30 Minutes · One Skillet · Pantry Staples
Ground Beef Stroganoff with Cream of Mushroom Soup: Easy 30-Minute Dinner
Browned ground beef, fresh mushrooms and a can of cream of mushroom soup, finished with sour cream and spooned over egg noodles. The creamy weeknight comfort dinner, with a sauce that never splits.
- 30 minutes
- Serves 4–6
- Freezer friendly
- Printable card
Creamy, savoury and on the table in half an hour — the sauce clings to every noodle.
This ground beef stroganoff with cream of mushroom soup is the weeknight version of a classic. A can of condensed soup does the work of a from-scratch cream sauce, fresh cremini mushrooms add the texture, and a cup of sour cream stirred in at the end makes it taste like the real thing.
You may know it as hamburger stroganoff, poor man’s stroganoff or minced beef stroganoff — it is the same dish. Below you will find the recipe scaled from 1 lb of ground beef to a crowd of 100, what to serve it over, eight variations including a stroganoff soup, and the one rule that keeps the sauce silky.
Save the pin so the recipe is there on the next busy weeknight.
Why Ground Beef Stroganoff with Cream of Mushroom Soup Works
Classic beef stroganoff means a made-from-scratch sauce and the best part of an hour. This version keeps the flavour and loses the fuss, and it does it with four simple decisions.
The soup is a finished sauce base
A can of condensed cream of mushroom soup is already thickened, seasoned and deeply savoury. It does the job of a roux and half an hour of reducing, which is how a stroganoff that usually takes an hour lands on the table in thirty minutes.
Fresh mushrooms bring the texture
The soup carries the mushroom flavour; the sliced cremini give you something to bite. Browning them until golden is where the savoury depth comes from, so this is a recipe made with fresh mushrooms and mushroom soup, not one or the other.
Sour cream goes in last
It adds the tang that makes stroganoff taste like stroganoff, and it loosens the sauce into something glossy. Added over low heat, it stays silky. Added at a boil, it splits.
Everything happens in one skillet
Beef, mushrooms and sauce all cook in the same pan while the noodles boil next to it. One skillet, one pot, and very little to wash.
Use 80/20 ground beef. The fat is where the flavour is, and you drain most of it off anyway — leave about a tablespoon in the pan to cook the onions and mushrooms in. Leaner beef works, but the sauce tastes noticeably thinner.
Ground Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Ground Beef Stroganoff with Cream of Mushroom Soup
Browned ground beef and golden mushrooms in a cream of mushroom and sour cream sauce, served over egg noodles.
How much ground beef?
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g)1½ lb (680 g)3 lb (1.36 kg)4½ lb (2 kg) ground beef, 80/20
- 1 can1 can2 cans3 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 oz can
- ⅔ cup1 cup2 cups3 cups beef broth
- ⅔ cup1 cup2 cups3 cups full-fat sour cream
- 6 oz (170 g)8 oz (225 g)1 lb (450 g)1½ lb (680 g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small1 medium2 medium3 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2369 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp1 tbsp2 tbsp3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ tsp1 tsp2 tsp1 tbsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp1 tsp2 tsp1 tbsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp½ tsp1 tsp1½ tsp smoked paprika
- 8 oz (225 g)12 oz (340 g)1½ lb (680 g)2¼ lb (1 kg) wide egg noodles, dry weight
- 1 tbsp2 tbsp¼ cup⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped, to finish
- to tasteto tasteto tasteto taste salt and black pepper
Instructions
Put the noodle water on
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the egg noodles. Cook them to al dente while the sauce simmers, then drain without rinsing — the starch on the surface helps the sauce cling.
Brown the ground beef
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef. Break it into small crumbles and let it sit undisturbed for a minute or two at a time so it browns rather than steams, 6 to 7 minutes in all, until no pink remains. Spoon off the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms
Add the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and the sliced mushrooms and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and turned golden at the edges.
Stir in the cream of mushroom soup
Add the cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Stir until the sauce is completely smooth, with no streaks of condensed soup left.
Simmer until thick
Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Add the sour cream on low heat
Turn the heat down to low and wait until the bubbling stops. Stir in the sour cream gently until the sauce is smooth and pale. Do not let it boil again from this point, or the sour cream can split.
Season and serve
Taste before adding any salt — the soup and broth are already seasoned. Add black pepper, spoon the stroganoff over the egg noodles and finish with chopped parsley.
Roughly, per serving
Calculated from the 1½ lb quantities, including the egg noodles and with most of the beef fat drained.
This is an estimate, not a lab analysis. Leaner beef, less sour cream or a low-carb base will bring it down considerably.
What You Need
Nothing specialist — but these three make the recipe easier and the result better.
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How to Make Hamburger Stroganoff with Cream of Mushroom Soup
Beef browned, mushrooms golden, everything else measured and waiting. From here it is ten minutes to dinner.
The recipe card has every step. These are the four moments that decide whether the sauce turns out silky and deeply savoury or flat and grainy.
Brown the beef, do not steam it
Spread the beef across the whole pan and leave it alone for a minute before you stir. The brown crust is flavour; grey, steamed beef tastes flat however good the sauce is. For a double batch, brown it in two rounds.
Wait for the mushrooms to turn golden
Mushrooms release a lot of water first and only brown once it has cooked off. If the pan looks wet, keep going — that last two minutes is where the mushroom flavour concentrates.
Stir the soup until it is smooth
Condensed soup goes in as a thick paste and can leave lumps. Stir it into the broth until there are no streaks left before it starts to simmer, and the finished sauce will be velvety rather than grainy.
Take the heat down before the sour cream
Turn the burner to low and wait for the bubbling to stop. Sour cream splits when it boils, and once it has curdled it will not come back together completely. For extra insurance, stir a spoonful of the hot sauce into the sour cream first, then add it to the pan.
Sauce too thick? Add broth a splash at a time. Too thin? Simmer it uncovered for another 3 to 4 minutes before the sour cream goes in. It thickens as it stands, so serve it straight from the pan.
Hamburger Stroganoff, Poor Man’s Stroganoff or Minced Beef? Same Dish
If you have searched for this recipe under a different name, you are in the right place. Ground beef stroganoff goes by several names depending on where, and when, you learned to cook.
| Name | Where you will hear it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| NameGround beef stroganoff | Where you will hear itMost of the US | What it meansThis recipe: browned ground beef, mushroom sauce, sour cream, egg noodles |
| NameHamburger stroganoff | Where you will hear itOlder American cookbooks, the Midwest | What it meansThe same dish. Hamburger is simply the older word for ground beef |
| NamePoor man’s stroganoff | Where you will hear itBudget and pantry cooking | What it meansThe same dish pared back: ground beef, a can of soup, broth and noodles — the five-ingredient version below |
| NameMinced beef stroganoff | Where you will hear itUK, Ireland, Australia | What it meansMade with beef mince and often served over rice or chips rather than noodles |
| NameClassic beef stroganoff | Where you will hear itRestaurants, the original Russian dish | What it meansStrips of steak and a sauce made from scratch, finished with mustard and sour cream |
Want the steak version? Our Gordon Ramsay-style beef stroganoff uses seared strips of beef and a sauce built from scratch. It takes longer, and it is the one to make for a special dinner.
What to Serve Ground Beef Stroganoff Over
Over mashed potatoes, the sauce pools into the middle and every forkful is creamy.
Egg noodles are the classic, but the sauce works over almost anything starchy. Pick a base:
Egg noodles
The classic, and still the best. Wide egg noodles hold the thick sauce on every strand. Cook them just to al dente — they soften a little more once the hot sauce goes on — and do not rinse them. Allow about 2 oz (55 g) dry noodles per person.
Mashed potatoes
The most comforting way to serve ground beef stroganoff. The sauce pools into the middle of the mound, and every forkful is rich and creamy. Make the mash a little stiffer than usual so it holds up under the sauce, and use butter in it to match the richness.
White rice
Long-grain or jasmine both work. Rice soaks up more sauce than noodles do, so keep the stroganoff slightly looser — an extra splash of broth before serving is enough. The way minced beef stroganoff is most often served in the UK.
Pappardelle
The dinner-party version of the same recipe. Wide, flat ribbons fold around the sauce and look far more impressive on a platter than egg noodles, for exactly the same effort.
Cauliflower rice
For a low-carb bowl. Sauté it in a hot pan for 5 to 6 minutes rather than microwaving it, so it stays fluffy and takes on the sauce instead of turning watery.
Zucchini noodles
The lightest base. Do not cook them in advance: toss raw spiralised zucchini through the hot sauce off the heat for about a minute. Pat them dry first so they do not water down the sauce.
On the side: something green and fresh to balance the richness — steamed green beans, roasted broccoli, a crisp cucumber salad or peas with butter — and crusty bread for the last of the sauce.
Variations: Stroganoff Soup, From Scratch, Slow Cooker and More
The method stays almost the same. Pick a version:
From scratch, no canned soup
After the beef and mushrooms are browned, sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for a minute, stirring. Whisk in 1½ cups of beef broth and ½ cup of milk or cream, add the Worcestershire and spices, and simmer until it thickens. Finish with sour cream exactly as in the recipe. About five minutes longer, and you control every grain of salt.
Stroganoff soup
Turn the same recipe into a creamy ground beef stroganoff soup. Add 3 extra cups of beef broth with the soup, bring it to a simmer, and cook 6 oz of dry egg noodles right in the pot for 7 to 8 minutes. Take it off the heat, wait two minutes, then stir in the sour cream. It thickens as it stands, so loosen leftovers with broth.
Slow cooker
Brown the beef, onion and mushrooms on the stove first — that step cannot be skipped. Transfer to the slow cooker with the soup, broth, Worcestershire and spices and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2. Stir in the sour cream only in the last 15 minutes, with the cooker on low, and serve over freshly cooked noodles.
Cheesy stroganoff bake
Make the stroganoff, fold in the cooked noodles and spread it in a 9×13 baking dish. Top with 1½ cups of shredded cheddar and ¼ cup of breadcrumbs tossed with a little melted butter, then bake at 375°F for 20 minutes until bubbling and golden. A handful of frozen peas folded in first adds colour.
Extra creamy
Stir 2 oz of cubed cream cheese in with the sour cream for a thicker, richer sauce, or 4 oz of cubed processed cheese such as Velveeta for a very smooth, cheesy one. Both are already salty, so taste before seasoning.
Five-ingredient pantry version
The poor man’s stroganoff: ground beef, one can of cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and egg noodles. Brown the beef, stir in the soup, broth and Worcestershire, simmer 8 minutes and serve over the noodles. Sour cream is optional — it is still good without it.
Lighter
Use 93/7 lean ground beef, a reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup and full-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. Full-fat yogurt is more stable than low-fat, and the same rule applies: stir it in on low heat and never let it boil.
Chicken
Swap the beef for diced chicken thighs, the cream of mushroom for cream of chicken, and the beef broth for chicken broth, with a pinch of dried thyme. For a full recipe, see our chicken stroganoff.
Add-ins that work
Amounts are for the standard 1½ lb batch.
| Add | How much | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| AddDijon mustard | How much1 tsp | What it doesA little sharpness that cuts through the richness — it is a classic in steak stroganoff |
| AddKetchup or tomato paste | How much1 tbsp | What it doesSweet, tangy depth; a common addition in older hamburger stroganoff recipes |
| AddSoy sauce | How much1 tsp | What it doesMore savoury depth without tasting of soy |
| AddGolden mushroom soup | How muchIn place of the cream of mushroom | What it doesA darker, beefier, less creamy sauce; add an extra ¼ cup of sour cream |
| AddCream cheese | How much2 oz, cubed | What it doesThicker and richer; stir it in with the sour cream |
| AddFrozen peas or small broccoli florets | How much1 cup | What it doesA vegetable in the same pan; add them for the last 5 minutes of simmering |
| AddExtra mushrooms | How muchUp to 1 lb in total | What it doesMore texture and flavour; brown them in two batches so they turn golden |
How Much Stroganoff for a Crowd: 25, 50 or 100 People
Ground beef stroganoff is one of the easiest dinners to scale for a potluck, a church supper or a family gathering. These amounts give each person about a cup of stroganoff over noodles.
| Serves | Ground beef | Soup (10.5 oz cans) | Sour cream | Beef broth | Mushrooms | Egg noodles, dry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serves12 people | Ground beef3 lb | Soup (10.5 oz cans)2 cans | Sour cream2 cups | Beef broth2 cups | Mushrooms1 lb | Egg noodles, dry1½ lb |
| Serves25 people | Ground beef6¼ lb | Soup (10.5 oz cans)4 cans | Sour cream4 cups | Beef broth4 cups (1 quart) | Mushrooms2 lb | Egg noodles, dry3 lb |
| Serves50 people | Ground beef12½ lb | Soup (10.5 oz cans)8 cans | Sour cream8 cups | Beef broth8 cups (2 quarts) | Mushrooms4 lb | Egg noodles, dry6¼ lb |
| Serves100 people | Ground beef25 lb | Soup (10.5 oz cans)17 cans | Sour cream17 cups | Beef broth17 cups (about 4¼ quarts) | Mushrooms8 lb | Egg noodles, dry12½ lb |
Cook in batches
Brown the beef in batches of no more than 3 lb per large pan, or it steams instead of browning. Combine the batches in a large roaster or stockpot for the simmer.
Add the sour cream per pot
Stir the sour cream into each pot or slow cooker only when it is ready to serve, on low heat. A huge pot of sauce that sits at a simmer with sour cream in it is the one most likely to split.
Cook the noodles close to serving
Boil them in batches, drain, and toss with a little butter so they do not stick. For 100 people that is 12½ lb of dry egg noodles, so start a second pot of water early.
Keeping it hot: hold the stroganoff at 140°F (60°C) or above in slow cookers or chafing dishes, and keep the noodles in a separate warm pan so they do not soak up the sauce. With plenty of side dishes on the table, you can reduce the beef by about a quarter.
Make Ahead, Store and Freeze
Stroganoff is a very good make-ahead dinner — the flavour deepens overnight. The only rules are to keep the noodles separate and to be gentle with the heat.
| How | How long | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| HowIn the refrigerator | How long3 to 4 days | What to knowStore the sauce and the noodles in separate airtight containers. Noodles left in the sauce overnight soak it all up and turn soft. |
| HowIn the freezer | How longUp to 3 months | What to knowFreeze the sauce only, never the noodles. If you are cooking to freeze, stop before the sour cream and add fresh sour cream when you reheat — sour cream can separate once frozen. |
| HowReheating | How longLow heat | What to knowWarm it gently on the stove with a splash of broth until it reaches 165°F, or microwave at half power in one-minute bursts, stirring between each. Full power can split the sauce. |
| HowMaking ahead | How longUp to 1 day | What to knowCook the sauce through the simmering step, cool it and refrigerate. Reheat gently, then stir in the sour cream just before serving. |
Cooking for one or two? Make the full batch, portion the sauce into single servings before the sour cream goes in, and freeze them flat. Reheat one, stir in a spoonful of sour cream, and cook a small handful of fresh noodles — dinner in ten minutes. For eleven more meals that freeze the same way, see our individual freezer meals for one.
Ground Beef Stroganoff FAQs
What is the difference between hamburger stroganoff and ground beef stroganoff?
There is no difference. Hamburger is the older American word for ground beef, so hamburger stroganoff, ground beef stroganoff and poor man’s stroganoff all describe the same dish: browned ground beef in a creamy mushroom sauce over egg noodles. In the UK and Australia it is called minced beef stroganoff.
Can I make ground beef stroganoff without cream of mushroom soup?
Yes. Once the beef and mushrooms are browned, stir 2 tablespoons of flour into the pan and cook for a minute, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups of beef broth and 1/2 cup of milk or cream. Simmer until it thickens and finish with sour cream as usual. It takes about five minutes longer and gives you full control over the salt.
How do I keep the sour cream from curdling?
Use full-fat sour cream, turn the heat to low and wait for the sauce to stop bubbling before you add it, and never let it boil afterwards. Stirring a spoonful of the hot sauce into the sour cream first helps too. If it does split slightly, take the pan off the heat and whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons of warm broth.
How much ground beef stroganoff do I need for 100 people?
Plan on about 25 lb of ground beef, 17 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 17 cups each of sour cream and beef broth, 8 lb of mushrooms and 12 1/2 lb of dry egg noodles. Cook it in several batches, add the sour cream to each batch at the end, and keep it at 140°F or above while serving.
How much do I need for 1 lb of ground beef?
For 1 lb of ground beef, use one 10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup, 2/3 cup each of beef broth and sour cream, 6 oz of mushrooms, a small onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and 8 oz of egg noodles. That serves three to four.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt has a similar tang and behaves almost identically at low heat. Use the same amount, add it off the boil, and avoid low-fat yogurt, which splits more easily.
Can I make ground beef stroganoff in a slow cooker?
Yes, but brown the beef, onion and mushrooms on the stove first. Then cook everything except the sour cream on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2, and stir the sour cream in during the last 15 minutes on low.
Can I use golden mushroom soup?
Yes. Golden mushroom soup makes a darker, beefier and less creamy sauce. Swap it can for can and add an extra 1/4 cup of sour cream to bring back some of the creaminess.
Is ground beef stroganoff gluten-free?
Not as written. Most condensed cream of mushroom soups and egg noodles contain wheat. Use a soup labelled gluten-free, or make the from-scratch sauce with cornstarch instead of flour, serve it over gluten-free pasta, rice or mashed potatoes, and check the label on your Worcestershire sauce.
Can you freeze ground beef stroganoff?
Yes, the sauce freezes for up to 3 months. Freeze it without the noodles, and ideally before the sour cream goes in. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, reheat it gently, then stir in fresh sour cream.
Is ground beef stroganoff good for kids?
It is one of the most kid-friendly dinners there is: mild, creamy and with no heat at all. If mushrooms are a problem, chop them very finely so they melt into the sauce.
More Easy Ground Beef and Stroganoff Recipes
If this one is on repeat at your house, these are next.
Brown the beef properly, let the mushrooms turn golden, stir the soup smooth, and add the sour cream only once the pan has stopped bubbling. That is the whole secret, and it takes thirty minutes.
Pin this ground beef stroganoff with cream of mushroom soup so it is there the next time you need dinner on the table fast — and try the stroganoff soup version when the weather turns cold.
