Beef stroganoff is hearty, delicious, comfort food that can be made as simple or gourmet as you like. This recipe is for an easy beef stroganoff with ground beef made fancy by serving in French crepes.

beef stroganoff crepes on a dish, topped with sour cream with a side of salad

Some recipes are family heirlooms, handed down over the years. Others are inspired personal creations and you can claim all the bragging rights. Then there are those recipes that are picked up along the way randomly. Like in 7th grade Home Ec. This is one of those.

This recipe is for beef stroganoff with ground beef (hamburger) and it is ridiculously simple to make. The crepes are easy too, and you can see my post HERE on how to make them.

Simple as this recipe is, I will never stop making it. These Beef Stroganoff Crepes remain to this day one of my all-time favorite dishes.

a fork holding a bite-sized piece of filled crepe

What is beef stroganoff?

Beef Stroganoff is a classic Russian dish with sautéed bits of beef with sour cream. That is the origin, but stroganoff’s popularity spread and now this dish is made all kinds of ways everywhere.

In America, beef stroganoff is usually bits of beef and sour cream, same as Russian tradition, but we add mushrooms and onion and serve over noddles. In the UK and Australia, they do the same but serve over rice.

chopped mushrooms on a white board — Cooking chopped mushrooms with the ground beef adds to the ease of this recipe.

Ingredients for easy beef stroganoff

You are going to hear me say easy a lot, because I want to Drive That Home. This is a ridiculously easy recipe, which explains why they taught it to us in middle school Home Ec class).

Ground beef. I have used 80% up to 93% varieties of ground beef, and they all work. Just be sure to drain the fat off well.
Onion. White or yellow onions are fine. Substitute dried minced onion if a regular onion is not available. Vidalia or red onion are not recommended for this recipe.
Garlic. Just one clove, but garlic powder may be used instead.
Mushrooms. Fresh mushrooms are recommended and are a key umami flavor in this dish.
Seasonings. Salt, pepper, and paprika.
Condensed cream of mushroom soup. The undisputed king of easy recipes.
Reduced fat sour cream. Regular sour cream can be substituted; however, I prefer the lighter, looser consistency of reduced fat sour cream in this recipe.
Chives. The extra touch of green makes even the simplest of dishes feel special.
Savory Crepes.

In the US, you can find crepes in grocery stores (in the produce section by the shortcake in my grocery store), but these are often sweetened and meant for dessert crepes.

Savory crepes use an unsweetened batter. See my post How to Make Savory Crepes for a tutorial with no special equipment needed. Just a small skillet.

sour cream on ground beef — Sour cream finishes the stroganoff.

How to prepare beef stroganoff with ground beef

First, procure or make your Savory Crepes. Set them aside, and you do not need to worry about keeping them warm while you made the stroganoff.

Cook the beef, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. In creating recipes, I almost always cook mushrooms separately to brown them well, then add to the rest of the dish, and so this recipe here is an exception to my own rule. It is not needed. This adds to the simplicity of this as an easy beef stroganoff.

Next we add the seasonings and condensed soup. After a 5 minute simmer, taste for seasoning, especially salt.

I have listed 1/2 teaspoon salt in the recipe card, but I add more when I make this recipe myself. I am a heavy salter though, and not everyone is in that camp. So start lower, and you can always add more if you like.

Add the sour cream. The stroganoff is finished at this point.

wooden spatula stirring stroganoff — The finished beef stroganoff, made with ground beef.

Different ways to serve beef stroganoff

Not up for making crepes? No problem, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy this delicious dish. My recipe is intended as filling for crepes, so it is thicker in consistency. Therefore, I do recommend adding a little beef stock to thin this recipe out a touch if you are serving it over noodles and such.

Over buttered egg noddles.
With mashed potatoes.
Over rice.
In popovers or Yorkshire pudding.
In Pepperidge Farm puffed pastry cups.
Straight from the pan with a spoon. Because this is THAT good.

Be sure to include crusty bread too.

collage of 2 photos: left, beef stroganoff; right, stroganoff divided into portions in a skillet — Use a spoon or spatula to dive the mixture into portions to ensure there is filling for each crepe.

Can this recipe be made in advance?

The beef stroganoff and the savory crepes can both be made a day in advance. Store separately, then when ready: assemble, bake, and serve. While these crepes reheat very well, they won’t have that bit of crispy edges that I like as when they are freshly baked.

Can stroganoff be frozen?

Yes, the beef stroganoff can be frozen in an airtight container, then thawed and reheated. This is the beauty of making stroganoff with hamburger meat, because the meat is not going to get tough. I recommend putting a layer of plastic on the top of the mixture to prevent freezer burn.

Are there meat substitutions for the ground beef?

Sure! You can use ground turkey or chicken as a replacement for the beef.

collage of 2 photos: left, filling on a crepe; right, rolled up crepe — Roughly 2 heaping tablespoons of stroganoff fills each crepe.

Last tips

A nonstick skillet is recommended, but not required. If using a regular skillet, you may need to add a little oil to prevent the meat from burning to the pan.

Using a spoon or spatula to divide the stroganoff into sections can help ensure you have enough filling to fill all the crepes.

Taste for seasoning, especially salt. I am heavy handed with salt but I reduced the amount in the recipe card because not everyone loves salt like me.

If serving this stroganoff over noodles or rice instead of in crepes, I recommend adding a bit of beef stock to loosen it up.

close view of 3 crepes to show ground beef filling

Looking for more easy dinner ideas