Ground Beef Stroganoff, ready in 30 mins, has tender onions, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce. Serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes for a crowd-pleaser.

Serve this stroganoff alongside a garden Italian Salad or with some Roasted Vegetables.

Ground beef stroganoff served over tender egg noodles.

30-Min Pantry Staple Meal

Another day, another pantry staple recipe! I hope these meals are helpful for you.

When I polled Instagram, the two most common ingredients many of you had were ground beef and noodles.

This Goulash recipe I shared recently features both, just like this stroganoff. The rest of the ingredients rely on pantry and fridge staples.

This Ground Beef Stroganoff comes together quickly, ready in about 30 mins, and is a meal the whole family will love.

Making the ground beef stroganoff recipe: browning onions and garlic, cooking beef, adding mushrooms, seasonings, stock, cream, and stirring in sour cream.

Ingredients In Ground Beef Stroganoff

  • Olive oil: Used to cook the onions, garlic.
  • Yellow onion & garlic: Dice finely for a smoother sauce.
  • Ground beef: Use lean ground beef to avoid excess grease.
  • Butter: Adds richness and helps to cook the mushrooms evenly.
  • Cremini mushrooms: Sauté until golden to maximize flavor.
  • Sea Salt, Pepper, and Thyme: You can also use fresh thyme.
  • Flour: Cook it briefly to remove the raw flavor.
  • Beef stock: You can also use broth or beef boullion powder.
  • Heavy cream and sour cream: Use full-fat heavy cream and sour cream.
  • Worcestershire sauce: A little goes a long way—don’t overdo it.
  • Dijon mustard: Adds a slight tang and depth.
  • Egg noodles: Serve as the base for the stroganoff, soaking up the sauce.
Beef stroganoff with ground beef in a cooking pan and then served over egg noodles, garnished with fresh parsley.

How To Make Ground Beef Stroganoff

  1. Cook Pasta: Boil salted water, cook the noodles, and drain.
  2. Cook Onions and Garlic: Sauté onions and garlic in oil until soft and golden.
  3. Brown Beef: Add beef, cook until browned, and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Add Mushrooms: Stir in mushrooms with butter, then mix in thyme and flour.
  5. Make Sauce: Pour in beef broth, cream, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and bouillon. Simmer until thick.
  6. Sour Cream: Remove from heat and stir in sour cream until smooth.
  7. Serve: Mix with noodles and sprinkle with parsley.

Variations

Switch Things Up

  • Use different mushrooms: Try cremini, white, portobello, or mix a few kinds.
  • Skip sour cream: Use plain Greek yogurt instead; the flavor will be a bit different.
  • Make it lighter: Use lean ground beef and light sour cream.
  • Add flavor: Stir in 1 tsp of paprika or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
  • Use fresh thyme: Replace dried thyme with 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Finished dish garnished and ready to serve.

Storage

Leftover Ground Beef Stroganoff?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or cream if the sauce thickens too much.

More Recipes That Use Ground Beef:

Try these variations next: the classic Beef Stroganoff or this delicious Chicken Stroganoff!

5 from 31 votes

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. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

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.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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5 from 31 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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65 Comments

  1. Summer says:

    5 stars
    I make this often, my kids love it!

    1. Chelsea says:

      So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Summer! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Isaac says:

    5 stars
    This is my wife’s new favorite meal that I make for her.
    Thank you for sharing.

    1. Chelsea says:

      So happy to hear this! Thanks Isaac! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Wayne says:

    5 stars
    Made this and it was really good.
    I must have 20 of your recipes saved from Facebook.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I am so happy and flattered to hear this! Thank you so much Wayne! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Ashley + Josh says:

    5 stars
    My husband and I enjoyed this very much, but I think the thyme was a bit much for us. Next time we will put a 1/4 tsp, or we will leave it out altogether, but Iโ€™m 100% adding this recipe to my recipe files. I also appreciate the detailed instructions! Iโ€™ve been cooking for years, but itโ€™s still nice to see the detail. ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks again for the recipe. I canโ€™t wait for the leftovers tomorrow.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I am so thrilled you guys loved this Ground Beef Stroganoff! You can definitely leave out the thyme! Thanks for your comment! ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Lon Costello says:

    I like your blog. Its one of the great blogs online

  6. Allison Callahan says:

    It turned out really good and was easy to make

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So glad to hear that!

  7. Kim Lachance says:

    I don’t have heavy cream. Will half and half work? I want to make it tomorrow. I don’t think there has been a new comment in a year so hoping you see this ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Half and half will work it will just be slightly less creamy. Enjoy!

  8. Jennifer says:

    5 stars
    This is delicious and easy. Adding the amount of the ingredients in the directions and specifications on how to cook the meat was so convenient and rare, thank you so much for posting this! Look forward to trying your other recipes.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Thank you Jennifer! So glad you enjoyed this recipe and I hope you love whatever you try next ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Dana says:

    5 stars
    Loved it! I was looking for something different to do with the ground beef I had thawed out, and this was perfect. I did use less meat, just a personal preference, and replaced the dried thyme with fresh. Next time I would also add some red pepper flakes, as suggested, to spice it up a bit.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for the comment Dana ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Kym Dulis says:

    5 stars
    Very Good! My 18yr said it’s a keeper!!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Yay! So happy to hear that! ๐Ÿ™‚