A cream of mushroom and sour cream sauce made with ground beef and mushrooms is layered with buttered egg noodles and topped with crispy fried onions in this easy beef stroganoff casserole!
Table of Contents
Just made this and it was awesome! Whole family loved it.
– Jennelle
For those of you that weren’t necessarily raised on this classic comfort food, classic beef stroganoff (“бефстроганов”) is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sour cream sauce. It originated in mid-19th-century Russia and is named after one of the members of the Stroganov family.
There are now many different variations of beef Stroganoff around the world. In the United States, the sauce typically includes strips of beef, mushrooms, onions, and maybe a dash of alcohol (like brandy). Today, however, we’re using inexpensive, readily-available, quick-cooking hamburger, and transforming the meal into a cozy American casserole.
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- Salt the pasta water really well! This is your one chance to season the noodles themselves and add flavor to your stroganoff, so don’t be shy.
- Boil the noodles according to the package instructions for al dente pasta. Don’t cook them for too long, since they will continue to bake in the oven and you don’t want to end up with mushy noodles.
- Start with room temperature (or warm) sour cream. Cold sour cream will not blend as easily into the sauce. Also, when you put cold sour cream in a hot oven, it may “break,” resulting in an undesirable texture. Finally, I recommend using full-fat sour cream, which is less likely to curdle when heated.
- Omit the mushrooms if you don’t care for them, or substitute with more onion or other diced veggies of choice (such as bell peppers, carrots, or frozen peas).
- Sour cream substitutes: replace the sour cream with an equal amount of full-fat plain Greek yogurt. You can also try a bit of mayonnaise in this dish.
Directions
With help from a can of cream of mushroom soup, this ground beef stroganoff casserole recipe is a simple, flavorful, and delicious solution for busy nights. You’ll find step-by-step instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post:
- Boil the egg noodles until they’re al dente. Drain them and toss the noodles with melted butter. This adds flavor, but it also prevents the noodles from sticking together in a big clump.
- While the noodles boil, cook the ground beef, mushrooms, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off the fat.
- Prepare the creamy sauce by whisking together the cream of mushroom soup and the milk. Add the soup mixture to the ground beef, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the beef mixture from the heat and stir in the sour cream until it’s completely combined.
- Layer the noodles and the meat sauce in a casserole dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 325 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, or just until heated through. Don’t bake it for too long or let it get too hot and bubbling, or the sour cream may “break.”
- Sprinkle the fried onions on top. You can also sprinkle some shredded mozzarella cheese on top at this point if you like (before adding the onions). The onions are such a flavorful, crunchy casserole topping and a great alternative to buttered bread crumbs! Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, for about 5-7 more minutes (just so that the onions can get toasty).
Serving Suggestions
Serve the beef stroganoff casserole with braised red cabbage, Amish green beans with brown butter, old-fashioned applesauce, sauteed zucchini, a loaf of crusty no-knead Dutch oven bread, or a simple green salad dressed in red wine vinegar salad dressing.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole in advance, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. When ready to bake, it’s important to give the dish plenty of time on the counter to come to room temperature (at least 1 hour). You don’t want to put the cold casserole in the hot oven because the sour cream mixture may “break.”
- How to Store: Leftover casserole will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing this casserole, since the creamy sauce may split when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Cover the dish loosely and warm in a 325°F until heated through, about 20 minutes. You can also warm individual portions in the microwave for about 1 minute, or until heated through.
More Beef Stroganoff Recipes
Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff
4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Ground Beef Stroganoff
45 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Beef Stroganoff Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces extra wide egg noodles
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- ⅔ cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 cup crispy fried onions (I use French's brand)
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions, just until barely al dente (about 6 minutes). Drain. Toss the noodles with the melted butter; set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef, mushrooms, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink (about 7-10 minutes). Drain.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed soup and the milk.
- Add the soup mixture to the ground beef. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
- Place ⅓ of the buttered noodles in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Add ⅓ of the beef mixture over top. Repeat layers two more times. Cover and bake in the 325 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, or just until warmed through.
- Remove cover, sprinkle fried onions on top, and return to the oven (uncovered) for about 5-8 more minutes. Garnish with parsley just before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Start with room temperature (or warm) sour cream. Cold sour cream will not blend as easily into the sauce. Also, when you put cold sour cream in a hot oven, it may “break,” resulting in an undesirable texture. Finally, I recommend using full-fat sour cream, which is less likely to curdle when heated.
- Bake the casserole for about 20 minutes, or just until all of the ingredients are warmed through. You don’t want it to get too hot and bubbling, or the sour cream may separate and the noodles will get overdone and mushy.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in September, 2020. It was updated in September, 2024.
Just made this and it was awesome! While family loved it.
Excellent! Thank you, Jennelle!
I made this for supper tonight. It was super easy & delicious, but I cut the butter in half, also used half as much sour cream, which I tempered first, by mixing some of the warm ground beef mixture into the cup of cold sour cream. I didn’t have the crispy onions for the topping, so used a sprinkling of crushed potato chips. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks, Jeannette! I’m so glad that you could take the inspiration and make it your own. Your version sounds perfect!
I made this for a potluck at church today I skipped the crispy onions because I knew it would be in a warming oven for the service. So I garnished it with sundried tomatoes and parsley.and I came home with an empty pot. It looked really looked cute and was a big hit!
That’s wonderful, Penny Lee! Great tip about the topping, too. Glad that it was well received!
I’m about to make this dish. I compared it to a Beef Stroganoff recipe [using thin beef strips]. which is simple like this recipe. What I was looking for was a simple recipe: no added cheese, or vegetables or or wine or beef broth. This has crispy fried onion topping, but I will leave that off. This recipe meets my goal of large scale production that’s freezable. I anticipate the taste will be very good.
We hope you enjoy, Donna!