Easy Beef Stroganoff

A fast and wholesome easy beef stroganoff that you can whip up in 30 minutes to serve a hungry family. Don’t reach for the frozen pizza! Grab some ground beef instead. A cook from scratch version of this dish that’s straight forward and customizable. 

Did you grow up having Hamburger Helper for supper?  In my childhood home, fast yet fairly wholesome was the name of the game in the middle of summer. Heck, fast and wholesome was the only type of meal we had unless it was the dead of winter. Because in every other season, we were busy bodies. Seriously, most of the time I don’t think we ate before 8:30 PM if not 9:00 PM. Beef stroganoff wasn’t something made a whole lot during my childhood, but when I figured out this recipe, I wondered why not! It’s essentially the cleaner version of a Hamburger Helper. 

Beef stroganoff is one of those comfort foods that just makes you happy. Beef, pasta, sauce, and cheese. What’s not to love? But if you type in “beef stroganoff” looking for a recipe for your family, you’re likely going to get a conglomerate of detailed recipes all varying a little bit that honestly you might not have all the ingredients for. If you’re looking for a complex recipe that will end up looking like restaurant quality, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re in the wrong place. If you’re on a budget and looking for an easy and wholesome meal for your family that you can likely make with ingredients you already have at home, I’ve got you covered!

The key ingredient: beef

Many times, beef stroganoff is made using some kind of steak cut into cubes or strips. If that’s your preference, go right ahead! However, ground beef is not only inexpensive for families on a budget, but it’s very quick to brown up in the pan.

The important thing is to just have your meat thawed before you go to start making the meal. If you choose to use steak cut into strips or cubes, I recommend cutting it prior to cooking as this will help decrease cook time. 

Customize it!

As I mentioned before, this is a very basic beef stroganoff recipe. But because it’s simple, it’s easily customizable! Maybe you really like mushrooms in your beef stroganoff. Great! Sauté them how you like and add them to the dish. Maybe you’re not as big of a fan of onions in your dish. Awesome! Add onion powder if you still like the flavor or just leave them out. Basically, if there’s a special way you like your beef stroganoff, you should be able to adapt this recipe to work for you. Have fun with it! I would love to know how you changed it up down in the comments!

How to make Easy Beef Stroganoff

If you’re using ground beef, go ahead and brow it in your skillet along with your chopped onion. Personally, I prefer cast iron but that’s definitely not necessary. If beef steak is what you have on hand, go ahead and cut the steak into your preference of either cubes or strips and sauté them along with the chopped onion.

While your beef is cooking, cook your egg noodles. I typically choose the medium size noodles as they cook well and aren’t too large or small on your plate. Perfect for kids and adults alike.

Once your beef is cooked accordingly, add a mixture of milk and either corn starch or flour. Corn starch and flour act as thickeners. Add any other seasonings you desire as this time such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. Keeping the pan on medium to medium/high heat, stir often to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan. Watch until the mixture starts to thicken.

Strain the cooked egg noodles. Add the noodles to the beefy sauce mixture and stir. If you prefer your noodles served separately from the beefy sauce mixture, plate them and top with the beef mixture. 

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Enjoy!

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