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Ground Beef Stroganoff in 30 Minutes (One Pan)
This ground beef stroganoff is creamy, savory comfort food made in one pan in about 30 minutes. Browned ground beef and mushrooms simmer with garlic, beef broth and a little Worcestershire, the egg noodles cook right in the sauce (no extra pot to wash), and sour cream stirred in at the end makes it rich and tangy. It’s all the flavor of a classic beef stroganoff, with an easy, budget-friendly cut.
Below you’ll find the ingredients, step-by-step instructions, tips for a silky sauce that doesn’t curdle, variations, what to serve with it, storage and FAQs. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One pan. The noodles cook in the broth, which thickens the sauce as they release starch.
- 30 minutes. No slicing steak, no long braise.
- Pantry and fridge staples. Ground beef, mushrooms, onion, broth, egg noodles and sour cream.
- Family-friendly. Mild, creamy and easy to adjust, with or without mushrooms.
Ingredients You Need
- Ground beef, 1 lb (450 g), 85/15. Leaner beef works; fattier beef should be drained.
- Cremini or white mushrooms, 8 oz (225 g), sliced.
- Yellow onion, 1 medium, finely diced.
- Garlic, 3 cloves, minced.
- Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons.
- All-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons.
- Low-sodium beef broth, 3½ cups (840 ml).
- Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon, and Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon.
- Wide egg noodles, 8 oz (225 g), uncooked.
- Sour cream, ¾ cup (170 g), full-fat, at room temperature.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 teaspoon (or ½ teaspoon table salt), black pepper, ½ teaspoon, and paprika, ½ teaspoon.
- Fresh parsley or dill, chopped, to serve.
Equipment You Need
- A large, deep skillet (12 inches) with a lid, or a 5-quart braiser or Dutch oven.
- A wooden spoon or spatula for breaking up the beef.
- An instant-read thermometer (optional, for checking the beef).
How to Make Ground Beef Stroganoff (Step by Step)
1. Brown the beef
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, break it into small pieces, and cook without stirring too often for 5 to 7 minutes, until well browned and no longer pink. Ground beef is safe at 160°F (71°C), per the FoodSafety.gov safe minimum temperature chart. Spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat, and move the beef to a plate.
2. Cook the mushrooms and onion
Melt the butter in the same pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until their liquid evaporates and they start to brown. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Make the sauce base
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the broth while stirring, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper and paprika, and return the beef.
4. Cook the noodles in the sauce
Bring to a boil, stir in the dry egg noodles, and press them under the liquid. Cover, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so nothing sticks, until the noodles are tender and the sauce has thickened. If it gets too thick before the noodles are done, add a splash of broth or water.
5. Stir in the sour cream
Take the pan off the heat and let it stand for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream until creamy. Don’t boil it after adding the sour cream, or the sauce can separate. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
6. Serve
Sprinkle with parsley or dill and serve right away.
Tips for a Silky Stroganoff Sauce
- Get a real brown crust on the beef. Let it sit in the hot pan between stirs. Browning builds most of the flavor.
- Cook the mushrooms until dry. They brown only after their liquid has cooked off.
- Use room-temperature sour cream, off the heat. Cold sour cream hitting a boiling sauce is what causes curdling. Full-fat sour cream is much more stable than light.
- Use low-sodium broth. The sauce reduces, and regular broth plus Worcestershire can make it too salty.
- Stir the noodles often. Egg noodles release starch and can stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Start with fresh beef. Not sure about the package in your fridge? See our guide to how to tell if ground beef is bad.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Crowding wet mushrooms. If the pan is full of liquid, the mushrooms boil instead of browning. Give them time, or cook them in two batches.
- Adding the broth all at once. Pour it in slowly while stirring so the flour dissolves smoothly with no lumps.
- Walking away from the noodles. They need a stir every 2 to 3 minutes, or they clump and stick to the bottom.
- Overcooking the noodles. They keep softening in the hot sauce after you turn off the heat, so stop when they’re just tender.
- Boiling after the sour cream goes in. Reheat leftovers gently over low heat for the same reason.
- Skipping the taste test. Broths and Worcestershire vary a lot in salt. Season at the end, after the sour cream, not at the start.
Easy Variations and Substitutions
- Classic two-pot method: boil the noodles separately, reduce the broth to 2 cups, and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes before adding the sour cream. Serve the stroganoff over the noodles.
- No mushrooms: leave them out and add an extra ½ onion.
- Greek yogurt: use full-fat plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, stirred in off the heat.
- Cream cheese: stir in 2 oz (55 g) cream cheese with the sour cream for an extra-silky sauce.
- Ground turkey: use ground turkey and cook it to 165°F (74°C). Add 1 tablespoon oil for browning.
- Over rice or mashed potatoes: skip the noodles, use 2 cups broth, and serve the sauce over rice or potatoes.
- Gluten-free: thicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water instead of flour, use gluten-free Worcestershire and cook gluten-free pasta separately.
What to Serve With Beef Stroganoff
- Steamed green beans, peas or broccoli
- A crisp green salad with a simple vinaigrette
- Roasted carrots or Brussels sprouts
- Crusty bread or dinner rolls to soak up the sauce
More ground beef dinners: our healthy ground beef recipes and oven baked meatballs. For a chicken night, pick one of our boneless skinless chicken breast recipes, or browse all our beef recipes.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat
- Refrigerate within 2 hours in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat on the stove over low heat with a splash of broth or milk, stirring gently, or in the microwave at 50% power, until it reaches 165°F (74°C). The noodles soak up sauce as they sit, so add liquid as needed.
- Freeze: sour cream sauces can turn grainy when frozen. For the best results, freeze the beef and mushroom sauce before adding the sour cream and noodles, for 2 to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, reheat it, then cook the noodles and stir in the sour cream.
These times follow the FoodSafety.gov cold food storage chart. Raw ground beef should be cooked or frozen within 1 to 2 days of buying it; see how long ground beef lasts in the fridge.
Ground Beef Stroganoff FAQs
What’s the difference between beef stroganoff and ground beef stroganoff?
Classic beef stroganoff uses thin strips of tender steak, like sirloin or tenderloin, seared quickly. Ground beef stroganoff uses ground beef for a quicker, cheaper dinner with the same creamy mushroom sauce.
Why did my sour cream curdle?
The sauce was too hot, the sour cream was cold, or it was a light version. Take the pan off the heat, let it cool for a minute, and stir in room-temperature, full-fat sour cream.
Can I make it without egg noodles?
Yes. Use 8 oz of another short pasta, such as rotini or penne, and adjust the time to the package directions plus 2 to 3 minutes, adding broth as needed.
Do I have to drain the ground beef?
With 85/15 beef, spoon off most of the fat and keep about a tablespoon for flavor. With 90/10 or leaner, you can skip it.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make the sauce up to step 3 a day ahead and refrigerate it. When ready, bring it to a boil, cook the noodles in it, and finish with sour cream.
Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe Card
Calories are an estimate per serving (1 of 4) based on USDA FoodData Central values for 85/15 ground beef, egg noodles, mushrooms, onion, butter, flour, broth and sour cream. It counts all of the beef fat, so draining it lowers the number a little.
One-Pan Ground Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Brown the ground beef in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it up, until no longer pink (160°F). Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and set the beef aside.
- Melt the butter in the pan and cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes until browned. Add the onion for 3 to 4 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour for 1 minute. Slowly add the broth, scraping the pan, then the Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika and the beef.
- Bring to a boil, add the egg noodles and press them under the liquid. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Add a splash of broth if it gets too thick.
- Take off the heat, wait 1 to 2 minutes, and stir in the sour cream. Do not boil again. Season to taste and top with parsley or dill.
