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. :)
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!
One Pot 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.
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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 seem to remember worchestshire sauce in the “old school” recipe…. Anyone else?
Made this and doubled it. It was wonderful! Liked it better after it cooled and got thick. And so very easy!
Hello, regular rotation ~ here’s another for ya. Will be adding broccoli for one night, kale for another, green beans for yet another, etc. Super supper!! Thanks again!!
Made this tonight and it was both phenomenal and astonishingly simple to make. Substituted 0% Greek yogurt and I loved the tang it added.
Do you think i can just double this recipe?
Yes, absolutely! :)
This worked great with whole wheat noodles — and, I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream…also sautéed an onion with the garlic…we enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe.
I made a vegetarian version of this using Quorn imitation beef mince, and without the garlic, because I’m an airhead who forgot to add it. I also added a little frozen spinach, and a can of tomatoes. It was delicious, and I’ve been eating the leftovers ever since! I’ve made one pot stroganoff before, but using egg noodles instead of normal pasta really kicks it up a notch. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Beth,
Thanks for the recipe. Made the stroganoff two nights in a row and it was delicious! First night I made it your way and the second night I modified it just slightly. I cut the butter in half from 2Tbsp to 1Tbsp and reduced the light sour cream from 1/3c to 1/4c. I also sauteed 1/4 cup of chopped yellow onion with the garlic. Both ways were awesome! Making the vegan red beans and rice tonight. Keep pumpin’ out the killer recipes…
Doc
Winner! Winner! Beefy Dinner! I assumed this took onion and I had chopped it and them realized it didn’t call for one but I threw it in anyway. This is a fabulous pasta dish and the leftover heat well. I may try making it with ground turkey next time. Yum! And thank you!!
My husband made this for me last night. Even though he hates using recipes, he loved this one! It was so easy to follow and used only one pot. Magic! It was super delicious and I gladly brought the leftovers for lunch today!
Made this last night with all mushrooms and vegetable Better Than Bouillon. Added about a cup of diced onion when I sautéed the garlic, and added some thyme, marjoram, sage, and black pepper to the sauce since that’s what I remember my mom adding to hers. :) It totally hit the spot! I had leftovers today for lunch, and I’m looking forward to having the other container in the freezer for tomorrow.
Yep. Making this for the 2nd time this week.
Made this tonight with almost no changes at all. Fiance was totally wowed. I love the simplicity!
I did not have egg noodles, so I tried it with regular noodles. I turned out very nice, just had to add a lot more water
Am I the only one who had a problem getting the noodles to cook? I found it difficult to get them immersed in the beef stock with the ground beef and mushrooms in the way. By the end, they were falling apart from all the stirring required to keep them from burning to the bottom. Any suggestions for the next try?
Diana, they actually don’t have to be fully submerged to cook. The lid holds in the steam and the noodles poking out of the water get cooked by the steam. You do still need to stir a few times, but yes, over stirring will make them break down. I hope you try it again :)
I have tried several stroganoff recipes and this is by far the best basic one I have found. It was delicious and quick. I agree with a lot of the other comments that there is a lot of room for experimentation and personalization.