Beef stroganoff is one of those comfort food recipes that I crave. I have my own
"kick ass" recipe that's my go to when I want to make stroganoff without thinking. Then every once in awhile a new recipe comes along where I'm hooked and must try it.
I've not been cooking much this year and this recipe was a great one to get me back into the rhythm.
This one earns a solid five stars from me—and not in a
casual “everything tastes good when you’re hungry” kind of way. The depth of
flavor here is legit. The ingredients come together into something rich,
hearty, and unapologetically beefy—the kind of meal that feels like it should
be eaten while wearing stretchy pants and making zero apologies.
And let’s talk about the pasta choice for a second.
Pappardelle? Absolute genius. I almost never use it (honestly, I can’t remember
the last time I did), but those wide, ribbon-like noodles were made for this
kind of dish. They hold onto all that creamy, savory goodness like they were
born for it. Safe to say, I’m officially a pappardelle convert now.
Of course, no kitchen adventure is complete without a little
improvisation. My “whoops” moment came when I completely missed the timing for
transferring everything to the crock pot. Rather than panic (or, you know, read
more carefully), I pivoted: into a 300°F oven it went, lid on, for about two
hours. And you know what? It worked beautifully. Honestly, I might just do it
that way on purpose next time.
I did make one intentional change, though. The recipe
suggested dolloping sour cream on top when serving. That sounds lovely and all,
but I’m not trying to win plating awards here. Instead, I stirred about half a
cup of sour cream right into the dish and called it a day. For me, sour cream
isn’t a garnish—it’s the heart and soul of stroganoff. And “dolloping” feels a
little too fancy for something I plan to eat in pajamas.
Final verdict: cozy, flavorful, and just the right amount of
rustic. Definitely going into the 2026 Favorite list.
Beef Stroganoff Recipe (Crock Pot)
Recipe from The Food Charlatan
Serves 6
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast, chopped into 2 inch chunks
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, I used light olive oil
- generous salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, (half stick)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 to 12 ounces mushrooms, quartered
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
- 1 to 2 cups sour cream, to add after cooking
- 12-16 ounces pappardelle pasta, plus water and salt
- fresh parsley, to garnish
- fresh chives, to garnish
Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the chuck roast into 2 inch chunks. Separate all the pieces out onto a work surface (I had mine on a cutting board) and dry them all over with paper towels.
Salt and pepper the pieces. Be generous. I used at least 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat.
Carefully place about 1/3 of the pieces of beef into the pan, one by one. Leave at least an inch or two of space in between. If you put them too close together (or just dump the meat in all at once), your meat will start to steam itself, and no browning will occur. (You may as well just skip the entire browning process altogether and dump the raw meat straight into the crock pot.)
Let the meat sear for about 1-2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each piece. When you see nice brown edges on both sides, transfer the meat to your slow cooker.
Continue searing the rest of the beef in one or two more batches, depending on space. Add more oil as necessary, and reduce the heat to medium if your pan starts to smoke. Remove all the meat to the slow cooker, but don’t clean out that pan. We need all those gorgeous brown bits.
Turn the heat off if you need to take a moment to chop your onion and slice your mushrooms if you haven’t already.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in the pan you seared the meat in. When it’s melted, add the chopped onion and quartered mushrooms. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, and 1 tablespoon dried parsley. Saute for 5-8 minutes, until onions and mushrooms are soft.
Add 1 tablespoon smashed and minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons tomato paste. I love to use these refrigerated tubes of tomato paste, so I don’t have to throw away the rest of a 6-oz can.
Add 1/2 cup red wine (I used cooking wine) and 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base.* Let the mixture come to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for another 5-7 minutes until it has reduced a bit.
Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, adding in every last drop. Stir it together with the beef.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
Fill a large pot with water and about a tablespoon of salt (it should taste like seawater.) Bring the water to a boil and add the pappardelle pasta. Stir constantly to make sure the noodles don’t stick. Cook according to package instructions, usually about 3 minutes. Boil until al dente, don’t over cook.
Drain and add olive oil, stirring to coat.
Add some pasta to a serving plate.** Top with beef stroganoff. The chunks of beef may be big, but it’s so fork tender your guests can take care of it themselves at the table.
Add a big dollop of sour cream to each plate. Top with fresh parsley and fresh chives.
