How Many Calories in a Cup of Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff is such a great comfort meal; strips of beef are seared and then simmered in a flavorful mushroom cream sauce. Traditionally served over egg noodles, it's a one bowl meal that is comforting and delicious. My lightened-up healthy beef stroganoff features all of the classic ingredients, but modified to be lower calorie.

healthy beef stroganoff

What you'll need to make healthy beef stroganoff

lean sirloin steak
- this cut of beef is lean and tender, usually inexpensive and readily available
- other substitutions: top round, chuck roast (this is a fattier cut)
kosher salt
garlic powder
fresh cracked pepper
olive oil spray
shallots
mushrooms
Worcestershire
Dijon
light butter
all purpose flour
beef broth
sour cream
plain non-fat Greek yogurt
fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Lightening up a not-so-lightened-up recipe

The key to doing this is mirroring the traditional flavors of the dish, but just using less of them. I have learned over the years that when a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of olive oil, I can probably sub in olive oil spray and save a bunch of calories and points there.

The same goes for the creamy part: I use real sour cream, but I stretch it out by also using plain non-fat Greek yogurt. It adds more creaminess without racking up the calories, and it does not taste like yogurt here.

Traditionally, this dish is served with egg noodles (as shown here). A standard serving of egg noodles is 2 ounces (weighed uncooked) or about 1 cup cooked. The stats for this serving of egg noodles is approximately 200 calories, or 6 WW points (may vary based on brand).

If this is not in your calorie or point budget, don't fret. You can easily substitute lower-calorie options, whole wheat pasta, veggie spirals, or even potatoes as a side for this dish. This recipe is only for the beef and sauce portion.

There are not many shortcuts taken here to lighten up this dish; all of the ingredients are real ingredients, just like the traditional recipe calls for. The differences are as follows:

light butter instead of regular butter
smaller amounts of butter, flour and sour cream
Greek yogurt to stretch the sour cream amount

The cut of beef I use for this recipe is a lean, tender cut of beef, and is pretty macro-friendly.

stroganoff

How to make healthy beef stroganoff

Seasoning and searing the beef

This recipe comes together very quickly. It all happens in one pan, too. To make this recipe, I recommend using a large frying pan with deep sides in order for everything to fit in one pan.

To make this recipe, start off by slicing the steaks into strips or chunks. Then, season the beef with the kosher salt and garlic pepper and toss to coat.

Preheat the frying pan over medium-high heat, and add a generous spray of olive oil. Then, sear the meat quickly on both sides, for a total of 2-3 minutes. The meat will not be cooked through, but will be browned on the outside and still tender. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Building the sauce

In the same pan you cooked the steak in, add more olive oil spray. Thinly slice the shallots and add them to the pan, along with the mushrooms. Cook this mixture for 10 minutes, tossing frequently to prevent burning and sticking. Add more olive oil spray if needed.

After 10 minutes, the mushrooms and shallots will be cooked down. Add the Worcestershire and the Dijon, and stir to coat the vegetables. Then, add the butter and flour, and whisk into the vegetables so that they are coated. Cook this mixture for another few minutes so that the flour is incorporated. Then, add the beef broth.

Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce becomes thick from the flour. Then, stir in the sour cream and yogurt. Add the beef back in, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and add kosher salt and pepper if needed.

The finished sauce will look like this:

stroganoff

If your sauce appears too thick, you can add more beef broth as needed! If you are preparing this in advance, you can add more beef broth right before serving to "bring it back to life."

How to serve healthy beef stroganoff

This dish is traditionally served over egg noodles; boil them separately, and spoon 1 cooked cup of egg noodles into serving bowls, and top with the cooked beef and sauce. The egg noodles pair perfectly with the creamy sauce, for the ultimate comfort meal!

To keep this low carb, you can use other varieties of pasta, or veggie spirals.

stroganoff

healthy beef stroganoff

large frying pan with deep sides

1.5 lbs lean sirloin steak about 4 steaks
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
fresh cracked pepper
olive oil spray
2 cups shallots sliced, about 4 small ones or 2 large ones
16 oz white mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp light butter I use Land 'o Lakes
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
kosher salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish
optional: egg noodles or pasta for serving, also works with potatoes or veggie spirals

Start off by slicing the beef into strips or chunks.
Season the beef with the kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and garlic powder, and toss to coat evenly.
Preheat a frying pan over medium high heat, and then spray with olive oil spray.
Sear the beef on both sides, for a total of 2-3 minutes. It will not cook through here; we are just looking for some color on the outside and to lock in flavor.
Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a plate to rest.
Slice the mushrooms and shallots. Add more olive oil spray to the same pan, and add the mushrooms and shallots.
Cook for 10 minutes, tossing frequently to prevent burning and sticking. Add more olive oil spray as needed.
After 10 minutes, add the Worcestershire and Dijon to the cooked mushrooms and shallots, and whisk to combine.
Add the butter and flour, and stir to coat, ensuring to break down the flour and incorporate it throughout the pan.
Add the beef broth.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for about five minutes, or until the sauce thickens from the flour.
Stir in the sour cream and Greek yogurt.
Return the cooked beef to the pan, along with any residual juices that collected in the dish as the beef rested. Cook for another 5 minutes for the flavors to combine and the beef to cook through a bit more.
Taste the sauce for seasoning; add more salt and pepper as desired.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color.

WW Points:

7 WW points (all WW plans) for 1 heaping cup

Note: egg noodles are typically approximately 200 calories for 1 cup cooked, or 6 WW points. This dish pairs well with egg noodles, but you can also use any pasta of your choice, potatoes, or pasta replacement like veggie spirals to keep it lower-carb and lower-calorie.

WW PersonalPoints™: Click here to track this recipe in the WW app.