Beef Stroganoff With Ground Beef
This post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for details.
Think you need a can of soup for a quicker stroganoff? You don’t. Two ingredients you probably already have turn this ground beef stroganoff into a rich, creamy sauce that beats the same old dinner rotation, completely from scratch in just 30 minutes.
Beef stroganoff is a recipe we love in my house, but it’s one I admittedly “forget about” a lot. If I’m making a traditional stroganoff with seared, sliced beef, that’s a weekend project, and on weeknights I just don’t have it in me. My husband loves stroganoff, but he’s not getting it very often if searing steak is the only way there.
This ground beef version is the answer. The secret is sour cream and soy sauce. We’re big dairy people up here in New England, so I needed my stroganoff sauce CREAMY, and I didn’t want condensed soup. Sour cream was a given for that classic tang and heat tolerance, making the sauce creamy without breaking.
The soy sauce was a surprise I found through testing this recipe over and over. It added much more flavor than Worcestershire sauce, and once I swapped in the soy, I couldn’t stop eating it straight out of the pan.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
- A fresh answer to “what’s for dinner” that isn’t one of the same five meals.
- This hamburger stroganoff is on the table in 30 minutes or less, no need to save it for the weekend.
- No heavy cream, no canned soup, and better than a box of Hamburger Helper. It’s a from scratch recipe that’s not time consuming.
- Rich, tangy, comfort food without shortcuts, but still fast enough for a weeknight.
Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe Ingredients
- Ground beef – I like to use 90/10 ground beef for stroganoff; that way it’s not too greasy.
- Fresh white button mushrooms – Sliced. You can omit the mushrooms if you don’t like them. Swap in extra ground beef instead to keep up the heartiness.
- Fresh garlic cloves – Minced
- Dried thyme – Fresh thyme is also great. I just always have dried thyme in my cupboards.
- Coarse Kosher salt – Divided
- Black pepper – Also divided.
- Olive oil– Because I’m using lean ground beef, the olive oil is to help keep the beef from sticking. If you’re using a fattier ground beef like 85/15 or 80/20, you may not need the oil.
- All purpose flour – Just a little bit is needed to thicken the sauce.
- Beef broth – I recommend Kettle and Fire beef broth because their full sodium version is equivalent to the low sodium broths of other brands, and I found it very flavorful.
- Soy sauce – This is my star ingredient. I tried Worcestershire sauce and just plain salt, but the umami flavor that soy sauce adds is unmatched. I use full sodium soy sauce, but feel free to use reduced sodium, coconut or liquid aminos instead.
- Sour cream – Let this sit out while you make the rest of the recipe for easier mixing. It binds the noodles and sauce and gives a nice tang to cut the richness. I find cream too heavy here.
- Wide egg noodles – I’ve tested this recipe with extra wide egg noodles, and I found that they are very difficult to eat. They fall off the fork, and don’t hold the sauce well. Stick to the regular wide egg noodles instead.
How to Make Beef Stroganoff With Ground Beef
This section is an abbreviated form of the full instructions that can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. I recommend following the full directions for the best results.
Step 1
In a pot of salted water, cook egg noodles al dente, drain, and set aside.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat and brown the ground beef until cooked through. As it cooks, season with half the salt and pepper. Remove the beef to a plate and keep the fat in the pan.
Step 3
If there’s enough fat, use it to cook the mushrooms; otherwise add 1 more tablespoon of oil.
Cook mushrooms with remaining salt and pepper until softened and liquid has released.
Add cooked beef back to the pot, add the thyme and garlic, and stir. Sprinkle in the flour over the beef and mushroom mixture, toss to coat, and cook another minute or two.
Step 4
Pour in the beef broth. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook and stir until gravy thickens, 1–2 minutes.
Step 5
Turn off the heat, and stir in the soy sauce and sour cream. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Toss cooked noodles in the pan to coat, or serve sauce and noodles separately. The noodles will soak up sauce as they sit.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap the ground beef for plant based crumbles, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- In place of sour cream, add blended cottage cheese for a higher protein cream option. I use this trick in my Healthier Beef Stroganoff recipe.
- Serve over garlic mashed potatoes instead of egg noodles.
- If you are allergic to egg, many supermarkets carry egg-free “macaroni dumplings” in the pasta aisle near the egg noodles.
- Swap out the soy sauce for Worcestershire sauce, gluten-free soy sauce, or coconut aminos.
Tips & Tricks
- Allow the sour cream to sit out while you make the stroganoff. It will mix into the sauce more easily.
- A note about sodium: I use full sodium soy sauce and beef stock. Brands can vary, so if you’re sensitive to sodium, feel free to use low sodium versions and adjust the stroganoff seasoning before serving.
- Fresh mushrooms are best here, canned mushrooms won’t add a ton of flavor.
- The sauce will thicken as it sits, and the longer the stroganoff sits, the noodles will soak up the sauce.
How to Serve Ground Beef Stroganoff
It’s a pretty complete meal on its own, but I really love serving it with a veggie or salad for a rounded out meal and rolls for sopping up that scrumptious sauce!
- Serve with steamed broccoli or a simple green salad with balsamic vinaigrette
- Serve with sauteed green beans, roasted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or pan fried asparagus
- Add fresh green peas at the end of cooking for a bit of green in the dish.
- Rolls! You can’t just leave all that tasty sauce sitting there: Sop it up with my Homemade Parker House Rolls or Garlic Bread!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat, microwave covered with a paper towel until heated through (2-3 minutes), or reheat on low heat in a skillet on the stovetop. Keep it covered and heat until just warmed through.
Tip: When you’re reheating stroganoff, add a splash more of broth or sour cream at the end to get the consistency saucy again.
Freezing:
I don’t recommend freezing stroganoff with the noodles. If you want to keep stroganoff on hand for later, freeze just the sauce. Stored in an airtight container or freezer safe bag, it will be good for up to 2 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator for best results and reheat in a pot on low heat until warmed through. Add some fresh sour cream at the end. This can be done while you boil the egg noodles.
More Great Ground Beef Dinners
Save This Recipe
Just enter your email below and we will send this recipe right to your inbox, plus we will send more yummy recipes and ideas.
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 lb 90 percent lean ground beef
- 16 oz sliced white button mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 tablespoon oil plus more if needed
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth (I like Kettle and Fire brand)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (12 oz) bag wide egg noodles
Instructions
- Cook egg noodles per package instructions until al dente (mine only take about 5 minutes). When the noodles are cooked, drain and set aside.
- While the noodles cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the ground beef 6–8 minutes until browned and cooked through, seasoning with 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper as it cooks. Transfer the beef to a plate; do not wipe out the pan.
- If there's enough fat to coat the bottom of the pot, add the mushrooms. But if the pot looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the mushrooms with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt and pepper. Cook until softened and liquid has released, about 5 minutes.
- Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the beef back to the pot. Sprinkle with the thyme and garlic. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour over the beef and mushrooms, stir to coat, and cook for a minute or two until the raw flour smell is gone.
- Pour in the beef broth. Stir and scrape up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring the pot to a simmer and stir until the sauce thickens, about 1–2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in the soy sauce and sour cream. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the salt or pepper if needed.
- Add the cooked egg noodles to the pot and stir to coat. Keep in mind the noodles will soak up the sauce as it sits. You could also serve the sauce and noodles separately.
- Serve hot, and enjoy!
Notes
- Sodium note: I use full sodium soy sauce, and the broth I use is not low-sodium, but it’s lower than most brands. If you’re sensitive to sodium, use low sodium soy sauce and broth instead.
- Reheating leftovers: heat on low (covered) on the stovetop or reheat in the microwave. The noodles will soak up the sauce as it sits, so you may need to add a splash of broth or more sour cream to refresh the sauce.
