Homemade Hamburger Helper Stroganoff tastes like the boxed dinner, only richer: tender egg noodles and browned ground beef in a creamy, savory mushroom sauce with a tangy swirl of sour cream. It is a one-skillet weeknight dinner that is on the table in about 25 minutes.
How to make Hamburger Helper stroganoff: Soften onion, garlic and mushrooms in butter and oil, brown the ground beef, then stir in Worcestershire, beef stock, cream of mushroom soup and milk. Simmer the egg noodles right in the sauce for about 10 minutes and finish with sour cream off the heat.
Why You’ll Love It
- One skillet: no separate pot for the noodles, and only one pan to wash.
- 25 minutes: five minutes of chopping and a 20-minute cook.
- No box needed: pantry staples make the creamy sauce from scratch.
- Feeds 6: a full pound of beef and a whole bag of noodles.
Ingredient Notes
Lean ground beef: One pound. Lean beef means less grease to drain, but drain whatever collects before the liquid goes in.
Cremini mushrooms: Twelve ounces, sliced. They cook down a lot and give the sauce a deep, earthy flavor. I buy them already sliced on busy nights.
Stock, soup and milk: These three make the sauce and the cooking liquid for the noodles. Beef broth works in place of stock. Use one 10.75-ounce can of condensed soup, undiluted.
Egg noodles: One 12-ounce package, uncooked. Wide egg noodles give you the classic stroganoff texture.
Sour cream: Half a cup, stirred in at the very end for that tangy, creamy stroganoff finish.
Butter and olive oil: A tablespoon of each to soften the vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
- 10.75 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
- 10 fluid ounces milk
- 12 ounces egg noodles (1 package), uncooked
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
How to Make Hamburger Helper Stroganoff
1. Heat the pan. In a large deep skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
2. Soften the vegetables. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until they soften and the onion looks translucent.
3. Brown the beef. Add the ground beef, break it apart as it cooks and brown it until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Drain off any excess grease, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the sauce. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, cream of mushroom soup and milk.
5. Cook the noodles. Add the egg noodles, stirring gently so they are all coated in the liquid. Simmer about 10 minutes, until the noodles are just al dente, tender with a bit of bite.
6. Finish with sour cream. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Cook the Noodles Right in the Sauce
This is the trick that makes it taste like the boxed version. The dry egg noodles go straight into the stock, soup and milk and simmer there, the same way the box has you cook its pasta in the skillet with water and milk. As they cook, the noodles drink up the beefy, creamy liquid, and the sauce thickens around them.
Stir the noodles in gently so every piece is under or coated by the liquid. I give the skillet a gentle stir a couple of times while it simmers, lifting from the bottom.
Taste a noodle at about 10 minutes. You want it tender with a little bite in the center. That is the moment to turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream.
Tips for Success
Why is my stroganoff watery?
The mushrooms still held their water when the liquid went in. Cover the skillet for about 5 minutes once the mushrooms are in so they release their juices, then uncover and cook until most of that moisture has cooked off before adding the beef.
Why is my sauce too thick?
The noodles keep soaking up sauce as it sits. Stir in a little more sour cream to loosen it right before serving.
Variations
- Ground turkey: use lean ground turkey in place of the beef.
- No fresh mushrooms: skip them and let the cream of mushroom soup carry the mushroom flavor.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until hot all the way through, to 165°F. FSIS lists cream sauces among foods that do not freeze well, so keep this one in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with steamed green beans, a simple salad or buttered peas. If you want a from-scratch stroganoff without the canned soup, try ground beef stroganoff or the steak version, homemade beef stroganoff. For more easy ground beef dinners, there is hamburger steaks with onion mushroom gravy, easy hamburger rice casserole and cheesy hamburger potato casserole, and for a slow cooker night, slow cooker Amish beef and noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I add to Hamburger Helper stroganoff to make it better?
Fresh mushrooms, onion and garlic make the biggest difference. A spoonful of Dijon mustard, a pinch of paprika, fresh thyme or a little nutmeg add depth, and hot sauce, red pepper flakes or a handful of shredded cheese are good too.
What’s the difference between Hamburger Helper and beef stroganoff?
Hamburger Helper stroganoff is the boxed shortcut: browned ground beef simmered with dry pasta and a seasoning packet in water and milk. This homemade version builds the same kind of creamy sauce in the skillet and finishes it with sour cream, real mushrooms and onion.
How can I make beef stroganoff that tastes like Hamburger Helper?
Use ground beef instead of steak, and cook the egg noodles right in the creamy sauce in one skillet rather than boiling them separately. That one-pan method gives you the familiar texture.
Final Notes
Taste it after the sour cream goes in, and add salt and pepper then. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Homemade Hamburger Helper Stroganoff
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef stock or beef broth
- 10.75 ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can
- 10 fluid ounces milk
- 12 ounces egg noodles 1 package, uncooked
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- fresh parsley chopped, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until they soften and the onion looks translucent.
- Add the ground beef, break it apart as it cooks and brown it until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Drain off any excess grease, then season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, cream of mushroom soup and milk.
- Add the egg noodles, stirring gently so they are all coated in the liquid. Simmer about 10 minutes, until the noodles are just al dente, tender with a bit of bite.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
