Serve this simple and cozy Ground Beef Stroganoff over a bowl of hot egg noodles or rice for an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will love! The dish is made from scratch with sour cream (no cream of mushroom soup necessary), but thanks to quick-cooking ground beef, it's ready in less than an hour!
I grew up on classic Beef Stroganoff, which was a staple in my mom's kitchen during the cold-weather months. I recently asked her for her recipe so that I could create a ground beef version of the traditional dish; however, Mom doesn't use a recipe! Instead, she explained the ingredients that she used and the general process to prepare the sauce, and I took off running from there. The results were fantastic, and the creamy ground beef recipe is a perfect quick hack for weeknight dinners.
What is Stroganoff sauce made of?
The traditional Beef Stroganoff 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). Recipes often call for cubed round steak, beef sirloin steak, flank steak and the like. Today, however, we're using inexpensive, readily-available, quick-cooking ground beef!
How to make Ground Beef Stroganoff with Sour Cream:
This ground beef stroganoff recipe is made without cream of mushroom soup, and instead is thickened with flour and finished with sour cream at the end. Let's get started!
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Sliced fresh mushrooms
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Thyme and rosemary
- Beef broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- All-purpose flour
- Sour cream
First, sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic in butter until tender.
Remove the veggies to a plate, and then brown the ground beef in the same skillet. I use extra-lean ground beef (96% lean), so there's no need to drain off the fat.
Then add the thyme, rosemary, 1 cup of the broth, salt and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the sauce (covered) for about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ cup of broth with the flour. Stir this into the beef mixture, add the veggies, and bring to a boil. Stir for 1 minute at a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. The sauce will thicken as it simmers.
Stir in the sour cream and keep the sauce over low heat, just until it's warmed through (don't let it boil).
What goes with hamburger stroganoff?
We like to serve the stroganoff sauce with egg noodles (because that's how my mom did it!), but it's also great with rice. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if you like, just before serving!
If you'd like to offer a vegetable on the side, here are a few good options that go well with beef stroganoff:
- Braised red cabbage or sweet and sour cabbage
- Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onions
- Green beans
- A simple green salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette
- A crusty loaf of bread or dinner rolls
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- I prefer 96% extra lean ground beef here, but you can use any type of ground beef. If using beef with a higher percentage of fat, just drain off some of the fat after browning the meat.
- Substitute with ground chicken or ground turkey instead of the beef.
- It's important to make the slurry with a small amount of broth and flour, so that the flour dissolves and can smoothly incorporate into the sauce.
- For an added layer of flavor, include a splash of brandy or sherry in your sauce (when adding the broth).
- To prep ahead: This sauce can be prepared in advance and frozen. If you want to freeze the sauce, do so before adding the sour cream. I don't recommend freezing the sauce after adding the sour cream, because the dairy-based sauce will "break" when thawed.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat the sauce, warm in a saucepan over low heat, just until the sauce reaches the desired temperature (be careful not to boil).
- To prepare the ground beef stroganoff without mushrooms, increase the amount of beef to 2 lbs. and omit the mushrooms.
- This sauce has about 263 calories per serving (not including any noodles or rice that you might also serve). The recipe is not a low-carb or Keto-friendly option, because it has about 11 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
More easy ground beef recipes that you might enjoy:
- Ground Beef Casserole with Cornbread Crust
- 5-Ingredient Beefaroni
- 5-Ingredient Taco Casserole
- Quick and Easy Amish Hamburger Casserole
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 ¼ lbs. extra lean ground beef (I use 96% lean)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or ¾ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves)
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary (or ¾ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary)
- 1 ½ cups beef broth, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream
- Cooked egg noodles or rice, for serving
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté until tender (about 8-9 minutes). Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Next, brown the ground beef in the same skillet until no longer pink (about 7 minutes). If you’re not using extra lean ground beef, you may need to drain off some of the fat at this point. Add thyme, rosemary, 1 cup of the broth, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ½ cup of broth with the flour. Stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture back to the skillet and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute, and then reduce heat to low. Stir in the sour cream and keep over low heat, just until warmed through (do not boil). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve over cooked noodles or rice and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- I prefer 96% extra lean ground beef here, but you can use any type of ground beef. If using beef with a higher percentage of fat, just drain off some of the fat after browning the meat.
- Substitute with ground chicken or ground turkey instead of the beef.
- It's important to make the slurry with a small amount of broth and flour, so that the flour dissolves and can smoothly incorporate into the sauce.
- For an added layer of flavor, include a splash of brandy or sherry in your sauce (when adding the broth).
- To prep ahead: This sauce can be prepared in advance and frozen. If you want to freeze the sauce, do so before adding the sour cream. I don't recommend freezing the sauce after adding the sour cream, because the dairy-based sauce will "break" when thawed.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat the sauce, warm in a saucepan over low heat, just until the sauce reaches the desired temperature (be careful not to boil).
- To prepare the ground beef stroganoff without mushrooms, increase the amount of beef to 2 lbs. and omit the mushrooms.
- This sauce has about 263 calories per serving (not including any noodles or rice that you might also serve). The recipe is not a low-carb or Keto-friendly option, because it has about 11 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Joy-Dawn Colburn
Hi Blair,
I plan to make your hamburger stroganoff. I noticed that I am to mix 1/4 cup flour into 1/2 cup broth. That seems like a lot of flour for 1/2 cup liquid. Just wanted to double check the amounts. I read your post every week and have used several of your recipes. Always winners! Thanks, Joy-Dawn Colburn
Blair Lonergan
Hi, Joy-Dawn! I'm glad that you'll give it a try. 🙂 The recipe calls for a total of 1 1/2 cups of beef broth, which you'll add in two different stages. So the 1/2 cup of broth that you whisk with the flour is then stirred into the ground beef mixture, which includes another 1 cup of broth. Hope that makes sense, and enjoy the dish!