If you're looking for a delicious, cosy, and easy dinner, this Instant Pot lentil stroganoff with tender, meaty mushrooms fits the bill. It's hearty, filling, and a fun vegetarian take on the traditional beef stroganoff. Try this Coconut Lentil Curry recipe too!
[This recipe was originally posted in February 2018. It has been updated for photos and content.]
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One of my all time favorite cosy dishes is beef stroganoff. It's creamy, beefy, and has mushrooms for days. But, for some reason, it's just not one of those dishes I eat very often. I can probably count the number of times I've had it on both hands. Probably because it does take more time crouching over a hot stove than I'm usually willing to spend. That's no good.
I made a few changes to turn the traditional stroganoff into an easy, and meatless meal: I switched out the beef for green lentils, added a few more mushrooms, and swapped the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt. Not that the yogurt is any less meatless than sour cream, but I find it's texture & flavor super similar to sour cream, and I always have it on hand. Sometimes the easy way is the best way.
Try these quick Instant Pot recipes: Instant Pot Chicken Wings, Instant Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage, Cheesy Homemade Mashed Potatoes, Chicken and Yellow Rice, Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
How it’ll make your life easier
If you're like me and love a good cosy meal during the winter, but don't have much time to prepare anything, this stroganoff is perfect for you, you can buy all the veggies precut and ready to go, and it just takes 5 minutes of hands-on time, then about 30 to cook.
Plus this recipe has such deep and delicious flavors, it tastes like it's been simmering over the stovetop for hours, when in reality, it just took you 30ish minutes.
Why I love this lentil stroganoff recipe
Ummmm it's made in the Instant Pot. Almost a set it & forget it type of situation here. Almost. When I pressure cooked the lentils, they turned out creamy, beefy, and so delicious without having to cook them for a long time.
How to make Instant Pot Lentil Stroganoff
Turn Instant Pot onto SAUTEE setting. Once it's hot (it heats up fast!) pour 1 T olive oil into pan, then ½ cup diced onions, 1 lb sliced mushrooms, and ½ teaspoon salt & ¼ teaspoon pepper to IP bowl. Stir until onions are translucent and mushrooms have released water by becoming about ⅓ smaller. It takes about 5-7 minutes.
NOTE: Make sure mushrooms shrink. I made this once and didn't sautee the mushrooms beforehand and they maintained their water and texture which in many cases would be great, but the texture a bit weird. I like to sautee them to release some of the water so they're not as chewy.
Add 1 clove garlic (minced), then deglaze pan with ¼ cup red wine. Add ½ c rinsed green lentils and 1 c beef or veggie stock to sauteed vegetables. Mushrooms may not be completely covered, but that's ok.
Cancel cooking setting and reset to MULTIGRAIN and cook for 15 minutes on HIGH. Secure lid and set vent to SEALING. Once timer has gone off, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. That means that you let the timer count up to 10 minute before releasing steam vent.
Boil water for ½ pound egg noodles at this point. Cook noodles according to package directions.
Once lentils have been sitting for 10 minutes, turn vent from SEALING to VENTING. Remove lid and add ½ cup plain Greek yogurt to mixture. Mix together until incorporated.
Top hot noodles with stroganoff mixture and garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy immediately.
FAQ
The creamy sauce for stroganoff is traditionally made with the base of a roux (which is a mixture of butter and flour). You can also make your sauce with oil, Greek yogurt, and vegetable broth. I personally like using vegetable broth and Greek yogurt to make the sauce because it adds a lot of flavor and thickens the sauce for your lentils and mushrooms.
My favorite additions to stroganoff to make it taste better are beef or vegetable broth and red wine. These additions add a depth of flavor and meatiness to your stroganoff.
Beef is traditional for stroganoff, but if you're looking for a vegetarian option, lentils are delicious. Vegetable or beef stock add umami and meaty flavors to this vegetarian dish.
Expert Tips
Tips on using the SAUTEE setting on an Instant Pot
It's HOT. I'd recommend staying close and stirring often or else you'll end up with majorly burned food.
Tips to make this dish even easier
- Use green lentils instead of other colors because they're the heartiest and will maintain their shape during the cooking process.
- To make this recipe super super easy, buy precut onions, garlic, and sliced mushrooms.
- If you don't use or have any red wine on hand, sub vegetable or beef stock
- You can use sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt, just use the same amount in the recipe
How to Repurpose this instant pot stroganoff recipe
- It could make a delicious soup if you add a cup of broth, and maybe some more red wine? and some extra veggies (hearty greens, carrots)
- Who doesn't love mushrooms over a good steak? Grill yourself up a nice steak & top with these stroganoff leftovers
How to use leftover ingredients
- Lentils: Coconut Lentil Curry
- Mushrooms: Mushroom Cream Sauce for Ravioli, Pasta with Mushrooms and Green Beans, Vegetarian Hash, and Healthy Breakfast Tacos
- Greek Yogurt: Overnight Oats with Yogurt, Chicken Salad Pita, Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa and White Sauce
Did you make this IP lentil stroganoff? leave me a comment to share how it turned out!
Instant Pot Lentil Stroganoff
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
- Instant Pot
- Stock Pot
- Large Spoon
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 1 pound mushrooms sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup red wine
- ½ cup green lentils rinsed
- 1 cup beef or vegetable broth
- ½ pound egg noodles
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot onto sautee setting. Once hot, pour 1T olive oil into pan, then ½ c diced onions, 1 lb sliced mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt & ¼ teaspoon ground pepper. Stir until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add 1 clove garlic (minced), then deglaze pan with ¼ cup red wine. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add ½ green lentils and 1 c stock to vegetables. The mushrooms will not be completely covered, but that's ok. Stir. Cancel cooking setting and reset to MULTIGRAIN and cook for 15 minutes on HIGH. Place lid on, and set vent to SEALING.
- Once timer has gone off, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. While pressure is releasing, cook ½ lb egg noodles according to package directions. Once lentils have been sitting for 10 minutes, turn vent from SEALING to VENTING. Let remaining steam release. Open lid once it's unlocked. Add ½ c plain Greek yogurt, stir together. Pour over hot noodles, and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy
Video
Notes
- Use green lentils instead of other colors because they're the heartiest and will maintain their shape during the cooking process.
- To make this recipe super super easy, buy precut onions, garlic, and sliced mushrooms.
- If you don't use or have any red wine on hand, sub vegetable or beef stock
- You can use sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt, just use the same amount in the recipe
- Parmesan cheese is also great on this stroganoff!
- If you want to sub the red wine, sub with equal parts grape juice OR broth.
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Sabine says
Absolutely delishes.
I’m in my 50’s and new to cooking and this is only the second time I turned on my IP.
With your help, homemade dinner has become attainable.
Thank You!
Rebecca says
this is so great to hear, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Sabine!
Erin says
Overall, we really enjoyed this. I did find the texture of the lentils to be dryer than meat, and there was not enough sauce to compensate for this. I ended up thinning out the sauce with a little milk and next time I will try adding an extra 1/2 c of broth. But there will be a next time. My husband loved. The mushrooms were amazing (but wine soaked mushrooms always are) and my daughter pointed out the sauce tasted like traditional stroganoff.
Rebecca says
Hi Erin, thanks for sharing how it turned out! I think I'll add a bit more water to the recipe to compensate for this because it'd be easier to thicken it up than to potentially burn the lentils or to have them be too hard. glad your family liked how you prepared it
Allison says
What would the times be if a double or tripled this? Thanks!
Rebecca says
You'll x2 or x3 each ingredient in the recipe. But what's even easier is to click on the number of servings in the recipe card and slide the slider to the number of servings you want!
Linda says
The instructions do not mention when to add the Garlic. You have it in the Ingredients List. The only mention is under :
How do I cook the mushrooms?
I highly recommend cooking down the mushrooms (with the garlic, onions, salt & pepper) before adding the lentils and cooking for real. I’ve done it both ways (cooking the mushrooms w/ the garlic & onions and also adding them with the lentils before cooking for 15 mins on MULTIGRAIN)
Rebecca says
oh thanks Linda! They should be added after cooking the onions, mushrooms, etc down. Right before deglazing the pan with red wine. Will update it now!
Linda says
Rebecca - Gave the recipe a try and was pleased with it. The greek yogurt did curdle which was not an appealing look and gave it a grainy texture. Should the yogurt be at room temp before adding, would that help?
Rebecca says
shoot! hate when that happens. Here are a couple things that could help next time- make sure the heat is turned off before adding the Greek yogurt. You can also remove a bit of of the cooking liquid and mix that into the yogurt, then add it all back in to the lentils. You can also add a dollop of Greek yogurt to the plated dish, and mix it in then. It should be cooled the most by then. Hope that helps!
Linda says
I am guessing it was the heat also. I like the idea of a dollop on top of serving. Will do that next time and there will be a next time!
Rebecca says
ya that makes sense. let me know how it turns out!
Cyndi says
Yummy! I gave up meat last year, but my husband didn't, so finding recipes we both enjoy can be tricky. He loves beef stroganoff, so I thought this might be worth a try. He LOVED it, and it is so satisfying.
Rebecca says
yay! great to hear. this is one of my fav vegetarian dishes too! thanks for sharing