served with broad egg noodles. I use a generous amount of mushrooms and cook them in batches so their flavour develops before the sauce goes into the pan. The finished sauce should coat the noodles without feeling heavy or floury. This recipe makes four portions and works with brown cremini mushrooms or ordinary white button mushrooms.
Give mushrooms enough room to brown
You need 600 g, approximately 1 lb 5 oz, of mushrooms. Wipe away visible soil or rinse briefly and dry them well. Trim dry stem ends, then cut into thick slices or small quarters. I like a mixture of shapes because the thicker pieces keep a little bite while the slices provide more browned surface. Paper-thin slices tend to disappear into the sauce, especially after reheating.
Use a wide skillet and cook in two batches. Crowding every mushroom into a small pan at once releases more water than the pan can evaporate quickly. They will eventually cook, but they will be pale and wet rather than browned. Leave the pieces alone for a short time between turns instead of stirring constantly. Wait until their liquid has mostly evaporated and several faces have coloured before transferring the first batch to a plate.
This is a mushroom-led variation with vegetable broth. For a separate meat version, beef stroganoff with mushrooms uses a different main ingredient. The mushroom recipe should not be treated as the beef recipe with the meat simply omitted: the larger quantity of mushrooms, their batch cooking, and the sauce proportions are what make this version a complete dish of its own.
Choose sour cream and broth thoughtfully
Use regular sour cream, approximately 14 to 20 percent fat depending on the product available. Very low-fat versions can behave differently when heated. Let the measured sour cream stand out of the refrigerator while the mushrooms cook, without leaving it out for an extended period. It will blend more easily if it is not ice cold. I prefer a gentle finish rather than boiling the sauce after the sour cream is added.
Vegetable or mushroom broth keeps the dish meatless. Choose a lower-sodium version so the Dijon and soy sauce do not make the finished sauce too salty. A little soy sauce adds savoury depth, but it is measured in teaspoons rather than poured freely. Do not substitute an ordinary Worcestershire sauce without checking its ingredients if the meal needs to remain vegetarian; some contain fish. Taste the sauce after these seasonings are in the pan, then decide whether it needs all the measured salt.
Prepare the pan before starting the sauce
Divide half the butter and all the oil between the two mushroom batches. Heat the first portion over medium-high heat, add half the mushrooms, and cook for six to eight minutes, or until their moisture reduces and they colour. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second batch. If the pan starts to scorch, lower the heat. Dark browned traces add flavour, but black burnt patches will make the sauce bitter.
Add the remaining butter to the same skillet, lower the heat to medium, and soften the onion for five to seven minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, and thyme for thirty seconds. Keep the garlic moving so it does not brown hard against a dry pan. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for one minute. The flour should mix with the fat and onion rather than remain in dry clumps.
Add broth gradually and simmer before the dairy
Whisk in the broth a little at a time, scraping up the browned traces from the pan. Add Dijon and soy sauce, return the mushrooms and their collected juices, and simmer gently for about five minutes. The sauce should become lightly thickened and the flour should lose its raw taste. If it thickens too far while the noodles cook, add a small splash of water or broth. It is easier to loosen the sauce now than after it has absorbed into a bowl of pasta.
For another mushroom-and-pasta meal with a different sauce, creamy mushroom pasta is an alternative for a separate evening. Here, Dijon and sour cream give the sauce its tang. I keep the seasonings modest so the browned mushrooms remain noticeable. A large amount of smoked paprika or mustard can overwhelm them, especially when using a strongly flavoured mushroom broth.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir a few spoonfuls of hot sauce into the sour cream in a bowl to warm it gradually, then fold this mixture back into the skillet. Stir until smooth. Return to very low heat only if necessary to warm through, and do not let it boil. If the sauce looks slightly loose, let it stand a minute before adding more flour; it thickens as it cools and as the noodles absorb it.
Cook the noodles while the sauce finishes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 300 g, about 10.5 oz, of broad egg noodles according to the package. Start them near the end of the mushroom and onion cooking so they finish close to the sauce. Test a noodle before draining; it should be tender but still have enough strength to toss. Reserve a small cup of cooking water, then drain well. Excess water on the noodles dilutes the finished sauce.
I like broad egg noodles because their folds catch small pieces of mushroom and onion. Other pasta shapes can be used, following their own cooking times. For a rice-based dinner with a different texture and method, mushroom risotto without cream is a separate option. Do not cook rice directly in this stroganoff sauce and expect the broth quantity to be sufficient; the written sauce is intended for already-cooked noodles.
Combine gently and serve without delay
Fold the drained noodles into the finished sauce off the heat, or divide them between warm plates and spoon the mushrooms over them. If tossing in the skillet, add a spoonful of reserved noodle water only when needed to loosen the mixture. The noodles should be coated, with a little sauce between the folds, rather than floating in a creamy soup. Add chopped parsley and black pepper at the end, then taste once more for salt.
Serve promptly, because noodles continue to absorb sauce as they stand. I like a small green salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette beside this rich main course. A grated carrot salad with mustard vinaigrette adds another crisp option. Keep either salad on a separate plate so its dressing does not run into the sour cream sauce.
If planning a longer meal, a small serving of Greek-style marinated mushrooms can be offered as a separate starter. It has a different temperature, seasoning, and texture. The stroganoff itself is already a full noodle dish, so it does not need several additional starches alongside it. Adjust the amount of noodles per plate to the appetite and the rest of the menu.
Prepare ahead and reheat gently
For preparation ahead, cook the mushroom and broth base first, cool it promptly in a shallow container, and refrigerate. Finish with sour cream when reheating, then cook fresh noodles if possible. This keeps the sauce easier to control and avoids noodles absorbing most of the liquid overnight. Cooked mushrooms can release a little more moisture during storage, so assess the base after it is warm before deciding whether to add water.
Refrigerate cooked leftovers within two hours and use within two to three days. Reheat gently with a splash of water until the centre reaches 74°C, or 165°F, stirring to prevent scorching. Avoid a hard boil. The sour cream sauce may lose some smoothness after chilling and reheating, but gentle heat helps. I prefer freezing the mushroom-broth base before adding dairy; freeze for up to two months for good quality, then thaw in the refrigerator and finish the sauce after reheating.
Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 600 g about 1 lb 5 oz brown cremini or white button mushrooms, thickly sliced or quartered
- 30 g 2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 15 ml 1 tbsp olive oil, divided between mushroom batches
- 150 g 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 5 ml 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2.5 ml 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 15 g 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 360 ml 1 1/2 US cups low-sodium vegetable or mushroom broth
- 15 ml 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 10 ml 2 tsp soy sauce
- 180 g about 3/4 US cup regular sour cream
- 2.5 ml 1/2 tsp fine salt, or less to taste
- 2.5 ml 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 300 g about 10.5 oz dry broad egg noodles
- 30 ml 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Dry and cut mushrooms. Divide 15 g butter and all the oil between two batches. Brown half the mushrooms in the first portion over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, until most liquid evaporates and several faces colour. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the second batch.
- Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 15 g butter and onion; cook 5–7 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic, paprika, and thyme for 30 seconds. Add flour and stir 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in broth, scraping browned traces from the pan. Add Dijon, soy sauce, mushrooms, and their juices. Simmer gently about 5 minutes, until lightly thickened. Taste before adding salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile cook egg noodles according to the package. Reserve a little cooking water, then drain well.
- Remove mushroom pan from heat. Stir a few spoonfuls of hot sauce into sour cream, then fold back into the pan until smooth. Warm very gently if necessary without boiling. Toss with noodles off heat, adding a little reserved noodle water only if needed, or spoon sauce over plated noodles. Add parsley and serve promptly.
