Beef Stroganoff with Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles)

Beef Stroganoff takes just ten minutes to prepare and twenty-five minutes to cook. It’s a great weeknight meal when you need to make dinner in a pinch, and it’s the ultimate comfort food with its succulent strips of meat tossed in the creamiest mushroom sauce over a bed of tender pappardelle-style zoodles.

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite dishes. Maybe because it reminds me of my childhood. My father was a butcher and owned a grocery store, and he would bring home beautiful cuts of meat for my mother to cook. Beef Stroganoff was a dinner she made as it was quick and easy to prepare.

Succulent strips of meat tossed in the creamiest mushroom sauce over a bed of tender pappardelle noodles. When I made this dish this past week, I was surprised to realize that I had not yet shared it here on the blog, so here is my healthy, delicious, and gluten-free twist on beef stroganoff.

I’ve substituted the pasta with lovely zucchini noodles (zoodles!), and it’s just made me fall in love with this dish a little more.

For optimum taste, I recommend grass-free beef as it is healthier and contains more nutrients than its grain-fed counterpart. However, it sometimes can be difficult to find grass-fed beef in supermarkets (and often I’ve seen supermarkets overpricing these meats). 

That’s why I was delighted to discover US Wellness Meats. Their grass-fed beef is recognized for its exceptional taste, quality and health benefits, and you can order directly online from their website to have it delivered to your door.

Coconut cream for our sauce

Sour cream is often used in the Beef Stroganoff sauce. I decided to use coconut milk instead so this recipe would be paleo friendly.

Coconut milk is one of the most highly nutritious foods you can add to your diet. Read more about the benefits of coconut milk here. For the can of coconut milk (make sure to use a can, not a carton), I used Native Forest that is certified gluten-free and canned with non-BPA packaging.

A can of coconut milk contains coconut fat and coconut water. If you were to shake and open the can right away, the fat and water would mix together forming a creamy liquid. However, if you leave the unopened can overnight in the refrigerator, the fat and water separate, forming a thick layer of coconut fat at the top of the can.

At the bottom of the can will be a bit of coconut water that you can discard or refrigerate to add to your smoothies. I spoon out the top layer to use in the sauce.

How to make zucchini noodles with a spiralizer

To slice up the zucchini, I use my spiralizer from Paderno World Cuisine. As I’ve noted in other zoodle posts, I usually find that long and fat zucchini make the best zoodles, and it is also important to keep the zucchini centered inside the spiralizer when slicing them.

The Paderno spiralizer has the perfect blade for slicing up the zucchini to look and taste just like pappardelle noodles!

And the spiralizer is so incredibly fun and easy to use. There’s no need to make a vegetable side when you serve your beef stroganoff over zucchini!

How to make zoodles not watery

To make sure your zoodles don’t end up soggy, place them in a colander and toss with the salt until coated. Then put the colander in a shallow bowl for 20 – 30 minutes while the zoodles release their moisture, after which pat dry with paper towels.

To cook the zoodles, I heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, and then add three cloves of chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. Next, I toss in the zoodles and cook for about three minutes.

Then, I let the zoodles sit for a few minutes to allow any excess water to be released. I drain them again, and they’re ready to serve with the beef stroganoff.

Now for our beef stroganoff.

How to make beef stroganoff 

Beef Stroganoff takes just ten minutes to prepare and twenty-five minutes to cook.

More zucchini recipes

Zucchini Lasagna Recipe That Really Rocks Think lasagna with zucchini instead of noodles. Everyone in my family loves this dish, and I’m sure you will too. Each mouthful keeps you salivating for the next bite.

Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups Rolling up grilled zucchini with bolognese sauce and fresh parmesan really takes grilled zucchini to the next level.

Bacon. Corn, And Zucchini Sauté This is a delicious side where the veggies really sing. 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats Beautiful green sticks of zucchini hollowed into cute, little boats and filled with sausage and Gruyere cheese. So incredibly tasty and so fun to eat too!

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Beef Stroganoff with Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles)

Substitute pasta with lovely zucchini noodles (zoodles!), and fall in love with this version of beef stroganoff.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword alternative recipe, Beef Stroganoff, beef stroganoff without sour cream, Coconut cream, gluten free, zucchini noodles recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 805kcal

Author Barbara Bianchi

Ingredients

• For Zoodles:
• 4 zucchini
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• For Beef Stroganoff:
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 pounds stew beef cut into slices
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons butter *see note for dairy-free option
• 1 onion chopped
• 16 ounces mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup beef stock homemade or Kitchen Basics Beef Stock
• 1/2 cup solid coconut cream from refrigerated organic coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

• For Zoodles: Cut each zucchini into thin ribbons using the straight blade of your spiralizer. Place the spiralized zucchini in a colander and toss with 1/4 teaspoon of salt until coated.

  Place colander in a shallow bowl for 20 minutes while zoodles release their moisture. Meanwhile, you can prepare the beef stroganoff.
• When the zoodles are ready to cook, pat them with paper towels. Then heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add zoodles (zucchini), and cook about 2 minutes. Stir and cook for one more minute.

  Then let the zoodles sit for a few minutes to allow any excess water to be released, drain. You may want to pat with paper towels again.
• For Beef Stroganoff: Refrigerate the coconut milk overnight. You will use the solid cream.

  Wash and dry the beef. Mix salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Then rub the seasonings into the meat.

  Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over high heat until the skillet is very hot. Add half of the beef strips so as not to overcrowd the pan. Braise for 2 minutes on each side until brown. Transfer to a dish and repeat with the remaining beef. Transfer all beef to the plate. Set aside.
• Now turn heat down to medium. Add butter, onions and mushrooms. Cook until caramelized about 10 minutes.
• Add the beef stock, solid coconut cream that has settled on the top of the refrigerated can, and paprika scraping the bottom of the skillet to release all the tasty bits stuck to the pan. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Return the meat to the pan. Stir and simmer for 1 more minute to combine the flavors.
• Add salt to taste. Spoon over zoodles. Garnish with parsley.

Notes

*Dairy-free option: You can caramelize your mushrooms and onions in extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter. 😊

Nutrition

Calories: 805kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.5g

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