This healthier version of Beef Stroganoff is made easy in one pot and packed with extra veggies for a nutritious twist on a classic dish.
This is a great meal prep option, because you can make a big batch, freeze leftovers, and reheat them for a quick dinner. This dish has it all – tender beef, fresh veg and a creamy sauce!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One-pot wonder: Everything cooks in a single pot, so cleanup is a total breeze!
- Lighter comfort food: This dish has all the creamy and savoury flavours of classic Beef Stroganoff, but made with healthier ingredients.
- Quick & easy: Ready in just 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights.
- Freezer-friendly: Make a big batch and store leftovers for easy meal prep.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – Any neutral oil like avocado oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil will work.
- Yellow onion – White onions or shallots are a good alternative to yellow onion in this recipe.
- Garlic – You can use fresh or jarred minced garlic.
- Mushrooms – Mushrooms are a key ingredient in stroganoff but the kind of mushrooms you use is up to you (cremini, portobello, baby portabella or mixed mushrooms).
- Red wine – Pick any dry red wine of your choice (a dry white wine also works), or you can leave the wine out altogether.
- Carrots, celery & red pepper – feel free to use any vegetables you’d like.
- Ground beef – For a more meaty effect you can use steak pieces or rib eye. You can also use ground turkey in place of the beef, or leave the meat out altogether for a veggie stroganoff.
- Flour – Cornstarch can be used to coat the beef and thicken the mixture as well. You don’t need flour or cornstarch, but it does make the sauce thicker.
- Beef broth – Beef broth will compliment the flavours of the beef used but you can use chicken or vegetable broth.
- Egg noodles – Feel free to substitute the egg noodles for other pastas.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt is a great alternative for sour cream in this dish.
- Fresh spinach – I recommend spinach but any other leafy green will also work.
How to make healthy beef stroganoff
Step 1: Cook egg noodles.
Cook the noodles according your package instruction.
Step 2: Cook the veggies.
Sauté onions and garlic, then add mushrooms, carrots, and celery.
Step 3: Toss in the meat.
Add ground beef and cook until browned.
Step 4: Add wine and flour.
Stir in red wine, salt, pepper, and flour.
Step 5: Pour in broth and noodles.
Add the beef stock and cooked noodles.
Step 6: Finish and serve.
Stir in sour cream, red pepper, and spinach. Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and variations
You’ll love this! It’s super easy and totally customizable and just perfect for meal prep. Here are some ways to make it your own!
- Use lean ground beef: Opt for extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey for a lighter version.
- Don’t overcook the pasta: Since everything cooks in one pot, check the pasta early to avoid mushiness.
- Make it extra creamy: Stir in a little Greek yogurt or light cream cheese at the end for an ultra-creamy texture.
- Go low-carb: Replace pasta with zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or spaghetti squash for a keto-friendly option.
- Use your slow cooker: Follow the instructions for this Crockpot Beef Stroganoff recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Is beef stroganoff healthy?
Beef stroganoff by itself isn’t the healthiest meal, but it can made healthier quite easily by adding in extra veggies, using a leaner cut of beef and cutting back on the sour cream as I’ve done in this recipe. Ultimately, the extra veggies add a ton of flavour and also make this dish a whole meal where you don’t need to serve a salad or other veggies on the side to round it out.
How can I prevent the sour cream from curdling in the sauce?
To avoid curdling, remove the pan from heat before stirring in the sour cream.
Can I make this beef stroganoff gluten-free?
Absolutely! You just need to use gluten-free pasta and thickening agents like cornstarch instead of flour.
What to serve with this dish
You’ll want a side dish that complements the rich stroganoff flavours while keeping the meal balanced. Here are some ideas:
- Whole grain crusty bread or toasted bread to soak up any extra sauce.
- A simple green salad with a light vinaigrette.
- Roasted vegetables like asparagus or broccoli.
How to store and reheat
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, or microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through.
Freeze & reheat from frozen: Freeze without the sour cream for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stovetop, and stir in the sour cream just before serving.
More comfort food meals
Meal prep tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this up for lunch.
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box.
- These foil containers are great for freezing individual servings of meals.
Healthy Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 340 g egg noodles
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion or 2 shallots, diced Go with shallots for a richer flavour if you have some on hand
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb chopped mushrooms
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add package of egg noodles and boil for 4-5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Noodles should be al dente.
- Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a large pot. Add onions (or shallots) and garlic, sautéing for 1 min until fragrant. Add mushrooms, carrots and celery, cooking for 3-4 min until mushrooms start to release liquid and veggies are tender.
- NOTE: You can stir in red peppers at this point along with the other veggies if you like a softer texture, but I like mine to be very tender-crisp and I find they get overcooked for my taste unless added in at the very end. Keep in mind they will continue to cook as they sit in the hot mixture, and when you reheat leftovers.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned (about 5 minutes), then add red wine, salt & pepper and flour, tossing to combine.
- Add beef stock and cooked noodles, bringing to a boil and cooking for 1-2 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Stir in sour cream, red pepper and spinach, then remove from heat. Serve and enjoy! Leftovers will last in the fridge up to 5 days – I recommend sprinkling some water overtop before reheating.
- FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Freeze leftovers in individual portion sizes in glass bowls or foil containers. Make sure to sprinkle some water overtop before reheating. If using foil, reheat in 375F oven for 40-45 min. If using glass bowls, reheat in microwave on high for 5-6 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Video
Comments & Reviews
Star says
Can we substitute something else for the Red Wine? I have Red Wine vinegar.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Star – definitely do NOT use red wine vinegar as it’s very different and will make the recipe very vinegary. You can use white wine instead of red, or just leave it out altogether. Hope that helps!
Courtney says
How much is “one serving” from the nutrition label?
Taylor Stinson says
You will need to divide the recipe into six portions and each one is a serving. Unfortunately I can’t provide serving size by specific measurement.
Paulette N. says
This looks great, and I want to prepare the dish. However, the sodium is really high. Is there any way this can be made diabetic and high blood pressure friendly? Thank you.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Paulette – you could try cutting out the salt entirely as the broth may be enough! I’m not specialized in making any recipe diabetic-friendly but that is one way to reduce the sodium level. Hope that helps!
Dina says
I made this for Sunday dinner. I want to stress the outcome
Is really a homemade Hamburger Helper tasting meal, rather than beef stroganoff. The ground beef and added veggies took away from the quintessential stroganoff taste. It wasn’t what I expected. It tasted fine. My brother had two helpings, just know that it’s more Hamburger Helper tasting than anything.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Dina – I definitely mentioned in the blog post that this is reminiscent of the Hamburger Helper version of beef stroganoff. I know it’s not necessarily the traditional version but hopefully still tasty, sounds like your brother loved it 🙂
Dina says
Oh yes he gobbled it down. No complaints at all. I just wanted to provide a review from a reader who prepared it so others aren’t preparing this delicious meal with classic stroganoff in mind and possibly feel let down. My mistake – you did in fact make reference to Hamburger Helper. . I admire you – sharing your recipes for ppl to critique. Keep up the good work.
Taylor Stinson says
Aww thank you so much Dina – I really appreciate your kind words and definitely love all comments 🙂 So happy you guys enjoyed!
Dina says
You know what, I redact anything negative I posted. Because I just warmed this up after being in the fridge for 2 days – and guess who had two helpings? Yours truly! It’s delicious dear. Definitely a dish that gets better and better.
Taylor Stinson says
Hahahah you are so sweet Dina – so happy you liked it so much!!! That makes my day! 🙂
Anna says
Hi! This recipe looks so delicious!! My boyfriend is kosher, so we try not to eat dairy and meat together. Any suggestions for how to make this without the sour cream/greek yogurt? Should I just look for DF versions or could the cream be skipped altogether?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Anna! You could try leaving out the dairy altogether, it would still probably taste pretty good without it 🙂
Jenna says
Hello! Could this be made with ground turkey and turkey or chicken broth?
Excited to try but we do not eat beef!
Taylor Stinson says
Yes you could for sure!