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This healthy beef stroganoff is a reduced-fat version of my beef stroganoff that doesn’t compromise its rich taste! Deeply satisfying, this comforting favorite is the tender, flavorful sirloin steak you know and love but cooked in a healthier creamy greek yogurt mushroom sauce.

This Healthy Beef Stroganoff has all of the familiar flavor with none of the guilt!

My whole family is such a fan of this healthy beef stroganoff, that they couldn’t tell the sour cream was missing! The beef is fall-apart tender and topped with a warm mushroom sauce that strikes a perfect balance between savory, creamy, and tangy. This recipe’s hint of tomato paste adds a tiny bit of acidity that is often missing from other stroganoffs. Served over your favorite grain or buttered noodles, the layers of flavor are fragrant and filling.

Come colder months all I want to eat are warm comforting dishes! I rotate between cooking this healthy stroganoff and some of my other cozy favorites like mushroom pork chops with cream of mushroom soup, chicken paprikash, beef melt, and my red chili recipe with ground beef.

Why you will love this healthy recipe:

  • All the creaminess without the calories. I preserved the required creamy sauce by stirring in 2% Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It tastes sinfully creamy and rich! No one will ever know that you cut out all the sour cream and only used 1 tablespoon of butter.
  • Simple and flavorful. The secret behind building great flavor in a one-pot dish like this one is using quality ingredients: fresh mushrooms, quality wine and homemade beef stock (or organic, low sodium). 
  • Lightened up by a professional. Tested and retested by a professional chef to have none of its excess fats but maintain all its iconic flavor, comfort, and texture.

Professional Tips for a Lightened-Up Recipe:

  • Have your ingredients measured and ready from the start. The success of this healthy beef stroganoff depends on your mise-en-place and having your yogurt at room temperature before it is added to the sauce.
  • Keep your eyes on your sauté pan. This recipe is very easy, but it does require constant attention, especially because I’ve reduced the sautéing oil to a bare minimum. Without a lot of oil or butter, the onions and garlic can easily burn. I think a bit of attention is worth the reduction in fat!
  • Maintain a low heat while your sauce thickens. After returning your meat to the skillet, simmer your sauce on low and it will thicken nicely. You do not want the sauce to boil. Maintain a low heat until everything is cooked through for the best texture of the meat and the sauce. If you are in a rush, you can add a tiny bit of cornstarch slurry to the sauce to thicken it faster.
  • Cook and store the noodles separately. The best way to preserve the texture of the noodles is to cook them and store them separately from the sauce. If they are stored with the sauce, they tend to become mushy.
This Healthy Beef Stroganoff has all of the familiar flavor with none of the guilt!
stuffed shell on spoon in dish.
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Ingredients

  • Beef: I like to use beef sirloin steak for this recipe. It is a relatively inexpensive cut that cooks down nicely to become quite tender. Cut it into thin strips against the grain.
  • Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. There is no need to purchase a special flour. However, if you are gluten-free, you can try making this recipe with chickpea flour.
  • Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil goes through the least amount of processing of the olive oils, so it keeps some of its nutritional values! If you wanted to use even less oil, you could try an olive oil spray, but I didn’t have one in my pantry.
  • Mushrooms: I prefer to use fresh mushrooms. Button or Cremini mushrooms are both excellent choices.
  • Onion: I recommend using a yellow or sweet onion for this recipe. White onions tend to be a bit more sharp, while yellow and sweet onions offer a milder flavor to the dish.
  • Garlic: I use fresh garlic for this recipe. If you don’t have access to fresh garlic, you can use a bit of chopped, jarred garlic instead. I recommend buying brands that are packed in water.
  • Dry White Wine: I used a bottle of white Burgundy when testing this recipe. It is a bit pricier than other wines, but it created an incredibly delicious final dish. You can also use wines like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Gris.
  • Tomato Paste: This recipe is wonderful with double-concentrated tomato paste, like that from the brand Cento. However, any brand will work well.
  • Beef Broth: I recommend using reduced sodium organic beef broth or homemade beef broth to maintain control over fat content, consistency, and flavor.
  • Greek Yogurt: I wouldn’t recommend using fat free Greek yogurt or regular, non-Greek yogurt. I prefer the taste and thickness of Fage 2% Greek Yogurt, and that is what I used to develop this recipe. In my humble opinion, Greek yogurt is the absolute best substitute for sour cream in stroganoff. If you’d like to make this dish using sour cream to thicken your sauce, check out my Easy Beef Stroganoff instead!
  • Hot Noodles: I boil egg noodles separately while the beef is cooking. After they are strained, I toss them with a tiny bit of olive oil.
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Unsalted butter

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Slow Cooker: Reduce your broth on the stove top to ¾ cups. Sauté your onions and garlic to translucent. Coat your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Add the sirloin with salt and pepper. Add aromatics, mushrooms, and ½ cup of reduced broth. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 5-7 hours. Combine the flour with ¼ cup of broth, and stir into the slow cooker. Cook covered on high for 20 minutes. Stir in yogurt and wine, cook covered on high for 10 minutes.
  • Instant Pot: Complete step 1 as directed. With Instant Pot set to SAUTE, complete Steps 2-7. At Step 8, once the meat is placed back in the pot, close and seal the lid. Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. Immediately vent and release the pressure. Once it is safe, add the wine and yogurt.
  • Ground Beef: You can use ground beef in place of sirloin steak. Just brown the ground beef as you would the sirloin. Be aware that ground beef has a higher fat content than sirloin.This sauce would also taste delicious on some of my favorite ricotta meatballs!
  • Worcestershire Sauce: For an extra bit of tangy flavor, try adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce. This sauce is savory, slightly sweet, and has ingredients like tamarind and vinegar that make it lively and somewhat tart.

How to Make Healthy Beef Stroganoff from Scratch

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Add the beef broth to a small saucepan and reduce, uncovered, over high heat until it is approximately ¾ cup.

I do this while I chop my onions and prep the rest of the ingredients. This recipe works best when all ingredients have been pre-measured and are ready to add!

Step 2: Mix 1 tablespoon flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Step 3: Pat sirloin strips dry and coat them with flour mixture.

Step 4: In a skillet, brown beef strips quickly in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove browned beef from pan and keep warm.

Heat a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot but not smoking hot. It might take several batches, but be careful not to crowd the pan or the meat will steam instead of brown.

Step 5: Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the pan with a few teaspoons more oil (if necessary). Cook until onion is crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Step 6: Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan; blend in 2 tablespoons flour.

If you like a thicker stroganoff, you can use up to 1 tablespoon more of flour in Step 6 along with 1 tablespoon of additional butter!

Step 7: Add tomato paste, then stir in broth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Be sure to cook down the sauce until it is no longer runny. This time will depend on how much you cooked down the beef broth.

Step 8: Return meat to skillet. It’s important that you maintain a low heat, and do not allow the sauce to boil. Stir in Greek yogurt and white wine; cook slowly over low heat until heated through. Serve over hot egg noodles and enjoy!

Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip

I like to drop the remainder of the can of tomato paste by the tablespoon or 2, on small pieces of wax paper (or parchment). Fold one half over the top and press to flatten. Stack them inside a ziptop plastic baggie; label; and freeze! I don’t usually bother to thaw the disks before using them.

This Healthy Beef Stroganoff has all of the familiar flavor with none of the guilt!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store leftover beef stroganoff?

Store leftover beef stroganoff in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. I recommend storing the sauce and the noodles separately to preserve the texture of the noodles. You can also freeze this dish for up to 3 months. You should cook a new pot of noodles after defrosting the stroganoff. Do not freeze the greek yogurt as it will separate.

Can you make it ahead?

You can! Cook the beef and the mushroom sauce ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Once ready to serve, reheat the dish on the stovetop over medium heat until heated through. Cook the noodles separately and add the greek yogurt when ready to eat.

What is the most tender meat for beef stroganoff?

This dish could technically be made with any meat, but I find that beef is the most tender choice. The sirloin cut of beef, cut against the grain into strips, cooks down very nicely to be melt-in-your-mouth tender. Beef stroganoff can be made with cubes or chunks of meat instead of strips if you’d like. Just be sure to brown them well and give them plenty of time to cook down and become tender, as they will take a bit longer to cook than strips.

What to serve with healthy beef stroganoff?

While a traditional beef stroganoff is served with buttered egg noodles, why not lighten it up with some quinoa pilaf instead? You could also pair it with a healthy vegetable side dish like roasted lemon cauliflower or brussels sprouts with ginger butter!

If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!

Beef Stroganoff Featured
5 from 2 ratings

Healthy Beef Stroganoff

This healthy beef stroganoff is a reduced-fat version of my beef stroganoff that doesn’t compromise its rich taste! Deeply satisfying, this comforting favorite is the tender, flavorful sirloin steak you know and love but cooked in a healthier creamy greek yogurt mushroom sauce.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Add the beef broth to a small saucepan and reduce, uncovered, over high heat until it is approximately ¾ cup.
  • Mix 1 tablespoon flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
  • Pat sirloin strips dry and coat them with flour mixture.
  •  In a skillet, brown beef strips quickly in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove browned beef from pan and keep warm.
  • Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the pan with a few teaspoons more oil (if necessary). Cook until onion is crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan; blend in 2 tablespoons flour.
  • Add tomato paste, then stir in broth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Be sure to cook down the sauce until it is no longer runny. This time will depend on how much you cooked down the beef broth.
  • Return meat to skillet. It’s important that you maintain a low heat, and do not allow the sauce to boil. Stir in Greek yogurt and white wine; cook slowly over low heat until heated through. Serve over hot egg noodles and enjoy!

Notes

Technique – Be careful not to crowd the pan when cooking the beef. If there is not sufficient room for it to develop color, the meat will steam and not brown.
Variations Instant Pot: Complete step 1 as directed. With Instant Pot set to SAUTE, complete Steps 2-7. At Step 8, once the meat is placed back in the pot, close and seal the lid. Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. Immediately vent and release the pressure. Once it is safe, add the wine and yogurt.
Storage -Store leftover beef stroganoff in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. I recommend storing the sauce and the noodles separately to preserve the texture of the noodles. You can also freeze this dish (without the greek yogurt) for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Hungarian
Calories: 461
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed beef recipes, or try this Best French Onion Soup next!

Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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24 Comments

  1. My favorite tomato paste comes in a tube, just squeeze out the amount you need and recap, store in the fridge.

    Anyone use any other protein beside sirloin?

  2. This looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it! BTW the “Kitchen Tip’ for left over tomato paste is so helpful!

  3. OMG! I love your tip for freezing leftover tomato paste! That is genius!
    Beef, mushrooms, and noodles equals pure comfort food. Love that this is a lightened up recipe. I definitely need to lighten up after the holidays. 😉

  4. I made your delicious tasty dish & loved every spoonfull & so did my husband Peter!
    It was just perfect with a good red Pinot Noir wine!