Meatball Stroganoff Sauce
This creamy meatball stroganoff sauce with juicy meatballs, brown mushrooms, and a tangy sour cream gravy is a hearty and flavorful meal. Make this quick and easy midweek dinner in under 30 minutes and serve it with your favorite pasta or rice for a comforting dish the whole family will enjoy.
Juicy meatballs seasoned with classic Italian herbs and spices offer a hearty twist to the classic beef stroganoff or my shrimp stroganoff. The creamy mushroom sauce with fresh sour cream works incredibly well with the meatballs – easy comfort food at its best!
Serve the creamy meatball stroganoff sauce with homemade pappardelle pasta, rice, mashed or stewed potatoes for a complete meal. Add frozen peas, cooked broccoli, or baby spinach to the sauce for some extra veg and color.
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Creamy Meatball Stroganoff
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
- 1 egg medium-sized
- 1/4 cup white breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ground
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Stroganoff Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion medium-sized, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 lb brown mushrooms sliced (1/4-inch)
- black pepper ground
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock or lamb stock
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground meat, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, oregano, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well to form a cohesive mixture. Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.1 lb ground beef, 1 egg, 1/4 cup white breadcrumbs, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp ground paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned for 4-5 minutes on both sides. Remove meatballs from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.1 tbsp olive oil
- In the same pan (with the remaining pan juices), add butter and melt over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and sliced mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Season with black pepper.1 tbsp butter, 1 yellow onion, 1/2 lb brown mushrooms, black pepper
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the lamb stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Reduce the heat to low and stir in Dijon mustard and sour cream. Season with salt to taste.2 tbsp flour, 1 1/2 cups beef stock, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup sour cream, salt
- Return the cooked meatballs to the pan and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately over egg ribbon noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thyme, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Ground meat: Organic, grass-fed ground lamb, ground beef, or even a mixture of both work well.
- Brown mushrooms: You can use other mushroom varieties incl. white mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and even oyster or shiitake mushrooms would work well.
- Sour cream: Plain Greek yogurt or créme fraîche can be used as an alternative for sour cream. Alternatively, you can make it with heavy cream which I use in my shrimp stroganoff for a richer flavor.
- Stock: Beef stock adds extra flavor but you can also use homemade lamb stock.
- White breadcrumbs: Wholemeal or panko breadcrumbs will work as well.
- Fresh garlic: You can use 1/2 tsp of ground garlic instead.
- Herbs: I use dried herbs for convenience but you can opt for fresh herbs instead. Simply triple the quantity if you’re using fresh herbs.
Step-by-step: meatball stroganoff
1. Combine all meatball ingredients in a bowl and roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
2. Fry the meatballs on both sides in olive oil for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Remove them with a slotted spoon.
3. Sautée the vegetables in the leftover juices and butter for 5-7 minutes on medium heat until softened.
4. Mix in the flour to create a roux which creates the base of the mushroom gravy.
5. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream and mustard.
6. Add the cooked meatballs to the stroganoff sauce and serve immediately.
My 3 top stroganoff tips
- Internal temp: For beef meatballs, the safe internal temperature is 160 F (71C). Use a digital thermometer to check if you’re unsure.
- Sauce consistency: If your stroganoff sauce becomes too thick, loosen it by stirring in some reserved pasta water or extra stock.
- Speed up prep: For a faster meatball stroganoff, use frozen sliced mushrooms, onion powder, and garlic powder instead of fresh.
Delicious meal, my kids loved it!