Ground Beef
$2.37per plate
Prep
10 min
Ground Beef · Ground Beef Stroganoff
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Classic beef stroganoff uses pricey strips of steak, but a pound of ground beef gets you the same creamy, mushroom-rich sauce for a fraction of the cost. This hamburger version simmers browned beef and mushrooms in a savory sauce finished with sour cream, all spooned over egg noodles, and feeds six for about $1.71 a plate. It is a one-skillet weeknight dinner that tastes like it took a lot longer than 35 minutes.
$1.71per plate
Estimated recipe total
$10.29 · serves 6
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Serves
6
1 How to make it
1
Boil the noodles
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles according to the package. Drain and set aside, tossing with a little of the butter so they do not stick while you build the sauce.
2
Brown the beef
Melt the rest of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the ground beef with the onion and cook 6 to 7 minutes, breaking up the meat, until browned and the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook 4 to 5 more minutes until the mushrooms release their liquid and start to brown. Drain excess fat if there is a lot.
3
Make the sauce
Sprinkle the flour over the beef and mushrooms and stir for a minute to cook off the raw taste. Slowly pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
4
Finish with sour cream
Lower the heat and stir in the sour cream until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Do not let it boil after this, or the sour cream can curdle. Season with the salt and pepper, then serve the sauce over the noodles or stir the noodles right into the pan.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey for beef. Turkey makes a lighter stroganoff and can be cheaper some weeks. Add a little extra butter or oil since it is leaner than 80/20 beef.
- Plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. An equal amount of plain Greek yogurt stirred in off the heat gives the same tang for less, and is often already in the fridge.
- Cream of mushroom soup for the sauce. A can of cream of mushroom plus a splash of broth can replace the flour, broth, and sour cream if you want the classic shortcut version. Skip the extra salt, since canned soup is salty on its own.
- Rice or mashed potatoes for noodles. Spoon the stroganoff over a pot of cheap rice or mashed potatoes instead of egg noodles. Both soak up the sauce and can cost even less than the noodles.
3 Budget tips
- A pound of ground beef stretches across six creamy servings here because the noodles and mushrooms do half the work of filling the plate.
- Mushrooms are the priciest add-on after the beef. Buy the 8 oz package when it is on sale, or leave them out for a plain beef stroganoff that still tastes rich from the sour cream sauce.
- Store-brand egg noodles cost a fraction of the name brand and cook up exactly the same. The same goes for a tub of store-brand sour cream.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store the sauce and noodles together, since the noodles soak up the sauce and taste even better the next day.
Freezer
The beef and mushroom sauce freezes well for up to 3 months, though the sour cream can separate slightly on thawing. Freeze the sauce without the noodles, then reheat gently and cook fresh noodles when you serve it.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low, stirring in a splash of broth or milk to loosen the sauce. Keep the heat low so the sour cream does not curdle, and warm just until steaming.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
360
Protein
19g
Fat
16g
Carbs
35g
Estimates per serving over noodles, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
What is ground beef stroganoff?
It is a budget take on classic beef stroganoff that swaps expensive steak strips for a pound of ground beef. The beef simmers with mushrooms in a savory sauce finished with sour cream, all served over egg noodles, for the same creamy flavor at a fraction of the cost.
How do you keep the sour cream from curdling?
Lower the heat before you stir it in and do not let the sauce boil afterward. High heat is what makes sour cream separate, so add it at the end and keep the pan at a gentle warm, not a simmer.
Can I make ground beef stroganoff without mushrooms?
Yes. Leave them out for a plain beef stroganoff that is still creamy and rich from the sour cream sauce. It also drops the cost by about two dollars a batch.
How is the price per plate figured?
About $10.29 for the whole skillet plus noodles, split across six servings, which is roughly $1.71 each. The pound of beef and the mushrooms are the biggest costs, so a sale on either moves the number the most.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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