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This healthy ground beef stroganoff recipe is made with mushrooms, and egg noodles in very light, creamy sauce without any sour cream or cream cheese. It’s a favorite 30 minute meal and an extremely popular recipe with my readers.
Originally featured in my cookbook, The Dizzy Cook, this recipe became a fan favorite. By using goat cheese, and no canned cream of mushroom soup, the creamy sauce also fits a low sodium diet.
Even without using sour cream or cream cheese, this ground beef stroganoff is easy and comforting. Similar to my healthy beef enchiladas, we keep all the flavor!
Why Make This Recipe?
This healthy ground beef stroganoff is not only a lighter version of the traditional, but will fit all kinds of diets! Most traditional recipes call for sour cream, and “healthy” versions will just have you use light sour cream or substitute with yogurt.
The issue with substituting yogurt or cottage cheese in beef stroganoff is the sauce can become grainy if it’s heated too high – with this recipe you still get great flavor and a smooth, creamy texture. You’ll also love it because it’s:
- Fast – This recipe uses ground beef so it’s ready in under 30 minutes and easy to make.
- Family friendly – Kids love pasta and ground meat in a creamy sauce.
- Lightened up beef stroganoff – This recipe is low sodium, low histamine, migraine diet friendly, and gluten free. It’s also made from scratch without using any canned soups as a base.
- Smarter swaps – We use Mediterranean diet swaps like olive oil instead of butter, broth as a sauce base instead of heavy cream or cream cheese, and lots of vegetables for flavor!
If you wanted to make this recipe Weight Watchers compliant, use reduced fat ground beef and milk for lower point dinner.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – I used 90/10 for this recipe, but because there’s also a creamy sauce included, you could go 93/7 for a fat ratio. Ground bison would work here too.
- Shallots – Provide a light onion and garlic flavor.
- Olive oil – We use olive oil in this recipe instead of butter.
- Fresh mushrooms – Cremini or button mushrooms are favored for this recipe.
- Flour – Needed to thicken the sauce. Use arrowroot powder or cornstarch for a gluten free alternative.
- Egg noodles – Wide egg noodles are recommended, and use Manischewitz for lower sodium and gluten free options.
- Vegetable broth – I like to use Trader Joe’s Hearty Vegetable broth, but for low sodium I’ll do a homemade broth.
- Milk – Whole milk will have the best flavor here, but reduced fat also works. Or you can use your favorite milk substitute.
- Goat cheese – It sounds so weird, but I promise it works! Not only is it tangy like sour cream, but it gives a creamy texture to the sauce.
- Thyme – Dried thyme leaves are used to add depth of flavor, but make sure to use leaves and not ground thyme, which will have a much stronger flavor in this amount.
Substitutions & Edits
- Vegetarian – Make this vegetarian by doubling the mushrooms and omitting the beef.
- Ground beef – Can be substituted with ground chicken or turkey, but be aware you’re sacrificing the original flavor.
- Broth – Beef broth, vegetable broth, and chicken broth all work, although do change the flavor a bit. I recommend Butcher’s for beef broth or homemade.
- Thyme – I also really enjoy rosemary here if you have that on hand, or you can omit entirely.
- Gluten free – Use gluten free egg noodles like Manischewitz.
- Low sodium – Manischewitz also makes low sodium egg noodles and omit any added sodium suggestions. Also use a homemade or low sodium broth.
How to Make Beef Stroganoff without Sour Cream
Step 1: Cook the noodles
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Brown the meat
Meanwhile, warm 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook the meat until browned, about 7 minutes. Then drain any excess fat with a paper towel. Set aside.
Step 3: Make the sauce
In the same skillet, warm another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, stirring for one minute until fragrant and softened. Then add the mushrooms – cooking them for about 3 minutes till nicely browned. Coat them in the flour, then stir in broth and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
Simmer until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally which will take about 8 minutes. Add in the ground beef, milk, goat cheese, and thyme, till fully combined. Either stir in the egg noodles or serve the mixture on top.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge – This recipe keeps well for 2-3 days in the fridge. The noodles do tend to soak up the sauce, so either adding a splash of milk before re-heating or keeping the noodles and sauce separated helps.
Freezer – Freeze this for up to 3-4 months in a freezer bag or container. De-frost overnight in the fridge or in warm water. Or you can place in a small casserole dish, covered with foil, and reheat in the oven at 300 degrees F for roughly 30 minutes (time may vary depending on how deep the dish is), or about 10-25 minutes if defrosted.
Serving Suggestions
This ground beef stroganoff is really a full meal in one. But if you’d like to add more vegetables as a side, here are a few suggestions.
- Apple Fennel Salad
- Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
- Mashed Cauliflower (can replace the egg noodles)
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes (also a good base)
- Pear Arugula Salad
- Bang Bang Brussels Sprouts
Recipe FAQ
Yes, this recipe works well with all types of ground beef, bison, ground chicken and ground turkey. You can also leave out the meat entirely and double the mushrooms for a vegetarian meal.
For a milder flavor, you can use cream cheese. This can also be substituted with yogurt or sour cream, like the traditional stroganoff recipe.
In a medium pan, pour in the stroganoff and add another 1 ounce of cheese and an extra splash of broth or milk (about 1/4 cup). Stir until heated through. Keep adding more broth or milk till your desired sauce is reached.
Ground Beef Recipes
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Baked Sheet Pan Beef Quesadillas
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Healthy Ground Beef Stroganoff (No Sour Cream)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg noodles*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour*
- 2 cups beef, chicken or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3 ounches fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add egg noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile warm 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and use a wood spoon to break it apart into smaller pieces, cooking till brown – about 7 minutes. Transfer the ground beef to a separate plate with a paper towel to soak up the excess fat.
- In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, stirring often for 1 minute. Then stir in the mushrooms and stir occasionally, allowing them to brown on both sides for about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir till it coats the mushroom mixture. Add in the broth and bring to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring often. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add in cooked beef, milk, goat cheese, and stir. Season with dried thyme leaves, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Top with chopped parsley and spoon over the egg noodles, or mix them directly into the sauce.
Notes
- If the sauce is thin, it either needs longer to simmer or you can add more flour, stirring well till it’s smooth. This is best done before you add the noodles.
- For gluten free, use gluten free egg noodles and substitute the all purpose flour with gluten free, arrowroot powder or cornstarch.
- For low sodium, use low sodium egg noodles and broth, omit added salt. The recipe calculation does not contain these so you can get it ever lower with these changes.
- For vegetarian – omit the ground beef and use 2x the mushrooms.
- Calorie count uses 93% lean ground beef, but any favorite ground beef will work. This is a 9 point meal on Weight Watchers (with 1/2 cup egg noodles).
- Goat cheese can be substituted with cream cheese, or sour cream and yogurt if not in elimination.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe that the whole family enjoyed!
Great recipe that the whole family enjoyed!
I substituted Boursin cheese for the goat cheese and it was excellent! Loved this recipe! I have been missing a Stroganoff recipe since I have been following the HYH diet. This was a good substitute. I used the homemade vegetable stock from your cookbook. I doubled the recipe since I like having leftovers so I can have a day off of cooking. I will definitely be adding this to the rotation! Thank you so much for all of the great HYH recipes. You have made it so much easier to follow this diet!
Oh smart! Will have to try that sub sometime. Thank you!
Oh my, yummy! My husband is not always a big fan of the “healthy” meals I’m making these days but he went back for seconds with this one (and so did I). Great recipe!
I’m glad you all liked it!!
We love this recipe and make it often! It’s such a quick, yet delicious recipe! You won’t be disappointed! Try it!
Have loved this recipe since the cookbook!