Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff

You don’t need to buy a box of Hamburger Helper Stroganoff, it is so easy to make, and the taste is so much better! Homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff is quick to make with a few simple ingredients. You can eliminate many preservatives when you prepare recipes from scratch.

overhead view of homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff in a skillet


Beef Stroganoff with hamburger

Beef Stroganoff Hamburger helper is quick to make with a few simple ingredients – ground beef, soup mixes, sour cream, and pasta. You can eliminate many preservatives and high sodium when you prepare recipes from scratch.

The untold story about Hamburger Helper

Haven’t we all just taken that red and white box for granted? But, did you know that Hamburger Helper was introduced during a beef crisis? In 1972, a change in the population of anchovies used in animal feed caused beef prices to skyrocket.

Hamburger Helper was launched to help people stretch their beef and their dollars. The box mix paired with just one pound of beef put dinner on the table for America’s families. Read more by clicking here.

Homemade Beef Stroganoff with Hamburger

Now you can make this classic comfort food from your childhood and your college days from scratch in one pot in just thirty minutes. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the pot!

This homemade creamy hamburger helper recipe stretches your food budget, and you get to control what goes into it.

In no time at all, you can prepare a large meal for not a lot of money, and it doesn’t get better than that! Enjoy this quick and delicious hamburger stroganoff recipe, and you won’t go back to the box.

Don’t be afraid to swap out the pasta for noodles that you have on hand. I often use a meal made like this hamburger stroganoff recipe to use up the odd bits of pasta that I have leftover.

Homemade Hamburger Helper Stroganoff ingredients

Here is what you need to make this Beef Stroganoff recipe:

  • Ground Beef – ground chuck is my preferred
  • Lipton Onion Soup Mix
  • Bow Tie Pasta – you can use any type of pasta you have on hand
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup – you can use a store brand if you like, I don’t think paying more here makes much of a difference
  • Sour Cream – I personally love Daisy Sour Cream, and I highly recommend it.
Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff ingredients

How to Make Homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff

  1. Cook ground meat in a large 10-inch skillet that has a lid over medium-high heat. Drain off the fat and return the beef to the skillet.
  2. Add the onion soup mix, hot water, and mushroom soup. Mix well and bring to a boil.
browned ground beef and sauce for homemade Hamburger helper beef Stroganoff in a pan
  1. Add the bow tie pasta and bring it back to a boil.
uncooked bowtie pasta and Stroganoff sauce in a skillet
  1. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
  2. You can garnish with chopped green onions or chopped parsley if desired.
Beef Stroganoff made with bowtie pasta in a skillet

Ideas for changing this Hamburger Helper Beef Pasta – you can add your own twist

This beef stroganoff recipe is very flexible, and I’m sure you’ll find ways to customize it to your preferences. Here are a few ideas to get you started making your own fresh twist to this basic recipe.

  • For a heartier dinner, you can go up to 2 pounds of lean ground beef.
  • Instead of using hot water, you could swap the water for beef broth, this will give you more flavor, but it will have a higher sodium count.
  • If you really like mushrooms, add a couple of small cans of them.
  • Switch the mushroom soup with a roasted garlic variety of mushroom soup.
  • To make a more complete meal, add some fresh broccoli or other vegetables. You can definitely hide vegetables that your kids will eat in this recipe.
  • If you want a cheesy dish, use cheese instead of sour cream. Throw in some diced tomatoes and really enjoy something nice!
  • Want to dial up the flavor, consider adding a couple of teaspoons of dijon mustard to the sauce mix.
  • Add a chopped bell pepper when you add the noodles.
  • Instead of using water, you can use beef stock
homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff in a skillet

Frequently asked questions

Can I use cream instead of sour cream in stroganoff?

You can swap the sour cream for heavy cream or even creme frache. The consistency will be creamier without the characteristic tang of sour cream.

Can I use a different shape of pasta than farfalle?

You can use any shape of pasta you desire, you could swap the pasta for egg noodles, a gluten-free or grain-based pasta if you desire.

Storing, freezing, and reheating leftovers of Hamburger Helper Stroganoff

  • Store – store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze – store in an airtight container in your freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat – this can be easily reheated when covered in the microwave. You may want to stir in a small amount of sour cream, as the pasta will absorb some of the sauce when it is stored.

What to serve with Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff?

This is a very versatile dish! The flavors of this blend with so many things! I personally love to serve this dish with a salad, or sometimes I saute some yellow summer squash, or I sometimes serve this with some green beans.

Easy Ground Beef Dinner Recipes

More Budget-Friendly Recipes

Be sure to check out more of my copycat food recipes and budget-friendly meals.

Thanks to Maclll for sharing this recipe.

overhead view of homemade Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff in a skillet

Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff

You can make a flavorful stovetop casserole like Hamburger Helper.
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Casserole Recipes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 576kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
  • 4 1/2 cups water
  • 1 pound bow tie pasta
  • 10 ounces cream of mushroom soup
  • 3/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the meat is browned drain fat.
  •  Add the onion soup mix, water, and mushroom soup. Mix well and bring to a boil.
  • Addthe bow tie pasta and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high,cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
  • Take off the heat and gently stir in the sour cream.

Video

Notes

Enjoy this quick and delicious version and you won’t go back to the box.
If you would like to make more of a meal out of this, add some fresh broccoli or other vegetables.
If you want a cheesy dish to use cheese instead of the sour cream. Throw in some diced tomatoes and really enjoy something nice!

Nutrition

Calories: 576kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 957mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2.9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dana

    4 stars
    Made this tonight for dinner. I followed the other comment about adding sliced mushrooms while the ground beef was cooking. I only added 8 oz because that is what the store had. I also added a teaspoon of crushed garlic (probably would have added more, but was out), onion power, and lots of pepper. I also added Worcestershire sauce (about two tablespoons), paprika (maybe a teaspoon) and some Louisiana hot sauce (maybe a tablespoon). I once heard that when every you feel like a recipe is missing something, add paprika. My worry was the recipe being flat and gummy. With these additions, it came out great. My husband even said I should make it more often.

  2. Renee

    I made this using 16 oz of sliced white mushrooms. I added them to the ground beef when it was nearly cooked. The liquid from the mushrooms allowed me to eliminate all of the water. The consistency was just right.

  3. Mar Cia

    5 stars
    This was very yummy! I used wide egg noodles, beef broth in place of water and a brown gravy pack instead of the onion soup pack along with the can of mushroom soup. I used salt, pepper and som garlic powder. It turned out great. The sour cream adds a nice creamy touch.

  4. Tammy Barnett

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and tried to make it healthier with using lean ground chicken, fiber rich pasta, low fat mushroom soup, and reduced fat sour cream. With one packet of the beefy onion soup mix it seemed very bland to me, so I added the second pouch of seasoning mix then noticed between the two packets it totaled 600% of your daily value of salt. To me, this outweighs the benefits of making it yourself with healthier ingredients. It was good but I’m not sure if I’ll make it again. I will probably make my own seasoning mix next time and use low sodium beef broth. Good recipe though in general. My husband really loved it.

  5. Courtney

    You can easily and cheaply replace the cream of (whatever) soups in most recipes by making a white sauce instead. This allows you to control the fat & sodium as well as adjusting for dairy issues.

    The ratio is 1 T butter to 1 T flour to 1 cup milk. Double the amounts if you are replacing a whole can of soup. Melt the butter in a skillet over med-low heat and stir in flour until combined. Add the milk and stir constantly with a whisk to remove lumps. Keep stirring intermittently until the sauce thickens. Add salt & pepper to taste. Set aside and add to your casserole in place of your cream soup. If you miss the mushrooms, you can saute some in a little more butter and add it to the sauce. You can also add things like garlic powder & onion powder if you like them.

    If you can’t eat dairy use oil or dairy-free margarine and substitute unsweetened & unflavored soymilk. (If you use soy milk, add a pinch of nutmeg to cut the soy flavor.)

    • Shannon

      A normal can of cream of soup is only 10.5 oz…2 cups of milk for the cream sauce recipe that you provide is 16 oz while 1 cup would be 8oz… just thinking of fat and sodium content here, so maybe 1.5 tables butter, 1.5 tablespoon flour and 1.5 cups milk would be more equivalent to the can of soup? That would be 12 oz of cream sauce… Much closer to 10.5 oz that this recipe calls for, and also less fat and sodium. Hope this helps.

  6. madeleine

    i didnt really care for this recipe. it took quite a while for the pasta to cook and it seemed like if there was more liquid, it probably would have cooked faster. and the taste was just ok. i taste like it WAS out of a box.

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