Ground beef stroganoff is a quick and easy weeknight dinner made with ground beef, mushrooms, onions, and egg noodles in a creamy sauce. It is a comforting, family-friendly meal that is perfect for busy nights.
What's great about this recipe
This popular dish is traditionally made with beef chunks, but we use affordable ground beef with satisfying results. We still get the beefy flavor at a fraction of the price making a tasty, budget-friendly meal. This is a great recipe for when you are running low on time and funds.
Ingredients
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- Oil - Use a neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point, we use canola oil.
- Ground beef - Choose lean ground beef but with a little bit of fat for flavor. We use ground chuck (80/20 lean to fat ratio). Other good options include ground round and sirloin.
- Produce - From the produce section you will need mushrooms, onion, and garlic. White button mushrooms work well. Don't slice them too thin so they hold up to the cooking time. Use a yellow or white onion. Like the mushrooms don't slice it too thin.
- Spices and seasoning - Salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce season this dish simply. Find Worcestershire sauce in the condiment aisle at the grocery store or online.
- Pantry - All purpose flour is used to thicken the sauce. Beef broth makes the gravy and wide egg noodles is the pasta typically served with stroganoff.
- Dairy - Butter is used to sauté the onions and mushrooms and works with flour to thicken the gravy. Sour cream is added to the gravy at the end.
- Garnish - Fresh parsley, optional
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
How to make ground beef stroganoff
Start the beef
Add the ground beef to the hot oil, season with salt, and arrange it in one layer. Cook for 3 minutes over medium-high heat.
Brown and drain
Stir the beef, arrange it in one layer again, and cook for 2 more minutes. Break up any large pieces, then remove the beef with a slotted spoon and drain the excess grease from the skillet. Do not wash or wipe.
- Add the butter, onions, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften.
- Add the garlic and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1½ to 2 minutes, stirring almost constantly.
- Slowly add the beef broth while stirring briskly and scraping any bits off the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
- Return the browned ground beef to the skillet and stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Take the skillet off the heat and let it cool until it is no longer simmering. Temper the sour cream with a little sauce, then stir it into the skillet.
Finish the dish
While the sauce cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles to package directions for al dente. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the water once it starts to boil, then drain the noodles well.
Add the noodles to the sauce and stir until coated and combined. Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference, we added ⅓ teaspoon to ours. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Recipe tips and notes
- Use Greek yogurt or heavy cream in place of sour cream if desired. Substitute an equal amount and temper them before adding.
- Cook egg noodles right before combining or serving them with the stroganoff so they do not stick. If the hot noodles are added to the creamy mushroom gravy, they will soak up the sauce and become even more flavorful.
- Don't overcook the egg noodles so they don't get mushy and clumpy.
Frequently asked questions
We are going to drain the ground beef after browning so you can get away with using beef with some fat. We use ground chuck which is 80-85% lean to 15-20% fat and has plenty of flavor. For a leaner beef try ground round (85-90% lean to 10-15% fat) or ground sirloin (90-92% lean to 8-10% fat).
Yes, ground turkey can be substituted. Choose ground turkey with some fat like 85/15. Do not use turkey breast. You can also use chicken broth instead of beef broth. Keep in mind that the ground turkey is paler than beef and will alter the appearance of the final dish.
To keep the sauce from curdling don't add cold sour cream to the hot stroganoff sauce. Temper the sour cream by placing it in a bowl and add a teaspoon of the hot sauce at a time and stirring well in between each addition until the sour cream is no longer cold.
Storing and reheating instructions
Store leftover beef stroganoff in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave until hot all the way through. Or, place it in a saucepan, add 1-2 tablespoons of beef broth to loosen, if necessary. Heat on the stove top on medium until hot, stir occasionally. Always heat leftovers to 165 degrees F.
To freeze, place it in a freezer-safe container and refrigerate until it is chilled. Then, cover well, transfer it to the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat - thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and follow the directions above.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
If you liked this recipe, try our hamburger soup for another easy ground beef dinner, or beef and macaroni when you need a simple, family-friendly meal. Salisbury steak is also a great option if you are craving a classic old-fashioned dinner.
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📖 Recipe
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef we use ground chuck for flavor - substitute ground round or sirloin if desired
- 1 teaspoon Salt plus extra for the pasta water and to season the finished sauce (if needed)
- 1 tablespoon Oil use neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 8 ounces Mushrooms sliced (do not slice them too thin so they hold up to the cooking time)
- 1 medium Onion sliced (do not slice them too thin so they hold up to the cooking time)
- 2 tablespoons Flour
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cups Beef Broth
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- 8 ounces Egg Noodles cooked to package directions and drained
- Fresh Chopped Parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Season the ground beef with salt.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the ground beef and arrange in one layer. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir it well and arrange in one layer again. Cook for 2 minutes. Now, stir and break up any large pieces.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Remove the ground beef with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.
- Drain the excess grease in the skillet but do not wash or wipe.
- Place it back over medium heat then add the butter. When it is melted and foamy add the onions and mushrooms. Cook them for 5-6 minutes or until the onions start to soften. Stir occasionally.
- Next, add the garlic and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stir often.
- Add the flour and cook for 1½ -2 minutes, stir almost constantly.
- Slowly add the beef broth while stirring briskly and gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Continue adding and stirring until the flour dissolves. Then stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
- Return the browned ground beef to the skillet. Stir well to combine with the sauce. Raise the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep the sauce at a simmer. Raise or lower the heat as necessary.
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the egg noodles following the package directions for al dente. Drain well. Remember to add 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the pasta water once it starts to boil to season the egg noodles.
- When the stroganoff is done take the skillet off the heat and uncover. Let it cool some so that it is no longer simmering.
- Add the sour cream to a bowl. Add a teaspoon of the sauce to the sour cream and stir vigorously. Continue adding a teaspoon of sauce at a time and stirring until the sour cream is no longer cold. Then, add the mixture to the sauce. Stir well.
- Finally, add the noodles to the mushroom sauce, toss and stir until coated and combined.
- Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ⅓ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve the ground beef stroganoff and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Don't add cold sour cream to the hot stroganoff sauce because it will curdle. To temper the sour cream place it in a bowl and add a teaspoon of the cooked sauce and stir well. Continue adding teaspoons of the sauce and stirring until the sour cream is no longer cold.
- Substitute reduced sodium beef broth if you are sensitive to salt.
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Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Dawn Everly
This is the best ground beef stroganoff recipe I've ever tried! I love that it does not have a can of soup in it like the recipe I used for over 20 years until I ran across this one. The entire family loves it! It's a keeper!
Elizabeth
Hi Dawn, Great to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by!