Beef stroganoff makes a perfect, hearty meal with tender, marinated meat strips swimming in a pool of rich, umami gravy. With all those intense flavors, selecting sides with subtle tastes is crucial to avoid being overwhelmed.
Thus, beef stroganoff is often paired with starchy dishes like rice, fries, noodles, and more. The flavors are creamy and nice, really suited for the richness of the beef dish; moreover, starch does an excellent job absorbing all those flavors. If you are wondering what to serve with beef stroganoff, this article features some classic sides, and some unique ones.
1. Steamed White Rice
Perfectly cooked rice is terrific with beef stroganoff. The plain flavors allow the richness of the main dish to come through without being too much. While white rice is usually boiled or made in a rice cooker, you’ll find this steamed white rice recipe to do a better job making rice with the perfect cook and texture.
2. Air Fryer French Fries
Potato dishes, like French fries, are classic with beef stroganoff because, like rice, they’re starchy, so they soak up the flavors and sauce. However, fries are often deep-fried, and all those oils are unhealthy and can make the dish taste off. Thus, you might prefer this air fryer French fries – they’re better and healthier than regular ones.
3. Buttered Noodles
Egg noodles are almost traditional with beef stroganoff. Indeed, many recipes have included the pasta right into the ingredients and procedures, so they’ve become one dish. But if you prefer making your noodles and beef separate, this recipe will help you with the former. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete and needs only six ingredients: noodles, chicken broth, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Homemade Rye Bread
Bread is another carb-heavy treat that’s perfect with beef stroganoff. While you can make a trip to the bakery for that, nothing beats the quality and taste of homemade bread; thus, I’ve included this easy recipe for rye bread, which calls only for bread and dark rye flour, sea salt, instant dried yeast, and water.
5. Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes with beef stroganoff are like mashed potatoes with gravy but much more decadent, flavorful, and with meat. The mashed potatoes also take in the sauces, like other starchy dishes. However, it stands out for contributing creamy and buttery flavors. Depending on how you flavor your potatoes, there could also be hints of tang and garlic, making the meal taste more complex and elevated.
6. Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Mashed potatoes are a favorite but can be too heavy and rich for others. Thus, give this mashed cauliflower recipe a chance if you want a healthier, lighter alternative. The textures are on point, and the flavors are similar, as this one also has garlic, butter, parmesan, salt, and pepper. The procedure is also similar, but the cauliflower is steamed instead of boiled.
7. Polenta
Polenta is an Italian cornmeal dish reminiscent of porridge. It is smooth, creamy, and buttery, the perfect bed for rich and tasty beef stroganoff. Only three ingredients are necessary for this recipe – water, salt, and polenta or yellow cornmeal – but you can add butter and cheese for more flavor and creaminess. Serve while warm, or else it will harden and won’t be creamy.
8. Easy German Spaetzle
Spaetzle is a German egg noodle or dumpling dish served with rich meat and gravy dishes, like beef stroganoff. To make this side dish from scratch, you only need flour, salt, eggs, and milk or water. A spaetzle maker forms them into those distinct, bitty shapes, but you can also use a colander as an alternative.
9. Cauliflower Rice
Suppose you want rice but not the carbs, and you also like cauliflower but not creamy or mashed. Then, make this cauliflower rice instead. The overall profile differs from rice, but it’s a good alternative in that the flavors are plain or simple. It takes only ten minutes to make, as you’ll only be blitzing the veggie in the food processor, then sauteing for a bit.
10. Roasted Brussels Sprouts
You can go for this roasted brussels sprouts recipe if you prefer healthy over starchy sides. They are crisp, perfect with the tender beef. It features caramelized, sweet flavors to compliment the rich and umami of the stroganoff. Also, it’s a quick treat – five minutes to prepare, then 25 minutes to roast in the oven.
11. Grilled Asparagus
Another healthy vegetable side dish is grilled asparagus, cooked in foil to keep it tender and to lock in the flavors. Having them in foil also makes grilling easier – you won’t have to worry about asparagus stalks falling through the gaps. These veggies are subtly flavored with butter, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and chopped parsley.
12. Steamed Broccoli
If you prefer your greens crisp, then serve your beef stroganoff with a side of steamed broccoli. Steaming keeps the broccoli green, nutritious, and crispy. You can use any steaming material – bamboo, metal, rack, basket, or even improvise with pot, lid, and containers. It takes only five minutes to steam; then, you can serve it plain or with the recipe’s suggested sauce.
13. Sauteed Spinach
Soft greens, like this sauteed spinach, also make a good beef stroganoff side dish. The flavors are subtle, the textures match the beef’s tenderness, and they contribute a lot of nutrients. To make this sauteed spinach, you’ll also need extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, and salt. Cooking and prep time takes only 15 minutes.
14. Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
These oven-roasted potatoes are irresistibly soft, fluffy, and flavorful; indeed a classic side dish perfect for many dishes, including beef stroganoff. Any potato can be used for this recipe, even sweet potatoes, and you can keep them unpeeled! These root crops are flavored with various fresh herbs, olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, rendering a complex yet subtle taste profile.
