Ground Beef Stroganoff is a great twist on a comfort food classic. Hamburger meat cooks in a creamy mushroom sauce, perfect atop noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.
Taking just about 30 minutes, it’s a crowd pleasing dish that’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!
When you want an easy dinner, it’s hard to beat ground beef. From classic Spaghetti to foreign flavors like Latin Picadillo and Indian Keema, it’s one of the most versatile ingredients around.
Today’s recipe is just like the popular beef stroganoff, but even easier.
Why You’ll Love It
You’re going to love this Beef Stroganoff recipe for its incredible blend of simplicity and flavor.
Firstly, it’s easy and quick, making it a perfect choice for those busy weeknights when you want a delicious meal without spending hours in the kitchen.
Then, it is versatile. You can serve it with a variety of sides. We’ll give you some serving ideas later on in the post.
Finally, the rich and comforting flavors are what truly set this dish apart. It’s a family friendly dinner that’s both satisfying and indulgent.
What Is Stroganoff?
Stroganoff is a dish that screams comfort food. It typically consists of tender slices of beef (or in today’s case, ground beef) cooked in a delicious, creamy sauce made predominantly from sour cream, mushrooms and onions.
Its roots trace back to 19th-century Russia, where it first appeared in cookbooks and was named after the influential Stroganov family. Initially, it was a simple dish of beef cooked in a sauce of mustard and sour cream. The mushrooms and onion came later.
Over time, the popularity of stroganoff spread to the corners of the world, from the US to Brazil to Japan, where each culture has put its own unique spin on the original.
Hosting vegetarians? Try our meatless Mushroom Stroganoff!
Ingredient Notes
For a complete list, along with exact measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post. Here are the main ingredients you’re going to need to make ground beef stroganoff:
- Olive Oil and Butter: Used for sautéing.
- Ground Beef: We use 85/15 hamburger meat. It’s the perfect balance of not too dry, not too greasy.
- Flour: For thickening the sauce.
- Beef Broth: It gives the sauce its deep flavors. We use Better than Bouillon, and use that as our salt component when adjusting.
- Sour Cream: Essential for the sauce’s creamy texture. Full-fat versions work best for richness.
- Worcestershire Sauce and Dijon Mustard: These add depth to the flavor profile. Adjust according to taste preference.
- Kitchen Bouquet: This is optional and mainly used for enhancing the color of the dish.
How to Make Hamburger Stroganoff
1. Brown the Ground Beef: Cook the ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up as you go, until it is browned. Remove it to a plate.
2. Sauté Veggies: In the same skillet, add butter and sauté the onions and mushrooms until they become soft. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
3. Combine Beef with Vegetables: Return the browned ground beef to the skillet with the vegetables. Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Create the Sauce: Gradually stir in the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Mix in Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes, letting the sauce thicken slightly.
5. Finish with Sour Cream: Remove the skillet from heat and fold in the sour cream. If using, add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet for color. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Serving Suggestions
Our favorite way to serve hamburger stroganoff is over a bed of egg noodles. It also goes great over white rice or mashed potatoes.
Watching carbs? Simply omit the flour and serve with zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or cauliflower mash.
For a vegetable side, it can really pair with just about anything. To keep things quick and simple, we usually have it with frozen mixed vegetables.
Leftovers and Storage
You can refrigerate leftover ground beef stroganoff in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat. You might want to add a splash of extra water or broth when reheating, if the sauce has thickened up too much.
We don’t recommend freezing, as the texture will lose its creaminess.
Pro Tips
- Brown the Beef Well: Make sure to brown the beef thoroughly before removing it from the pan. This step is important for developing a deep, savory flavor in the dish.
- Deglaze the Pan: When adding the beef broth, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. These bits are packed with flavor and will make your sauce super tasty.
- Balance Your Sauce: Adjust the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard to taste. These ingredients are key to achieving the perfect balance of tangy and savory flavors in your sauce.
- Stir in Sour Cream Off Heat: Add the sour cream after removing the pan from heat to prevent it from curdling and to maintain a smooth, creamy texture. We like to remove it from the fridge before we begin prepping the recipe, so it warms up a bit before adding to the sauce.
- Serve Immediately: Beef Stroganoff is best served fresh and hot. It tends to thicken as it cools, so the texture is best right off the stove.
Once you try our easy ground beef stroganoff, we bet it’ll become a new family favorite. There’s just something comforting about hamburger in a rich and creamy sauce.
For more easy weeknight dinners, check out our hand picked collection of Dinner Ideas for Tonight. Until next time…
Ground Beef Stroganoff, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
More Tasty Ground Beef Recipes
Ground Beef Bulgogi
American Goulash
Ground Beef Taco Meat
Pasta e Fagioli
Johnny Marzetti
Loco Moco
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Ground Beef Stroganoff is an easier twist on the classic, where hamburger meat cooks in a creamy mushroom gravy.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1.25 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp butter
- ½ small onion, diced
- 12oz mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup sour cream
- Kitchen Bouquet, optional (see note 1)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in ground beef and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it has browned up. Remove to a plate.
- Add butter into the pan, and once melted add onion and mushrooms. Sauté until they become soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Return the ground beef to the pan, along with flour. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Gradually stir in beef broth, stirring to deglaze the pan. Add Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Fold in the sour cream. If desired for color, stir in a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Serve with egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Kitchen Bouquet is completely optional, we just use it for color. A little goes a long way, so start with just a few drops.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 554Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 168mgSodium 756mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 2gSugar 5gProtein 46g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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