Creamy Ground Beef Stroganoff
A comforting weeknight dinner of browned ground beef, golden mushrooms, and a silky sour cream sauce, spooned over tender egg noodles. It uses everyday ingredients and comes together in one skillet.
Ingredients
For the beef
For the mushrooms and aromatics
For the sauce
For the noodles
To serve
Instructions
Brown the beef
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Heat the olive oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then use a wooden spoon to break the meat into small crumbles. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the beef is browned with no pink left and has reached 160°F. Move the beef to a plate and leave the browned bits in the pan, because they will flavor the sauce.
Cook the mushrooms
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Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then. The pan may look very wet at first as the mushrooms release their liquid, and that is completely normal. Keep going until the liquid has cooked away and the mushrooms look golden and tender.
Boil the noodles
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While the mushrooms cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in the kosher salt. Add the egg noodles and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until just tender. Drain well, return them to the pot, and cover to keep them warm. They will be ready right around the time the sauce is finished.
Soften the onion and garlic
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Add the diced onion and thyme to the mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, until it darkens slightly and smells rich.
Build the sauce
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Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for about 1 minute, so the flour cooks and loses its raw taste. The mixture will look thick and pasty, which is just what you want. Slowly pour in the beef broth while stirring, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper.
Simmer with the cream
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Pour in the heavy cream and return the beef to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is ready when it looks glossy and coats the back of a spoon. If it becomes too thick, stir in a splash of beef broth.
Stir in the sour cream
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Take the skillet off the heat and let it rest for 1 minute. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream with a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce, then stir this back into the skillet until smooth and creamy. Adding it off the heat keeps the sour cream from splitting. Taste and add a little more salt or pepper if you like.
Serve the stroganoff
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Divide the warm noodles between four bowls and spoon the creamy beef and mushroom sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve while it is hot and silky.
Note
Use full-fat sour cream and keep the pan off the heat when you stir it in. Lower-fat versions and high heat are the most common reasons for a grainy sauce.
If the sauce looks thin, simmer it for 2 to 3 more minutes. If it looks too thick, loosen it with a splash of beef broth or milk.
If the sauce turns slightly grainy, take it off the heat and whisk in a spoonful of warm beef broth until it smooths out.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep the noodles separate from the sauce if you can, since they soften as they sit.
Reheat the sauce gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of beef broth, stirring often, and do not let it boil. This recipe is not recommended for freezing because the sour cream sauce can separate when thawed.
The calorie count is an estimate based on 4 servings that include the noodles.
