Quick Ground Beef Stroganoff with Mushrooms and Egg Noodles

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One-pan comfort food with a creamy stroganoff-style sauce and tender egg noodles.
• Fast and budget-friendly, using ground beef instead of steak.
• Flexible: works with fresh or canned mushrooms, and it’s easy to tweak the seasoning.
• Sour cream is added at the end for a smooth, tangy finish (no curdling).

Grocery List

• Produce: 1 small yellow onion, 8 oz mushrooms (fresh) or 1 can mushrooms, optional fresh parsley
• Dairy: unsalted butter, sour cream
• Pantry: low-sodium beef broth, Dijon mustard, egg noodles, kosher salt, black pepper

Full Ingredients

Main

• Ground beef: 1 lb (454 g), 85–90% lean recommended
• Unsalted butter: 1 tbsp
• Yellow onion: 1 small, diced (about 1 cup)
• Mushrooms: 8 oz (225 g) fresh, sliced (cremini or white button) or 1 can (8 oz) mushrooms, drained
• Kosher salt: 1 tsp, plus more to taste
• Black pepper: 1/2 tsp
• Low-sodium beef broth: 3 cups (720 ml)
• Dijon mustard: 1 tbsp
• Wide egg noodles: 8 oz (225 g)
• Sour cream: 3/4 cup (180 g)

Optional for serving

• Fresh parsley: 2 tbsp, chopped
• Extra black pepper: to finish

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep your ingredients

Dice 1 small yellow onion. Slice 8 oz mushrooms if using fresh. Measure out the 3 cups beef broth, 1 tbsp Dijon, 8 oz egg noodles, and 3/4 cup sour cream.

Tip: Let the sour cream sit at room temperature while you cook (about 10–15 minutes) so it blends in more smoothly at the end.

Step 2: Brown the beef with onion

Set a deep 12-inch skillet or wide pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp butter. Once melted, add the diced onion and 1 lb ground beef.

Cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking the beef into small crumbles, until the beef is no longer pink and the onion has softened. If there’s a lot of grease, carefully spoon off excess, leaving about 1–2 tablespoons in the pan for flavor.

Step 3: Add mushrooms and season

Add the mushrooms, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release some moisture and start to soften: 3–4 minutes for fresh mushrooms, or 1 minute if using drained canned mushrooms.

Step 4: Build the broth and Dijon base

Pour in 3 cups beef broth and stir in 1 tbsp Dijon mustard until dissolved. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift up any browned bits (that’s big flavor).

Step 5: Simmer the noodles in the sauce

Stir in 8 oz egg noodles. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a steady simmer (gentle bubbling).

Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring every 1–2 minutes so the noodles don’t stick, until the noodles are tender and the broth looks slightly thickened and glossy.

If the skillet looks dry before noodles are tender, add a small splash of broth or water (2–4 tablespoons at a time) and continue simmering.

Step 6: Finish with sour cream (make it creamy)

Remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool for 2 minutes (this helps prevent the sour cream from separating). Add 3/4 cup sour cream and stir until the sauce turns creamy and evenly coats the noodles and beef.

Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.

Step 7: Serve

Spoon into bowls while hot. If you’d like, finish with chopped parsley and a little extra black pepper. Serve as-is, or alongside a simple green salad or steamed green beans.

Pro Tips

• Prevent curdling: Always stir sour cream in off the heat, after a short 2-minute cool-down.
• Control thickness: For a thicker sauce, simmer an extra 1–2 minutes before adding sour cream. For a looser sauce, stir in a splash of broth at the end.
• Stir the noodles often: Egg noodles like to settle; frequent stirring keeps them from sticking and helps the sauce thicken evenly.
• Fresh vs. canned mushrooms: Fresh gives better texture and deeper flavor; canned is faster and still totally works.
• Season in layers: Salt the beef and mushrooms early, then taste again after sour cream (dairy can mute seasoning).

Variations

• Extra savory: Add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce with the broth and Dijon.
• More veggies: Stir in 1 cup frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of simmering.
• Lighter option: Use 93% lean ground beef and replace sour cream with 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (stir in off heat, same method).

Storage & Make-Ahead

Cool leftovers to room temperature (within 2 hours), then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often; add a splash of broth or water (1–3 tablespoons) to loosen the sauce as noodles will absorb liquid over time. Freezing isn’t ideal because sour cream sauces can separate, but you can freeze it for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat slowly while stirring.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate, based on 4 servings: 560 calories; 29 g protein; 55 g carbohydrates; 25 g fat; 10 g saturated fat; 3 g fiber; 780 mg sodium.