Guess what time it is! Comfort-food-o’clock. And there’s no better comfort food than a rich creamy pasta dish, like this One Pot Beef Stroganoff. It cooks in just one pot, just like hamburger helper stroganoff, but it’s homemade and I promise it’s still super easy. You’re going to want to tuck this beef stroganoff recipe into your back pocket for those nights when you’re super tired and need an extra comforting meal. :)
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What is Beef Stroganoff?
Beef stroganoff is a Russian dish that features pieces of sautéed beef in a rich and creamy sauce, often served over pasta. For this budget version of beef stroganoff, we’ve replaced the chunks of beef with budget-friendly ground beef, added mushrooms to stretch it a little further, and cooked everything in one pot for a quick and easy meal. It’s not a traditional beef stroganoff for sure, but it definitely is delicious!
Ingredients for One Pot Beef Stroganoff
Here’s what you’ll need to make this deliciously creamy One Pot Beef Stroganoff:
- Garlic: Garlic adds a nice deep flavor to the creamy sauce.
- Butter: We sauté the garlic in butter for extra flavor and richness.
- Ground Beef: Instead of using chunks of beef stew meat, we used ground beef for a more budget-friendly alternative.
- Mushrooms: We used a combination of mushrooms and beef to bulk up this one pot pasta while keeping the price low.
- Beef Broth: We cook the pasta one-pot style in the broth with all of the other ingredients so everything has maximum flavor. I suggest using a very flavorful broth or else your stroganoff will end up being bland. We use Better Than Bouillon to make our beef broth.
- Worcestershire Sauce & Dijon Mustard: Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard are added to the broth to add more dimension to the flavor.
- Egg Noodles: Wide egg noodles have the perfect light texture for this creamy sauce to keep the entire dish balanced.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is stirred into the sauce to give it the classic creamy and tangy flavor of a stroganoff. If you’re looking for an alternative to sour cream, you can use Greek yogurt or heavy cream, which will be less tangy.
Beef Alternatives
I used half ground beef and half mushrooms to stretch my pennies a bit further, but you could do all mushrooms or all beef if you prefer. If you’re doing a vegetarian version with all mushrooms, use mushroom or vegetable broth to replace the beef broth.
Tips for Making One Pot Pasta
Every piece of cookware and every range top is different, so one pot recipes are a bit like riding a bike. You have to feel it out and find the sweet spot for the equipment you’re using. Here are some tips for making your one pot pasta a success:
- Use heavy, thick cookware to help the ingredients heat evenly.
- The broth does not need to fully cover the noodles for them to cook, so resist the urge to add extra water or broth.
- Make sure the liquid is simmering the whole time the pasta is cooking. If the heat is too low, the pasta will just get gummy.
- Stir the pot occasionally to prevent sticking, but not too often or your risk breaking down the pasta.
- Use your judgment. If your pasta looks close to being cooked through, but there is too much liquid left in the skillet, let it finish simmering with the lid off. If the liquid is gone but your pasta is still not tender, add a splash more water or broth and continue to simmer.
Use Good Broth
The broth brings a lot of flavor to this beef and mushroom stroganoff, so make sure you’re using a nice and flavorful broth that has adequate salt. I like to use Better than Bouillon to make broth for recipes because it’s super flavorful, I can mix up any amount I need, and the jar stays good in the refrigerator for months, so there are no leftovers to go to waste. If you still find your stroganoff to be on the bland side in the end, an extra pinch of salt can really help the flavors pop.
Want more One Pot Recipes? Check out our One Pot Recipe Archives!
Beef Stroganoff
Servings 4 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.22)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($2.50)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.49)
- 1/8 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.26)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
- 8 oz. wide egg noodles ($0.60)
- 1/3 cup sour cream ($0.15)
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Add the garlic and butter to a large pot or skillet and sauté over medium heat for about one minute, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
- Add the ground beef and continue to sauté until it is fully browned.
- While the beef is browning, slice the mushrooms. Add the sliced mushrooms and some freshly cracked pepper to the pot with the beef. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms are soft (about five minutes).
- Add the uncooked egg noodles to the pot along with the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine. The liquid will not fully cover the noodles, but that's okay.
- Place a lid on the pot and allow the liquid to come up to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, give the pot a stir, replace the lid, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the pot to simmer on low heat for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and replacing the lid every couple of minutes. After 7-10 minutes the pasta should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed.
- Once the noodles are tender, add the sour cream and fold it into the noodles until everything is rich and creamy. Give the noodles a taste and add extra salt or pepper, if needed. Roughly chop a handful of parsley leaves and sprinkle over top. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Nutrition
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How to Make One Pot Beef Stroganoff – Step by Step Photos
Begin by sautéing 2 cloves of minced garlic in 2 Tbsp of butter until soft (1-2 minutes). You can use a large pot or large skillet, as long as it is big enough to hold all of the pasta AND has a lid (the lid will be used later).
Next, add 1/2 lb. ground beef and continue to sauté until it is fully browned.
While the beef is browning, slice 8oz. mushrooms. White button mushrooms are fine, but if you can get these baby bella mushrooms they are even more awesome (shout out to ALDI for carrying these at an affordable price).
Once the beef is browned, add the mushrooms and some freshly cracked pepper. Continue to sauté until they are soft (about five minutes).
Add ½ lb. wide egg noodles to the skillet along with 2 cups beef broth, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and ½ tsp Dijon mustard. Stir to combine. The broth will not fully cover the noodles, but that’s okay. The steam in the skillet will help cook them and they’ll be stirred to make sure even cooking.
Place a lid on the skillet and bring the broth up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, give it a quick stir to loosen the noodles from the bottom, return the lid quickly, and turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer, stirring occasionally and always replacing the lid, for 7-10 minutes or until the noodles are tender and there is only a small amount of thick sauce left in the skillet.
Finally, add ⅓ cup sour cream and fold it into the noodles until everything is creamy and delicious!
Top off the beef stroganoff with a little chopped parsley for color (because stroganoff is kind of boring to look at) and it’s time to dive into that skillet full of creamy goodness! You might want to give it a taste at this point to see if you want a little extra salt or pepper (again, depending on the salt content of your broth), but other than that it’s time to eat! And only one dish to clean. :)
I prefer the old recipe, which used flour to thicken the sauce. I’m glad to see someone has found an archive link. I’ve made the new one twice now and it’s definitely lacking. It doesn’t reheat very well, either. I’m not sure why the need to change it. I notice the Chili Mac, which also uses flour to thicken the sauce, has remained unchanged.
I strongly dislike one pot methods for pasta but I love these recipes! Would love to have tips for making it separate as an alternative method!
The most critical issue is cooking the beef first then the mushrooms. this overcooks the meat and then doesn’t allow the mushrooms to fry in the butter and garlic. I would try this again but definitely reverse the order. Even so, this one seemed a little blah.
You could just add them to the pan at the same time. Or add the mushrooms while the beef is still a little pink. If you think it’s “blah”, then add more garlic/dijon/etc, or extra Better Than Bouillon paste. That’s what I do 😊
Can you share the old recipe with me if you have it? Thanks
Just emailed it to you!
This looks delicious but I would love to see the old recipe that so many others are referencing. Will you please send it to me? Many thanks!
Just sent!
Could you please send me the old recipe? Thank you!
Just sent!
Could I also get the old recipe please? The web archive link isn’t working
Just sent!
Please email me the old recipe. Thanks!
Just sent! :)
Loved it!! First time making stroganoff ever and will use this recipe from now on!
For those looking, the old menu can be found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201123200009/https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-beef-mushroom-stroganoff/
Can I get a copy of the old recipe? I’ve made this before but never printed it off.
Just emailed it to you!
Can you send me the old recipe?
Just sent to your email!
My husband is a picky eater, and finding recipes he likes is a challenge. I made this without mushrooms, subbed heavy cream for sour cream.
It was a big hit! Next time, I’m going to use whole small mushrooms, so he can pick them out if he likes.
This one is going into my weeknight recipe rotation.
Okay, seems everyone says the old version is better than the updated version. What was changed? I’d like to compare the two. Can you re-post the old version?
Thanks,
Lynne
I’ve made both the ‘old’ recipe that keeps being referenced here (https://web.archive.org/web/20201123200009/https://www.budgetbytes.com/one-pot-beef-mushroom-stroganoff/) and the new one. The only difference appears to be the old one uses flour as a thickener and the update doesn’t and adds some mustard. I’m not sure why everyone is asking for the old one, unless it’s just a FOMO thing, the difference looks negligible to me. Anyway, I’ve made the updated one several times now and I think it’s great and will continue to make it that way. The only thing I do differently is sometimes I do a full lb of beef instead of a half with a little extra Better than Bouillon to balance it out.
The flour creates a sort of roux, which helps thicken the sauce into something more like stroganoff, rather than….sour cream covered noodles.
If I need to cook for a larger family, can I double the recipe?
Can you also send me the old recipe? I’d like to try both.
You can double it, although sometimes it’s harder to get the pasta to cook evenly with the one-pot method when doing a larger amount. I’ll email you the old one. :)
Like others, I’ve been making the original version of this recipe for years using the site for the recipe instead of printing. Could you please send me the original?
Sure!
Can I have the old recipe please? :)
Love the recipe easy to make and so delicious.