Ground Beef Stroganoff
This easy Ground Beef Stroganoff cooks egg noodles right in the sauce for a comforting, one-pan dinner with tender mushrooms and a tangy sour cream finish—ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (85/15 or 80/20)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil (if needed), plus 2 to 3 teaspoons oil for browning the beef
- 1 small yellow onion , chopped (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms , sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 large garlic cloves , minced
- ¼ cup cognac (can also use dry white wine)
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika , to taste (see Note 1)
- 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves , divided
- 3½ to 4 cups beef broth or stock (see Note 2)
- 8 ounces dried extra wide egg noodles (see Note 2)
- ½ to ⅔ cup sour cream (depending on how creamy you like your stroganoff)
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Lightly-oil a large nonstick skillet or saute pan (12.5 to 13" diameter by 2.5" high, or a 4-quart cocotte) with vegetable oil (2-3 teaspoons, depending on the percentage of fat in your ground beef; chuck will need less than round).
- Brown the ground beef with a few small pinches of salt and black pepper over medium-high heat. Let the beef develop a good crust before you start to flip and break it up with your spoon or spatula. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
- You'll need 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan--if the beef hasn't released this much fat, add enough butter or oil to make up the quantity.
- Add the onions, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the pan. Sauté until the onions and mushrooms are softened, beginning to brown, and most of the released mushroom liquid has evaporated.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant.
- Stir in the cognac and simmer for 1-2 minutes, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until almost completely evaporated.
- Stir the ground beef back into the pan. Sprinkle the flour over the beef and mushroom mixture, stir it in to evenly distribute, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves. Stir until well combined.
- Stir in the uncooked egg noodles, submerging them in the broth as much as possible, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the noodles are cooked through.
- Remove from the heat and add the sour cream, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and 2 tablespoons of parsley to the pan, gently stirring to combine (see Note 3). Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The amount of salt you need will depend on the beef broth you used.)
- If desired, stir in lemon juice to brighten the sauce (whether you need it will depend on the tanginess of the brand of sour cream you're using and your personal taste), or serve the dish with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over your bowl.
- Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the top of the pan and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
1. Paprika: Use sweet (Hungarian) paprika; adjust the amount to taste, as ground spices vary in strength.
2. Broth and Egg Noodles: Different brands of egg noodles, as well as the type of pan you're using, might require a varying quantity of liquid, within the range of 3-1/2 to 4 cups. The noodles shown in the blog post and video are Manischewitz Extra Wide, and they always cook to al dente within this range, without making the dish too liquidy. I've had consistent results with Pennsylvania Dutch and Light 'N Fluffy extra-wide noodles as well.
If you prefer your skillet stroganoff to be less saucy, start with 3-1/2 cups of beef broth and watch it closely. If it's starting to look dry as the noodles are cooking, add up to an additional 1/2 cup broth.
3. Sauce Thickness: The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands. If the sauce seems too thin after the noodles are al dente and you've stirred in the sour cream, let it stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes. If it's too thick, thin it out with an extra splash of beef broth.
For pantry swaps, see the "Substitutions" section in the article above.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.166recipe | Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 730mg | Potassium: 735mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 504IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 3mg
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