Pork Tips Stroganoff with Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients

• 6 slicesbacon
• 1.13 kg (2½ lb)pork loin tips, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 10 ml (2 tsp)Montreal steak seasoning, or your favourite
• 5 ml (1 tsp)lemon pepper
• 225 g (8 oz)sliced baby portabella mushrooms
• 1 largesweet onion, diced
• 5 ml (1 tsp)garlic salt
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp)black pepper
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 30 g (2 tbsp), dividedbutter
• 475 ml (2 cups)chicken broth
• 5 ml (1 tsp)dried tarragon
• 5 ml (1 tsp)Worcestershire sauce
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp)smoked paprika
• 225 g (8 oz)light or full-fat sour cream
• 32 g (4 tbsp)plain flour
• To serve: prepared mashed potatoes or 454 g (1 lb) cooked fettuccine noodlesmashed potatoes or cooked fettuccine noodles
• 30 ml (2 tbsp)fresh chives, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the bacon

   In a large Dutch oven or heavy-based frying pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer it to kitchen paper to drain, then crumble it. Leave 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the drippings in the pan and remove the rest.

2. 2

   Brown the pork

   Add 15 g (1 tbsp) of the butter and the pork tips to the pan. Sprinkle over the steak seasoning and lemon pepper, then stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, until browned on both sides and no pink remains. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3. 3

   Cook the vegetables

   Add the remaining 15 g (1 tbsp) butter, mushrooms and onion to the pan. Season with the garlic salt and black pepper, then cook for about 3–5 minutes until softened and starting to brown. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more, scraping up the browned bits from the pan.

4. 4

   Return the pork

   Add the chicken broth, tarragon, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, pork tips and their juices to the pan. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.

5. 5

   Thicken the sauce

   Mix the sour cream and flour together, then stir the mixture into the pan until fully incorporated and the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.

6. 6

   Add the bacon

   Stir half of the crumbled bacon into the pan so it is evenly distributed.

7. 7

   Serve the stroganoff

   Take the pan off the hob and serve straight away over mashed potatoes, buttered rice or cooked egg noodles. Garnish with the remaining crumbled bacon and chopped chives.

What is pork tips stroganoff?

Stroganoff is a dish of meat served in a rich, creamy sauce, associated with Russian cooking and widely adapted in American home kitchens. This version uses pork tips instead of the more familiar beef, with mushrooms, onion and sour cream forming the hearty sauce.

Bacon adds a smoky, savoury note, while tarragon, Worcestershire sauce and paprika round out the flavour. Serving it over potatoes, noodles or rice makes the sauce part of every bite.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 425 calories, 46g protein, 13g carbs, 20g fat.

The pork supplies most of the protein, while the potatoes, rice or noodles contribute most of the meal's carbohydrates. Bacon, butter and sour cream provide much of the fat. For a more balanced plate, serve a generous portion of vegetables alongside the stroganoff.

Choose and brown the pork

Pork tips: Cut the loin into bite-sized pieces so they cook quickly and are easy to serve. The recipe browns them over medium-high heat before setting them aside, then returns them to the pan with their juices.

Seasoning: Montreal steak seasoning and lemon pepper season the pork before it browns. Stir well so the pieces are coated.

Build flavour in the pan

Bacon drippings: Cooking the vegetables in some of the reserved drippings carries the bacon's savoury flavour through the sauce. Keep 30 ml (2 tbsp) in the pan as directed.

Browned bits: After the mushrooms, onion and garlic have cooked, scrape the base of the pan as you stir in the broth. Those browned bits blend into the liquid.

Thicken without sticking

Sour cream mixture: Combine the sour cream and flour before adding them to the pan. Stir until the mixture is fully incorporated, then keep stirring as the sauce thickens over medium heat.

Gentle cooking: Once the sauce is in, cook it for 3–5 minutes rather than letting it boil vigorously. This gives it time to thicken while reducing the risk of sticking.

Check the texture and timing

Pork: The recipe calls for 6–8 minutes of browning, until the pieces are browned on both sides and no pink remains. Keep them warm on a plate while you cook the mushrooms and onion.

Sauce: After adding the sour cream and flour, look for a sauce that is beginning to thicken during the 3–5 minute cook. Stir regularly, particularly across the bottom of the pan.

Pick a base and serve

Potatoes: Mashed potatoes make a soft, hearty base that catches the creamy sauce. Rice or cooked egg noodles are alternatives named in the recipe.

Finish: Stir half of the bacon into the sauce, then use the rest and the chives as a garnish. Serve the stroganoff as soon as it comes off the hob.

Recipe notes & tips

• Cut the pork into evenly sized pieces so they brown at a similar rate.
• Keep the pan drippings to 30 ml (2 tbsp) after cooking the bacon.
• Scrape the browned bits from the pan when you add the minced garlic and broth.
• Mix the flour thoroughly into the sour cream before adding it to the pan.
• Stir regularly during the final 3–5 minutes to keep the sauce from sticking.
• Have the potatoes, rice or noodles ready before the sauce finishes cooking so you can serve it hot.

Variations

• Choose a base: Serve the sauce over mashed potatoes, cooked fettuccine or rice.
• Use full-fat sour cream: Choose it instead of light sour cream for a richer sauce.
• Change the seasoning: Use your favourite steak seasoning in place of Montreal seasoning.
• Adjust the garnish: Add the chives and crumbled bacon just before serving.
• Keep the bacon separate: Serve all the crumbled bacon on top rather than stirring half into the sauce.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving too much bacon fat: Keep only 30 ml (2 tbsp) drippings in the pan before adding the butter and pork.
• Skipping the pork juices: Add the pork and its collected juices back to the pan with the broth.
• Not scraping the pan: Scrape up the browned bits as the garlic cooks and the broth goes in.
• Adding flour by itself: Mix it with the sour cream first, then stir that mixture into the sauce.
• Letting the sauce stick: Stir as it cooks over medium heat for 3–5 minutes.
• Waiting too long to serve: Take the pan off the hob and serve the stroganoff straight away.

How to store

Refrigerate leftover stroganoff in a covered container and eat within 3 days. Reheat gently in a pan, stirring until hot throughout; add a little broth if the sauce has thickened in storage. Store any cooked potatoes, rice or noodles separately where possible.

Frequently asked questions