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Beef Paprikas

A savory beef dish simmered in a paprika‑infused sauce with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and sour cream.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Mushroom and beef are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,232 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Beef Paprikas

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the beef into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices, halved lengthwise.

Make the sauce

  1. Melt half the butter in a heavy large deep skillet over medium heat.

  2. Add onions and bell pepper and sauté until light golden, about 10 minutes.

  3. Add mushrooms and sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.

  4. Mix in flour and paprika and stir for 2 minutes.

  5. Add stock and tomato paste, bring to a boil while stirring constantly.

  6. Boil until sauce thickens and paprika flavor mellows, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes.

  7. Stir in sour cream.

  8. Remove from heat and add dill.

  9. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  10. If preparing ahead, cover and refrigerate; bring to simmer before adding beef.

Brown the beef and finish

  1. Melt half of the remaining butter in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.

  2. Working in batches, add beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until just browned on each side.

  3. Transfer browned beef to a plate.

  4. Add more butter as needed.

  5. When all beef is browned, add it to the sauce along with any drippings from the plate.

  6. Add dry white wine to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.

  7. Boil until syrupy, about 3 minutes.

  8. Add the wine to the beef.

  9. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes before serving if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1023Calories
62 gProtein
29 gFat
125 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Mushroom + beeftop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,232 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

  2. Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Mushroom + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,719 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  4. Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,525 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  5. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef tenderloin
The main protein; a quick sear browns its surface while keeping the slices tender.
Onions
Sweetness and savory depth as they cook down to a golden color.
All-purpose flour
Thickens the sauce as its starch swells in the hot stock.
Paprika
Provides the main aroma and red color, which mellows as the sauce simmers.
Sour cream
Adds richness and a mild tang that rounds out the sauce.
Tomato paste
Adds concentrated savory depth and a deeper color to the sauce.

The step that matters

Browning the beef in batches. Crowding the pan drops its temperature and makes the beef steam in its own juices instead of browning. Cooking in small batches over medium-high heat gives the meat a flavorful browned crust.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, onion, pepper, mushroom, flour, beef, cream):

  1. Potatofits better
  2. Chivefits better
  3. Leekfits better
  4. Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, onion, pepper, mushroom, flour, beef, cream. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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