Easy Pork Stroganoff

This pork stroganoff is tender slices of pork tenderloin simmered with mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a creamy and tangy sour cream sauce.

We’re deep into comfort food season at this point, and today I have a new version of one of my absolute favorite comfort foods for you, stroganoff!

Growing up, we always made stroganoff with beef top sirloin, but in college, I learned that you can make an absolutely killer pork stroganoff with the WAY cheaper and very tender pork tenderloin. Best of all, the pork version is just as easy to make and satisfying as the beef version.

Ingredient Notes

• Button or white mushrooms: I prefer to use button/white mushrooms in stroganoff, but use whatever mushrooms you prefer.
• Pork tenderloin: If you don’t usually cook with pork tenderloin, it’s a thin, cylindrical cut of meat that comes from the loin of the pig. It cooks up quick and tender and is typically extremely reasonably priced. Don’t try and substitute pork loin chops here. They are not interchangeable.
• Tomato paste: A little tomato paste adds flavor to the sauce. This recipe won’t use a full can so check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.
• Dry sherry: I love using sherry in stroganoff, but any dry white wine can be substituted.
• Egg noodles: Egg noodles are the classic stroganoff pairing, but you can also serve it over mashed potatoes or rice.

Trimming Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin will typically come with a small amount of fat and silver skin (the thin silvery-blue membrane that sticks tightly to the meat) attached.

You’ll want to trim these away as silver skin won’t cook down in the sauce and has a chewy and unpleasant texture. If you’ve never removed silver skin, it’s very simple. Just slide a sharp knife between the silver skin and the meat and cut it away in strips. Go watch this video for a good tutorial on removing the skin.

How to Make Pork Stroganoff

1. Cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in butter until tender.
2. Add pork and cook until just browned before adding tomato paste and flour.
3. Stir in sherry, beef broth, and lemon juice and simmer for 15 minutes, until pork is cooked through.
4. Temper sour cream, stir it into the sauce, and serve over egg noodles.
5. Enjoy!

Tempering Sour Cream

This step is optional but creates a smoother, more luxurious looking sauce and only takes an extra minute or two to do. To temper sour cream, you stir spoonfuls of hot cooking liquid into cold sour cream to slowly raise its temperature. This allows you to add the sour cream to the simmering sauce without it breaking.

What to serve with pork stroganoff?

Pork stroganoff is a pretty rich dish, so stick with light and simple veggies like roasted broccoli , butter and garlic green beans , or roasted zucchini .

Can I freeze stroganoff?

Yes! As long and you just freeze the sauce and not the pasta, stroganoff freezes extremely well. Transfer the stroganoff to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrost overnight in the fridge or submerge the bag of sauce in warm water, changing the water as necessary, and it should defrost in about 15 minutes. Reheat in the microwave or gently on the stovetop. Make a fresh batch of noodles (2-3 ounces per serving) and enjoy!

More Comfort Food Favorites

• Ham and Potato Soup
• Easy Carnitas
• Country-style Pork Ribs
• Pork Ragu
• Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup
• American Goulash

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 28g ) butter
• ▢ 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
• ▢ ½ medium white or yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic crushed or minced
• ▢ 1 pork tenderloin trimmed of silverskin, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced across into ¼-inch strips
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt plus more as needed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 16g ) tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 15g ) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups beef broth
• ▢ ¼ cup dry sherry
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper plus more as needed
• ▢ 8 ounces ( about 4 cups ) egg noodles
• ▢ 1 cup ( 240g ) sour cream

Instructions

Start Stroganoff

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add pork tenderloin to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cook until lightly browned.
• Stir in tomato paste until well mixed. Stir in flour.
• Add beef broth, sherry, lemon juice, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.

Start Pasta

• While your sauce simmers, bring a lightly salted pot of water to a boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Finish Stroganoff

• Once stroganoff has simmered for 15 minutes, remove it from heat. Measure sour cream out into a medium bowl and add a ladle full of the hot cooking liquid (about 1/4 cup) to the sour cream. Stir until well combined. Repeat until the sour cream is very warm to the touch. Stir the sour cream mixture into the stroganoff.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the stroganoff over egg noodles and enjoy!

This Peppermint Mocha is quick and simple to make at home. You don’t need espresso, store-bought syrups or peppermint extract, just coffee, milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and a candy cane.

The holidays are finally here, and that means it’s time to make some festive coffee drinks.

My go-to holiday treat-yourself coffee is always a peppermint white chocolate mocha or regular peppermint mocha. Two years ago I posted the recipe for the homemade white chocolate version, so this year you’re getting a classic peppermint mocha.

Like my regular homemade mocha , this is a really quick, simple, and easy recipe to make at home. You don’t need espresso, store-bought syrups or peppermint extract.

It’s made with strongly brewed coffee (or whatever coffee you have in your pot right now), a quick chocolate syrup of cocoa powder, sugar, and water, and the peppermint flavor comes from a crushed up candy cane.

Ingredient Notes

• Milk: Use any milk you like here (plant-based works just fine). The higher fat the milk, the richer your peppermint mocha will be. For an extra rich and creamy drink, try substituting half and half or heavy cream for some of the milk.
• Cocoa powder: Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder will work for this recipe.
• Candy cane: This recipe calls for one large candy cane, but if you only have small ones, one large candy cane is equal to about 3 or 4 minis.

How to Make a Peppermint Mocha at Home

1. Using a zip-top bag and a rolling pin or meat mallet, crush a candy cane into fine crumbs.
2. On the stove, heat cocoa powder, sugar, and a little water together to make a chocolate syrup.
3. Add milk and candy cane pieces and heat until milk is steaming and candy cane dissolved.
4. Pour over hot coffee and stir.
5. And that’s it. Taste and add a little more sugar if you’d like it sweeter, and add a little heavy cream if you want it richer. Then just top it with some whipped cream and enjoy your peppermint mocha in your pajamas on a chilly morning.

Can I make this a peppermint mocha frappuccino?

Yes. If you’re one of those people who still prefer their coffee iced in the winter, you can serve this over ice or blended into a frappe.

1. Chill your coffee. Make the recipe as written BUT when you add the milk, add only 2 tablespoons, and heat over medium-low heat. You want to dissolve the candy cane pieces without scalding the milk.
2. Then combine this mixture with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold milk and the cold coffee.
3. Serve over ice or blend with 1 1/2 cup of ice for a frappe.

*If making a peppermint mocha frappuccino and you like a pretty sweet drink, use a heaping tablespoon of sugar or double the sugar because blending in ice will cut the sweetness.

Can I make this with peppermint extract instead of a candy cane?

You can. Skip the candy cane and make the recipe as written. After adding the sugar, add peppermint extract to taste—peppermint extract is very strong, so you won’t need more than a couple of drops.

Can I make a peppermint mocha in the microwave?

Absolutely. To make your mocha in the microwave, combine cocoa powder, sugar, finely crushed candy cane and water in a mug. Stir until well-mixed and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir until candy cane pieces are mostly dissolved before adding the milk. Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute, until steaming. Stir in hot coffee, and enjoy!

More Starbucks Copycat Recipes

• White Chocolate Mocha
• Caramel Macchiato
• Salted Caramel Mocha
• Chai Tea Latte

More Christmas Drinks

• Eggnog Latte
• Hot Chocolate
• Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate
• Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
• The BEST Crockpot Hot Chocolate

A Note on Serving Size

This recipe makes about 1 cup of coffee, enough to fill an 8-ounce mug. If you’d like to fill an oversized mug, 1 1/2 or double the recipe.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 full-size candy cane *
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 5g ) unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 12g ) granulated sugar plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ ¼ cup milk any percentage
• ▢ ¾ cup hot strongly brewed coffee
• ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
• ▢ Whipped cream optional

Instructions

• Place candy can in zip top bag and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to crush the candy and into small crumbs.
• In a small pot, combine cocoa powder, sugar, and water. Heat over medium heat, whisking until a smooth chocolate syrup forms. Whisk in milk and add candy cane pieces. Heat, stirring often until milk is steaming and candy cane pieces have dissolved. Turn heat down if milk starts to simmer before candy is dissolved. Whisk vigorously to foam the milk slightly.
• Pour coffee into an 8-ounce mug. Add milk mixture and heavy cream if desired. Taste and add more sugar if not sweet enough. Top with optional whipped cream, serve and enjoy!

Notes

This easy crockpot hot chocolate is the best hot chocolate you’ll ever sip. It’s creamy, rich, and completely decadent. Make it in your slow cooker for easy hands-off cooking or on the stovetop if you’re running short on time.

I have a ton of hot chocolate recipes on the site, but today I’m sharing my family’s absolute favorite hot chocolate recipe with you. A friend shared this recipe with me when I was in college, and I’ve made it for my family on Christmas Eve every single year since.

We call it our Polar Express Hot Chocolate because it’s so extremely rich and creamy that it tastes just like the sort of thing you’d drink on a magical train on your way to Santa’s workshop.

Why make hot chocolate in a crockpot?

You don’t have to make this hot chocolate in a slow cooker. You can cook it on the stovetop and it will turn out just as well, but using a slow cooker means you can start your hot chocolate and mostly forget about it as it cooks.

Give it a stir once or twice an hour when you walk past the kitchen, but otherwise, no need to babysit it.

And during the holidays, when you’re running around or busy cooking other things, it’s nice to have something low-maintenance.

Ingredient Notes

• Milk: Any percentage milk will work just fine in this recipe. I typically use whole milk. Sweetened condensed milk: Instead of using sugar, this recipe uses condensed milk. If you don’t regularly buy sweetened condensed milk, you can usually find it in the baking aisle or near the coffee and tea aisle. It’s sold in cans, and be sure to double check to make sure you’ve grabbed sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk since they’re typically sold side by side.
• Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate: All of the chocolate flavor for the hot chocolate comes from real chocolate (there’s no cocoa powder in this recipe) so be sure to use high-quality chocolate you enjoy the taste of. Chopped chocolate from a bar melts a little easier and nicer, but good-quality chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard will also work (and is what we usually use).
• Heavy cream: A generous amount of heavy cream is what makes this recipe so rich and creamy. I do not recommend trying to replace it with milk, though if you really want to make crockpot hot chocolate with no heavy cream, half and half would probably be okay. If you have leftover heavy cream, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Heavy Cream for ideas to use up the extras.

How to Make Crockpot Hot Chocolate

1. Combine all ingredients in your crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. The hot chocolate is done when it is piping hot and chocolate is completely melted.

Toppings

This recipe makes such a rich hot chocolate that it really doesn’t need any toppings. But toppings are fun, so feel free to load your glasses up with them. Try:

• Whipped cream
• Marshmallows
• Candy canes
• Shaved or chopped chocolate
• Chocolate sauce
• Warm milk (to cut the sweetness and richness)

Can I make this without condensed sweetened milk?

No. While you absolutely can make hot chocolate without sweetened condensed milk, you cannot make this hot chocolate without it. If you don’t have (or want to buy) any, try one of the other hot chocolate recipes on the site like my Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate .

How to store leftover hot chocolate?

Leftover hot chocolate stores very well. Transfer it to an airtight container like a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 or 3 days.

You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop or drink it chilled.

Leftovers tip: My mom likes to pour leftover hot chocolate into her coffee on Christmas morning and make a homemade mocha .

What to serve with crockpot hot chocolate?

This recipe makes an extremely rich and sweet drink. At home, we always warm a couple cups of milk on the stove right before serving so people who like their hot chocolate a little less decadent can add more milk to theirs and cut the sweetness.

Otherwise, serve this alongside your favorite Christmas cookies. I recommend Chai Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Glaze , Snickerdoodles , and (small-batch) Snowball Cookies .

More Hot Chocolate Recipes

• Hot Chocolate (Classic)
• Pink Hot Chocolate
• White Hot Chocolate
• Chai White Hot Chocolate
• Baileys Hot Chocolate
• Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
• Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
• Frozen Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

Hot Chocolate

• ▢ 6 cups milk any percentage, plus more for serving*
• ▢ 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 2 cups ( 12oz ) chopped semisweet chocolate, high-quality chips are fine
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt

Optional Toppings

• ▢ Whipped cream
• ▢ Marshmallows
• ▢ Candy canes

Instructions

• Combine all hot chocolate ingredients in the slow cooker and stir together.
• Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or high for about 2 hours. Stir once 15 minutes after starting the hot chocolate and then again every 45 minutes or so.
• Hot chocolate is done when the chocolate is completely melted and mixture is steaming hot.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Pork Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ( 28g ) butter
• 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
• ½ medium white or yellow onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic crushed or minced
• 1 pork tenderloin trimmed of silverskin, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced across into ¼-inch strips
• ¼ teaspoon salt plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon ( 16g ) tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons ( 15g ) all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• ¼ cup dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon pepper plus more as needed
• 8 ounces ( about 4 cups ) egg noodles
• 1 cup ( 240g ) sour cream

Instructions

Start Stroganoff

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add pork tenderloin to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cook until lightly browned.
• Stir in tomato paste until well mixed. Stir in flour.
• Add beef broth, sherry, lemon juice, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.

Start Pasta

• While your sauce simmers, bring a lightly salted pot of water to a boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Finish Stroganoff

• Once stroganoff has simmered for 15 minutes, remove it from heat. Measure sour cream out into a medium bowl and add a ladle full of the hot cooking liquid (about 1/4 cup) to the sour cream. Stir until well combined. Repeat until the sour cream is very warm to the touch. Stir the sour cream mixture into the stroganoff.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the stroganoff over egg noodles and enjoy!

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