Ground Beef Stroganoff

This Ground Beef Stroganoff is the ultimate weeknight comfort food hero, delivering all the rich, savory, and creamy satisfaction of the classic dish in a fraction of the time. By swapping traditional beef strips for flavorful ground beef, this recipe creates a deeply savory mushroom and onion-laced gravy that clings to tender egg noodles, finished with a luxurious swirl of sour cream. It’s a hearty, one-pan meal that is as simple to make as it is deeply satisfying to eat, promising to become a reliable favorite in your dinner rotation.

Ingredients

For the Stroganoff:

1 lb lean ground beef (85/15 or 90/10)
1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth (low-sodium recommended)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Finish & Serving:

⅔ cup sour cream, at room temperature (full-fat for best texture)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
12 oz wide egg noodles
Optional: 1-2 tablespoons brandy or cognac (for deglazing)

Equipment

Large, deep skillet or Dutch oven
Large pot for noodles
Whisk
Slotted spoon or spatula
Measuring cups and spoons

Instructions

1. Brown the Beef & Sauté Aromatics (10 mins)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the egg noodles.
In your large skillet, heat the olive oil or butter over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until no pink remains, about 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pan.
To the same skillet, add the diced onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until they have released their moisture and started to brown. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.

2. Build the Rich Gravy (8 mins)

Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom and onion mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes to form a roux and cook out the raw flour taste.
Gradually pour in the beef broth while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. For an extra flavor boost, you can deglaze the pan with a splash of brandy before adding the broth. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and dried thyme.
Bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

3. Combine & Simmer (5 mins)

Return the browned ground beef and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and let the stroganoff simmer gently while you cook the noodles.
Cook the egg noodles in the boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

4. The Creamy, Critical Finish (2 mins)

This step is crucial for preventing curdling. Remove the skillet from the heat. Let it cool for 1 minute. Take a few spoonfuls of the hot gravy and stir them into the room-temperature sour cream in a small bowl. This “tempers” the sour cream, gently raising its temperature.
Now, stir the tempered sour cream mixture back into the skillet. Add the chopped parsley. Stir until the sauce is uniformly creamy and luxurious. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. Serve Immediately

Combine the drained egg noodles with the creamy stroganoff sauce directly in the skillet, or portion noodles into bowls and ladle the stroganoff over the top. Garnish with additional fresh parsley. Serve immediately while hot and creamy.

The Last Bite: The Science of a Stable, Creamy Emulsion

The iconic, creamy texture of a perfect stroganoff hinges on a delicate thermal emulsion—the successful blending of an acidic, fat-based dairy product (sour cream) into a hot, starch-thickened gravy without breaking. This recipe achieves that through a series of deliberate chemical and physical safeguards.

The foundation is the roux-thickened gravy. The flour, cooked in the rendered beef and mushroom fat, undergoes gelatinization when the broth is added. The starch granules swell, absorbing liquid and creating a viscous base. This thickened liquid is more stable and less likely to shock the sour cream than a thin broth. The Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard are not just flavorings; they contain emulsifiers like mustard’s mucilage and Worcestershire’s fermented compounds, which help bind the fat and water phases.

The star of the show, sour cream, is a delicate balance of lactic acid and milk fat. Its proteins are sensitive to sudden, high heat. If added directly to the boiling skillet, the proteins would coagulate (denature) rapidly and irreversibly, causing the sauce to “break” into tiny, grainy curds floating in oily liquid—a culinary tragedy.

The safeguard is the tempering technique. By first mixing a small amount of hot gravy into the cool sour cream, you gently and gradually increase the temperature of the dairy. This allows the proteins to denature slowly and uniformly, integrating them into the liquid rather than seizing up. Once tempered, the mixture can be stirred back into the main skillet off the direct heat, where the residual warmth is sufficient to heat it through without the risk of boiling.

Furthermore, the room temperature sour cream is non-negotiable. Starting with a cold ingredient creates too drastic a temperature differential. The full-fat content also provides a protective buffer; the fat molecules help suspend the protein curds, leading to a smoother mouthfeel.

This dish is a lesson in managing dairy proteins. The result is a sauce that is uniformly creamy, velvety, and clingy—a luxurious blanket for the savory beef and earthy mushrooms. It demonstrates that the difference between a good stroganoff and a sublime one often lies not in the ingredients list, but in the understanding of a single, critical technique performed in the final two minutes.

Nutrition Information (Per Serving, based on 5 servings)

Calories: ~580 kcal
Total Fat: 24g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 125mg
Sodium: 480mg
Total Carbohydrates: 58g
Dietary Fiber:* 3g
Sugars:* 5g
Protein: 32g

Note: Nutritional values are estimates. Using a leaner ground beef (93/7) will reduce fat. For a thicker gravy, simmer longer before adding the sour cream; for a thinner one, add a splash more broth. Do not boil the sauce after adding the sour cream, as this will cause it to curdle. Leftovers will thicken significantly upon refrigeration; reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen. The tempering step with the sour cream is essential for a smooth, restaurant-quality sauce.