Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff (Vegetarian, 40 Minutes)

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Mushroom stroganoff has everything you want from the classic: a silky, tangy sauce, buttery noodles and deep savory flavor. The difference is that well-browned mushrooms take the place of beef.

Done right, the mushrooms turn meaty and golden, and the sauce picks up all that browned flavor from the bottom of the pan. It is the kind of vegetarian dinner nobody at the table thinks of as a compromise.

The whole thing comes together in about 40 minutes, and the noodles cook while the sauce simmers.

It is also a smart way to work more vegetables into a weeknight without anyone feeling like they are eating a salad.

Why this recipe works

• The mushrooms are browned in batches. Crowding the pan makes them steam and turn rubbery. Space lets them sear.
• Soy sauce adds savory depth. A tablespoon boosts the umami that beef usually provides, without tasting like soy sauce.
• A flour roux thickens the sauce. It gives body and helps keep the sour cream from separating.
• Sour cream goes in off the heat. Tempering it and keeping the sauce below a boil keeps it smooth instead of curdled.

Ingredients you’ll need

Mushrooms. Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms are the best all-around choice: meaty, flavorful and affordable. For more depth, swap in some shiitake (stems removed), oyster or portobello. White button mushrooms work but are milder.

Butter and olive oil. Oil handles the high heat for searing, and butter adds flavor and helps with browning.

Onion or shallots. One yellow onion or two large shallots. Shallots give a slightly sweeter, more delicate flavor.

Paprika and thyme. Sweet paprika is traditional in stroganoff. Smoked paprika is a nice swap if you want a hint of smokiness.

White wine. Optional, but a splash helps lift the browned bits from the pan and adds brightness. Use extra broth if you prefer to skip it.

Vegetable broth and soy sauce. A good, flavorful broth matters here since it forms most of the sauce. Mushroom broth is even better if you can find it. Worcestershire sauce is common in stroganoff, but most brands contain anchovies, so this recipe uses soy sauce to keep it vegetarian.

Dijon mustard. A teaspoon adds tang and helps round out the sauce.

Sour cream. Full-fat sour cream is the most stable and creamy. Let it sit out while you cook so it is not ice cold when it hits the sauce. Greek yogurt works but is more prone to curdling.

Egg noodles. Wide egg noodles are the classic base. Mashed potatoes or rice are good alternatives.

Ingredient notes and smart substitutions

Mushrooms. Look for firm, dry cremini with closed caps and no dark, slimy spots. Pre-sliced mushrooms save time but dry out and brown less evenly, so buy whole when you can. Swap: 1 1/2 lb cremini → 1 lb cremini plus 8 oz shiitake (stems removed) or oyster mushrooms for more depth.

Sour cream. Full-fat sour cream is the most reliable. Light sour cream has more water and stabilizers and is more likely to separate. Swap: 3/4 cup sour cream → 3/4 cup crème fraîche (the most stable option, and it can even take a gentle simmer), or 1/2 cup Greek yogurt plus 1/4 cup heavy cream, tempered carefully.

Butter. Unsalted lets you control the seasoning. Swap: 3 tbsp butter → 3 tbsp olive oil for a dairy-lighter sauce, though you will lose some of the browning flavor butter gives the mushrooms.

Broth. Since the sauce is mostly broth, use one you would happily sip. Swap: 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth → 1 1/2 cups mushroom broth. Beef broth works if the dish does not need to be vegetarian.

White wine. Any dry white you would drink: sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio or an unoaked chardonnay. Avoid anything labeled cooking wine, which is salty and harsh. Swap: 1/3 cup wine → 1/3 cup broth plus 1 tsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice for brightness.

Soy sauce. 1 tbsp soy sauce → 1 tbsp tamari (gluten-free), 2 tsp white miso whisked into the broth, or 1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire. Each adds the savory backbone the dish needs without beef.

Flour. 2 tbsp all-purpose flour → 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water, stirred into the simmering broth. Cornstarch thickens faster and gives a glossier sauce; add it before the sour cream, not after.

Egg noodles. 12 oz wide egg noodles → 12 oz pappardelle, fettuccine or any broad pasta. For a gluten-free base, use rice or mashed potatoes rather than gluten-free egg noodles, which can turn mushy under a heavy sauce.

How to make it

Brown the mushrooms

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with some of the oil and butter. Add half the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 2 to 3 minutes, until the undersides are golden. Stir and keep cooking until browned all over, about 6 to 7 minutes total. Season with a pinch of salt and move them to a plate, then repeat with the rest.

Wait to salt until the mushrooms have started to brown. Salt pulls out moisture, and adding it too early makes them release water and steam.

Build the sauce

Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining butter and cook the onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika and thyme for 30 seconds, then sprinkle in the flour and stir for about 1 minute to cook out the raw taste.

Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Let it bubble until mostly evaporated, then slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce and mustard. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.

Finish with sour cream

Return the mushrooms and their juices to the pan. Turn off the heat. Whisk a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into the sour cream in a small bowl, then stir that mixture back into the skillet. Warm gently over low heat if needed, but do not let it boil.

Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles in salted water according to the package, drain and toss with a small pat of butter.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Pale, rubbery mushrooms. The pan was crowded, the heat was too low, or the mushrooms were stirred too often. Water they release pools around them and they steam. Cook in batches with real space, over medium-high heat, and leave them alone for the first 2 to 3 minutes. If they have already released liquid, keep cooking until it evaporates; they will begin to brown once the pan is dry again.

A curdled, grainy sauce. Cold sour cream hit a hot pan, or the sauce boiled after it went in. Temper the sour cream with hot sauce first, and keep the heat off or very low afterward.

A thin sauce that slides off the noodles. The roux did not get enough time, or the broth went in too fast. Simmer the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon before adding the mushrooms back. If it is still thin, simmer a few more minutes before the sour cream goes in; after that, thickening is off the table.

A sauce that tastes floury. Stir the flour into the onions for a full minute before adding any liquid. That minute cooks out the raw, pasty taste.

Gummy noodles. Egg noodles overcook quickly and turn soft if they sit in the sauce. Cook them at the end, drain them, toss with a little butter and serve the sauce over them rather than stirring everything together.

Too salty. Soy sauce, broth and salted butter can stack up. Use low-sodium broth and unsalted butter, and taste before adding the final salt. If it is already too salty, add a spoon of sour cream and a squeeze of lemon, which balance the salt, or stretch the sauce with a little unsalted broth.

Bland, one-note sauce. The dish needs acid and tang, not just cream. If it tastes heavy, add 1/2 tsp more Dijon and a squeeze of lemon, then a handful of fresh dill or parsley.

Timing and make-ahead plan

1. The day before: Clean and slice the mushrooms and store them in a paper-towel-lined container in the fridge. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Or cook the mushrooms and the sauce base through the broth step, stopping before the sour cream, and refrigerate.
2. Morning of: Take the sour cream out of the fridge about an hour before dinner so it comes to room temperature. Put the pasta water pot on the stove so it is ready to go.
3. 30 minutes before serving: Start the water for the noodles. Brown the mushrooms and build the sauce, or reheat the made-ahead base gently over medium-low with a splash of broth.
4. 5 minutes before: Drain the noodles, temper in the sour cream, taste, and finish with herbs.

Holding stroganoff warm is tricky because the sour cream sauce cannot simmer. Keep the finished sauce covered off the heat for up to 20 minutes, then warm it very gently over low heat with a splash of broth, stirring. For longer holds, keep the sauce base warm without the sour cream and stir it in right before serving.

Tips for the best mushroom stroganoff

• Don’t wash mushrooms in a bowl of water. They soak it up. Wipe with a damp towel or rinse quickly and pat dry.
• Slice them thick. About 1/4-inch slices hold their meaty texture. Thin slices shrink to almost nothing.
• Use a big pan. A 12-inch skillet gives the mushrooms room to brown. With a smaller pan, cook them in three batches.
• Keep the sauce below a boil after the sour cream goes in. High heat causes it to separate.
• Season at the end. Soy sauce and broth both add salt, so taste before adding more.
• Finish with fresh herbs. Dill is traditional with sour cream sauces, and parsley adds color. Either one freshens up the rich sauce.

Variations

• Make it with beef. Sear 1 pound of thinly sliced sirloin in batches before the mushrooms and add it back with them at the end. Use beef broth and a teaspoon of Worcestershire.
• Add greens. Stir a few handfuls of baby spinach into the sauce just before the sour cream.
• Make it gluten free. Thicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water instead of flour, use tamari and serve over rice or gluten-free pasta.
• Add a little heat. A pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes with the paprika adds warmth.

Equipment that makes this easier

• A 12-inch skillet with sloped sides. Surface area is everything for browning mushrooms, and a wide pan halves the number of batches.
• A stainless steel or cast iron pan rather than nonstick. Browned bits stick to these surfaces and then dissolve into the sauce, which is where much of the flavor comes from.
• A whisk. Adding broth to a roux without a whisk almost guarantees lumps.
• A soft mushroom brush or a damp paper towel. Wiping mushrooms clean instead of soaking them keeps them dry enough to brown.
• A large pot for the noodles. At least 6 quarts, so 12 ounces of egg noodles has room to move and does not clump.
• A small bowl for tempering. Mixing the sour cream with a ladle of hot sauce in a separate bowl is the single best step for keeping the sauce smooth.

Scaling up or down

To halve it: A 10-inch skillet works for 12 ounces of mushrooms in two small batches. Halve everything else, using 1 tbsp flour and 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sour cream. The sauce reduces faster in a smaller pan, so check it after 2 minutes.

To double it: Three pounds of mushrooms need four or five batches in a 12-inch skillet, or two skillets running at once. Do not shortcut this step; crowded mushrooms are the one thing that ruins the dish. Build the sauce in a large Dutch oven, since a skillet will not comfortably hold 3 cups of broth plus the mushrooms.

Doubled broth takes roughly twice as long to thicken, so plan on 6 to 10 minutes of simmering. Cook the noodles in two pots or in two rounds, because 24 ounces of egg noodles in one pot turns starchy and sticky.

What to serve with it

Stroganoff is rich, so pair it with something green and crisp: steamed green beans, roasted broccoli, or a salad with a sharp vinaigrette. Our roundup of fall side dishes has more options.

If you love this creamy, savory style of dinner, try Swedish meatballs in a similar sour cream gravy, or the deeply caramelized flavor of French onion pasta. For another mushroom-heavy comfort dish, the beef and mushroom shepherd’s pie is a great weekend project.

How to store, freeze and reheat

Store: Keep the sauce and noodles in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stored together, the noodles soak up the sauce and turn soft.

Freeze: Sour cream sauces tend to separate after freezing, so this one is best fresh. If you want to freeze it, freeze the mushroom sauce before adding the sour cream, for up to 3 months, and stir in the sour cream after reheating.

Reheat: Warm the sauce gently on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of broth to loosen it. Avoid boiling. Refresh noodles with a quick dip in hot water or a short turn in the microwave.

Leftover ideas

• Stroganoff toast. Warm the sauce gently and spoon it over thick slices of toasted sourdough, with a fried egg on top if you like.
• Mushroom pot pie. Pour the reheated sauce into a small baking dish, top with a sheet of puff pastry and bake at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. If you enjoy that, the full homemade chicken pot pie is worth a weekend.
• Baked potato topping. Split a hot baked potato and spoon the mushrooms and sauce over it with chives.
• Stroganoff pasta bake. Toss leftover noodles and sauce with a splash of broth, spread in a buttered dish, top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan and bake at 375°F until bubbling, about 20 minutes.
• Savory crepes or omelet filling. A few spoonfuls of the mushroom sauce folded into a crepe or omelet makes a quick lunch.
• Grain bowls. Spoon the mushrooms over farro or barley with wilted spinach and a little extra dill.

Nutrition notes

One serving (a quarter of the recipe, including the buttered noodles) comes to roughly 580 to 680 calories, with about 16 to 20 grams of protein, 70 to 80 grams of carbohydrates and 25 to 32 grams of fat. Estimates depend on your sour cream, noodle brand and how much butter goes on the noodles.

• Lighter: Use 1 tbsp less butter, swap half the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt, and serve over 8 ounces of noodles instead of 12 with a big side of green vegetables. That trims 100 to 150 calories per plate.
• Gluten-free: Thicken with cornstarch instead of flour, use tamari in place of soy sauce and serve over rice, mashed potatoes or gluten-free pasta.
• Dairy-free: Cook in olive oil, and replace the sour cream with 3/4 cup of unsweetened cashew cream (1/2 cup cashews blended with 1/2 cup water) plus 1 tbsp lemon juice. The sauce will be slightly less tangy, so taste and add more mustard.
• More protein: Add a can of drained white beans to the sauce, or serve with a side of roasted chickpeas.

Frequently asked questions

What mushrooms are best for stroganoff?

Cremini mushrooms are the best all-around choice because they are meaty and flavorful. A mix of cremini with shiitake, oyster or portobello adds even more depth.

Why did my stroganoff sauce curdle?

Sour cream can separate if it is added cold or the sauce boils afterward. Use room-temperature full-fat sour cream, temper it with a little hot sauce first and keep the heat low.

Is mushroom stroganoff vegetarian?

This version is vegetarian because it uses vegetable broth and soy sauce. Many stroganoff recipes use beef broth or Worcestershire sauce, which usually contains anchovies.

What can I serve mushroom stroganoff over besides noodles?

Mashed potatoes, rice, buttered toast or polenta all work well. For a lighter option, try it over roasted spaghetti squash.