Simple, 30-minute Ground Beef Stroganoff has sautéed and tender onions, mushrooms, and a luscious creamy sauce. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes for a complete crowd-pleasing meal.
Serve this stroganoff alongside a garden Italian Salad or with some Roasted Vegetables.
30-Minute Pantry Staple Meal
Another day, another pantry staple recipe! I hope these “pantry staple meals” are helpful for you!
Two of the most common ingredients many of you have (when polled on Instagram) are ground beef and noodles.
This Goulash recipe I shared the other day features both beef and noodles just like this stroganoff does. The rest of the ingredients in this recipe rely on pantry and fridge staples like beef stock/broth, beef bouillon, spices, and Dijon mustard. And with the fresh ingredients required, most of them are shelf stable for quite a good amount of time — onions, garlic, sour cream, butter, and heavy cream.
This ground beef stroganoff meal comes together quickly; it’s ready in about 30 minutes and is a meal the whole family will enjoy.
Quick Tip
Portabella or portabello? Is there a difference in the names of these mushrooms? It’s just personal preference, so spell it however you like. Portabellas are extra-large cremini mushrooms, and their size changes their texture a bit.
Ingredients In Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Olive oil: Used to cook the onions, garlic, and beef, preventing them from sticking to the pan and adding flavor.
- Yellow onion & garlic: These vegetables are the flavor base for the dish, giving it a savory depth.
- Ground beef: This is the protein of the dish, providing texture and substance.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps to cook the mushrooms evenly.
- Cremini mushrooms: They add an earthy flavor and a different texture to the dish.
- Dried thyme, salt, and pepper: Seasonings that enhance the natural flavors of the other ingredients.
- Flour: It thickens the sauce, so it’s not too liquidy.
- Beef stock or broth & beef bouillon powder: These add a concentrated meaty flavor to the sauce.
- Heavy cream and sour cream: It creates a creamy texture and adds a bit of sweetness to the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce & Dijon mustard: They provide a kick of tangy and complex flavors to enhance the overall taste.
- Egg noodles: Serve as the base for the stroganoff, soaking up the sauce.
How To Make Beef Stroganoff With Ground Beef
- Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Be sure to use a nice, heavy pan, such as this one.
- Cook the ground beef, crumbling as you go, until browned through. To get a nice browning on the meat (browning = flavor), leave the beef undisturbed for about 30 seconds per side before breaking it up.
- Cook the mushrooms. Once the meat is browned, the mushrooms are added in, along with some butter. Once the mushrooms start to get tender, add in the seasonings and flour. The flour will thicken the sauce we’re about to make.
- Create the sauce. After the seasonings and flour have been added, it’s time to finish the sauce. Pour in beef stock (or broth) and then stir in heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Simmer everything until thickened and tender.
- Finish the ground beef stroganoff. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sour cream and then finish it with fresh herbs.
Variations
- Switch up the mushrooms. We like cremini mushrooms best, but white mushrooms or portobello would also work. You can even use a combination of a few different kinds of mushrooms.
- Prepare Ground Beef Stroganoff without sour cream by replacing with plain Greek yogurt; it will slightly change the flavor though. I personally like fat-free or light sour cream in this dish best!
- Make a healthy Ground Beef Stroganoff by using lean ground beef and light sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Add in 1 teaspoon paprika and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little spice.
- Add in 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme in place of dried if you have it on hand.
More Recipes That Use Ground Beef:
- Taco Lasagna reader favorite recipe!
- Beef Lettuce Wraps with coconut rice and pickled red onions
- Beef Tacos baked and ready in 30 minutes or less
- Taco Pasta Hamburger Helper inspired
- Pasta e Fagioli Olive Garden copycat
Try these variations next — the original beef Stroganoff or this delicious Chicken Stroganoff!
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Simple, 30-minute Ground Beef Stroganoff has sautéed and tender onions, mushrooms, and a luscious creamy sauce. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes for a complete crowd-pleasing meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion (~1 small onion)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (~2 cloves)
- 1 pound lean (90/10) ground beef
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 package (8 ounces) sliced cremini mushrooms
- Fine sea salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons white, all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef stock (or beef broth)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup light (or regular) sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
- 8 ounces medium egg noodles
- Optional: fresh flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- PASTA: If serving over pasta, start by bringing a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add in a generous amount of salt (about 1/2 tablespoon). Add in the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain when cooked through (I try to time pasta cooking to when the meat sauce will be done).
- ONIONS, GARLIC, AND BEEF: Preheat a large, deep, cast-iron skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon olive oil and once shimmering, add in the 1 cup diced yellow onion and 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Stir until onion is translucent and beginning to turn golden, about 3-4 minutes; reduce the heat if needed. Press onions and garlic to the side and increase the heat to high. Add the 1 pound ground beef to the middle of the pot. Let stand, undisturbed for 30 seconds and then flip and break up. Let the other side stand for about 30 seconds and then continue to cook the beef, breaking it up into small pieces until no longer pink. Season the beef to preference with salt and pepper. If anything is burning/sticking to the pot, add an extra drizzle of olive oil or slightly reduce the heat.
- MUSHROOMS: Once the beef is cooked through (no longer pink) add in the 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms and the 1 tablespoon butter. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and stir for 30 seconds. Then mix in the 3 tablespoons flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute to remove the floury taste.
- GRAVY: Add 1 cup beef broth and scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the skillet as you stir. Stir in the 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and season everything to taste with salt and pepper. Add in the 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.
- FINISHING: Remove pan from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup sour cream (Note 1). Stir to combine everything and season to taste as needed. Serve over cooked noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes and top with fresh parsley.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Sour Cream: Be sure to add sour cream off the heat and stir slowly to avoid curdling.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servings | Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 35.3g | Fat: 30.3g | Cholesterol: 145.9mg | Sodium: 289.5mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 4.1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The recipe was very well-written and easy-to-follow. The dish turned out fabulous! I will definitely make this again.
I am so happy to hear this! Thank you so much Becky! 🙂
These instructions were perfect, I made this tonight and it was amazing. Because I was serving over rice, I simmered to thicken even more and it was awesome. Will be making this again!
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much! 🙂
Thank you so much! Everyone in my very picky eater household loved it! That is truly a miracle.
So happy to hear! Thanks so much Carmen! 🙂
I don’t have sour cream but I do have French onion dip. Can I use that?
You could try it? I’m not sure how it will end up, I haven’t ever personally tried that!
Really appreciated how fast this was!
I only had 80/20 beef, unfortunately, but I also had a jar of lingonberry preserves. Its tart acidity as a side pairing worked super well with the fat and salt in this — sort of a spin on how Swedish meatballs are served. Anyway, Thanks so much
YUM! I’m so happy you were able to make it work and loved it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Can I substitute cream cheese for the heavy cream?
I haven’t ever tried cream cheese in this; I think you’d need some more liquid with that substitute so the sauce isn’t overly thick
In place of the mushrooms & beef broth I substituted 2-bouillon cubes dissolved in 1/4 cup water & 14 oz. can organic mushroom soup. I also added 1 teaspoon more of dried thyme, a few dashes of red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, teaspoon of salt & 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Atop gluten free noodles with a fresh parsley garnish the stroganoff was outstanding! Boyfriend is looking forward to leftovers which usually is NOT his thing:) Thanks for your awesome base recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe. Enjoyed the flavors. Used beef bouillon by better than bouillon brand.
Definitely use the flat leaf parsley. Added more sour cream and heavy cream
Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight. It was pretty good but I think next time I’m going to use a little bit less Thyme.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Excellent! My only difference: I start with sauteeing the mushrooms in butter, take those out, then sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil, then cook the hamburger, and then put the mushrooms back in. And add 1 tsp sweet paprika.
Yum! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! 🙂