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. :)
Add dill..mmmmmmm
I’ve made this several times and it’s now a favorite for me and my wife. Though I use baby portabellas instead. Also, I experimented with creme fraiche once (to delicious results).
Simple and absolutely wonderful! Totally hit the “hamburger helper” spot. I substituted the egg noodles, beef broth, and sour cream with shell pasta, chicken broth, and milk. Turned out great!
To make the sauce gluten free, could I simply substitute cornstarch or potato starch for the flour? Or would I need a different ratio?
Hmm, it would definitely be more complicated than a simple swap. I don’t think you can make a roux with corn starch the way you can with flour. Corn starch is usually added into a sauce later, then brought to a boil to thicken, where as flour is mixed with a fat or oil, toasted, then the liquid is added to it. I’d have to experiment with it before making a recommendation.
I’m late to the party– but you can make a slurry of cornstarch and any cold liquid (broth, milk, or water) and add after you have added the beef stock/broth.
For each cup of liquid you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. (so for this recipe, use 2 tablespoons). Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until a smooth paste forms. This is your slurry.
Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering broth that you want to thicken. Bring to a boil and simmer until any starchy taste has been cooked away. This should happen naturally in the 10 mins you are cooking the noodles. Though I wouldn’t go much beyond the 10 mins or it could start to break down and thin out. Hope this helps. We are always looking at ways to make things GF.
I loved this recipe it was a definite hit with my family we will definetly be eating this again
This turned out very tasty, even missing a key ingredient. My vegan sour cream had turned, so we had to omit it. My picky son and fiance liked this dish, and so did I. I made the recipe using grass-fed ground beef, Jovial gluten-free egg noodles (because of my wheat allergy), Pacific Foods organic beef broth, and Earth Balance butter substitute (also have a dairy allergy). I was concerned that the gluten-free noodles would turn to mush in a one-pot meal, but they held together perfectly. Not having to boil water and cook the pasta separately is a beautiful thing! We’ll definitely make this again, and I’m looking forward to the addition of sour cream. We each added salt and cracked pepper to taste.
Just finished eating this fantastic meal! Even my picky daughter gobbled it down in record time. She doesnt even like cooked mushrooms but this time she was happy to eat them.
where can i buy the Better Than Bouillon in Australia ? And what section do i find it please Thanks
I’m not sure where you can get it in Australia, but I bet you could get it on Amazon if it’s not available in any local stores.
This won’t help Reba, but for others near Costco… You can get it there. It’s a larger jar, plus it’s organic, and less expensive than at the grocery stores.
Haven’t tried the recipe yet. It’s what’s for dinner tonight. I’ll be sure to come back and rate it.
Made this tonight, and really enjoyed it! I had to add some salt and pepper, cause it was a little bland for me.
I love your site and this particular recipe was great. I added sriracha when serving (because I LOVE IT) and to my surprise it was not too overwhelming.
I thoroughly enjoy your site, especially the step by step with pictures. I’m not a good cook and I need to follow recipes (otherwise I just start freaking out and messing everything up because I throw in as many spices as possible) and your recipes are very easy to follow Thank you!
This is REALLY good! I love beef stroganoff and this was so easy, and the clean up was a breeze. In my opinion it needed a few tweaks. I added probably a teaspoon of salt and some fresh cracked pepper (I used beef stock instead of better than bouillon so that could have been the issue with the salt) I still felt it needed a little “something” so I added about a tbs. of soy sauce. which made it PERFECT! So good! Hubby and I devoured it (him especially). There is none left and we are happy.
This was DELISH!!!! Will definitely do this again! I too added onion and some additional spices (salt, pepper and thyme). My husband raved about his just in the cooking stages and gobbled it up when it was done!
I think this recipe is the perfect example of how simple cooking can be. I used to love the Michelina’s frozen stroganoff when I was a kid. This recipe tastes almost exactly the same and it’s super simple: beef broth, garlic, mushrooms, butter. I added some thyme, salt and pepper.
Best of all, so simple that there are few dishes to clean afterwards. Awesome!
We were very poor when I was growing up, so having Hamburger Helper Stronganoff was a big deal when I was younger. This blew HH out of the water, but still brought back a lot of fond memories from eating it with my family. Like some of the other commentors, I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream, and it turned out wonderfully. I also sauteed some chopped onion with the garlic, just because the onion/garlic base is a staple in my house, and I did it without even realizing the recipe didn’t call for onion. I did notice that the smallest bit of salt added some depth – I hadn’t anticipated that because I thought the broth would have enough salt in it. It was good before the salt, and great after. My husband has a personal vendetta against mushrooms, and even he gobbled it up. I definitely enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today, and everyone in the office was commenting on how good it smelled. This website is a gold mine, and I’m enjoying working my way through your recipes! This was super easy, and I loved only having one pot to clean up.
Just made this tonight… my house is in the middle of being painted so I wanted a quick and easy dinner that didn’t dirty up too many dishes and this fit the bill. I too found it a bit bland (I used Swanson reduced sodium beef broth so that’s likely why). I added salt and pepper, but still was missing “something” so I threw in some montreal steak seasoning. It was great after that! As someone else mentioned, this is a great “base” recipe that you can tweak to what you have on hand, add to, take away from etc. The ideas of adding herbs sound great.
The second time I made this recipe I used Swanson’s reduced sodium beef broth (I had a box on hand I needed to use up) and it definitely made the recipe a lot less savory than with the Better Than Bullion.
Paprika will really jazz it up, too.