My mom is French and my dad is Irish, but one of our family favorite recipes growing up was a Russian one… beef stroganoff. To me, you can’t beat this combo of savory beef, mushrooms, onions, and a touch of sour cream. Here we’ve made it even a little healthier by swapping nutritious (and lower carb) cauliflower for the traditional noodles.
Beef Stroganoff Over Cauliflower
To me, this is classic comfort food. My mom made a slow-cooked version served over egg noodles that was absolutely delicious. My brother and I probably would have chosen her beef stroganoff over candy!
Unfortunately, thanks to genetic testing and much research, I found that I couldn’t tolerate many grains. I also had to avoid dairy for a while (my parents found similar results from their testing), making this family favorite off-limits.
Over the years, I’ve slowly revamped recipes I enjoy in order to make them more nutrient dense and to accommodate food allergies. It’s challenging, but I try my best to do it without losing the flavor of the original (often with many dismal failures along the way).
I found a way to sub cabbage for noodles in spaghetti, and sweet potatoes for noodles in lasagna. A few months ago, it finally dawned on me that there was an even more obvious substitution for egg noodles in beef stroganoff: cauliflower.
Cauliflower has a mild taste when steamed and is also a great texture as a base for a more hearty dish like this. If you have a little more time, this stroganoff is ideal over cauliflower mashed potatoes.
Tips for Phenomenal Beef Stroganoff:
- I’ve included cooking times for the most simple and quick version of beef stroganoff. I make it in about 30 minutes on a busy night. For a more tender stroganoff, simmer the meat covered in the pan for an additional 30 minutes on medium/low heat. This step is more important for tougher cuts of meat (flank or round steak) and less important for naturally tender cuts (filet or sirloin).
- The spice recommendations are a starting point. Feel free to experiment and add more of them to suit your taste.
- Sour cream is completely optional. If you eat dairy-free, you can omit it without a problem. If you use it, make sure to stir it in at the very end after removing from the heat.
- When slicing the meat into thin strips, it can be easier to slice when it is still partially frozen. If it is defrosted, I’ve found that kitchen shears are also really helpful for cutting it into thin strips.
- For a super budget-friendly version, use ground beef in place of the sliced steak. The texture will be a little different but the flavor will still be amazing.
Cauliflower Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak (sirloin or round)
- 4 TBSP butter (or coconut oil)
- 1 medium onion
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp tarragon
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 cup sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the steak into as thin of slices as possible.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the slices of meat.
- Thinly slice the onion and add to the pan.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes until the meat has started to brown and the onions are translucent.
- Thinly slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan with the meat.
- Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and tarragon.
- Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer over medium low heat.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes until the meat is tender and the mushrooms have softened.
- While the meat is cooking, cut the cauliflower into florets and steam until tender.
- Remove the meat from the heat and stir in sour cream, if using, stirring until well incorporated.
- Serve atop the steamed cauliflower and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Ever tried beef stroganoff? What was a favorite family recipe growing up?
I am just curious why the carb content is so high?
got here from the bulk cooking for a vacay. I thought I’d mention that I’ve used unsweetened/plain full fat yogurt in place of sour cream to great success. (I goofed once and used a vanilla flavored yogurt and that wasn’t so good… at all)
Is there anyway you have a crockpot version of this?! I’ve started working full time and have been trying to use my crockpot as much as possible!
I never would have thought of tarragon, or to put it with cauliflower. Can’t wait to try this one! My next shop is delivered on Wednesday, so checking the pantry now. Cheers! -Michelle G
Oh, and one other quick comment — Thank you for including the photo in the PRINT version of your recipes! So many bloggers have lovely photos, but then the print button only captures the text. Some of us are more visually-oriented than others, and the photo really helps. Cheers! -Michelle G
Ah! Yes… I second the riced or mashed cauliflower!! I love it this way.
The Coconut Flour Biscuit recipe please. That email disappeared off my IPad.
Thank you so much
Are you referring to this recipe? https://wellnessmama.com/2233/coconut-flour-biscuits/
Beef Stroganoff has always been a favorite of mine. We would make it both with ground beef and steak. I have had to give up grains and dairy and have found ways to still make our favorite meal. I use coconut milk instead of sour cream and cauliflower mash or rice instead of noodles. The same goes for Salisbury Steak! So glad I didn’t have to give up these favorites for too long.
A side dish of cooked carrots, sweet potato or squash, I think would go well. I always use EV olive oil on my vegetables, but I am not opposed to butter from good sources. Try topping the stroganoff with EV olive oil along with the vegetables, we do this in Italy (where I live part time) and I like the flavor very much, a good way to get your daily dose of EV olive oil.
It’s not nice of you to email out yummy-sounding recipes in the middle of the afternoon when I’m hungry, but it’s too early to be done with work and go cook. I’m at least taking a break to go add things to my grocery list so I can make this soon. Thank you for sharing!