If you’ve got ground beef in the freezer and are looking for more ideas, be sure to try our Tex-Mex Doritos Taco Salad or maybe make a batch of Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs next! While ground beef stroganoff might not win any prizes for beauty, everybody always asks for second-helpings when I make this easy recipe for dinner. It’s a family favorite and one of our go-to meals, especially when the weather is cool because it’s so warm and comforting! This savory, creamy dish of mushrooms, onions, and browned, ground beef served over hot buttered egg noodles hails from Russia and is simple, hearty, comforting fare that is quick and easy to pull together for a weeknight meal that the whole family will enjoy. I make this ground beef stroganoff recipe without cream of mushroom soup mostly because it’s hardly any extra work to make it from scratch when all it takes is chopping a handful of mushrooms and whisking together beef broth, milk and flour. You’re going to love it!
Why This Recipe is the Best
The homemade sauce is made from scratch with fresh ingredients rather than such shortcuts as a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup. But it hardly takes any extra time at all!It might seem like a lot of mushrooms in the recipe, but since they cook down so much, it really seems necessary to me if you want mushrooms in each bite of stroganoff, like I do. The mushrooms are my favorite part!The sauce isn’t intended to be very thick. It’s more of a silky sauce that should coat each bite and combines well with the buttered egg noodles that we traditionally serve ground beef stroganoff with.Ground beef stroganoff leftovers always reheat beautifully the next day!
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: I prefer using 85/15 ground beef for the best flavor without being overly greasy. Mushrooms: Really any mushrooms will work for beef stroganoff but we usually just use white button or baby bella mushrooms because they are always available at the grocery store.Cream cheese: The cream cheese melts into the browned meat and mushrooms making these stroganoff sauce extra creamy and delicious.
How to Make This Recipe
Start by browning ground beef, onions, and garlic in a large skillet. I like to season the ground beef stroganoff up front with salt and pepper up front because it helps develop the layers of flavor. You can always adjust by adding more at the end. Once the meat is mostly browned but still a little pink, go ahead and add the mushrooms. They will release a lot of moisture as they cook, but you want to let them get a little brown as well. Add the cream cheese to the browned meat and let it melt, stirring it to coat the meat & mushrooms. Meanwhile, whisk the beef broth and milk with a little flour whisked in to create a slurry. This isn’t intended to make an overly thick sauce – just enough for it to thicken slightly. Keep in mind that the ground beef stroganoff will continue to thicken as it cools. Once the ground beef stroganoff has simmered enough for the sauce to thicken slightly, remove it from the heat and stir in the sour cream. The residual heat is plenty to heat up the sour cream without the dish going cold, but you also don’t run the risk of curdling the sour cream this way. For a little color, garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley for a little green to break up the brown color of the stroganoff.
Recipe Tips
Storage: Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3-4 days. This dish doesn’t freeze well because of the sour cream in it, which can curdle when reheated.Sour cream: Sour cream can curdle if boiled, especially if you are using a reduced fat version, so be sure not to add it until right at the end of cooking after removing the pan from the heat. There will be plenty of residual heat in the sauce to thicken everything up and incorporate the sour cream.Variation: Many people like the addition of Worcestershire sauce to beef stroganoff. I have done it both ways, but prefer it without. If you want to add some, though, I recommend using 1 tablespoon, added with the broth.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Pasta SkilletClassic Chinese Beef with BroccoliEasy Weeknight Taco MeatBaked Greek Feta Meatballs
This post was originally published in September, 2017. The photos and content were updated in December, 2021. Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
