Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff is the perfect easy weeknight family meal. The whole family will love this kid-friendly dinner recipe.

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

For years I only used my slow cooker for cocktail meatballs and pulled pork, now it’s become my go-to for easy dinner recipes for family. As a busy mom of three, these easy crock pot recipes make dinner time stress free. This Beef Stroganoff is so easy to make in the crockpot and if your mornings are on the busy side, you can save even more time by taking 10 minutes the night before and prepping and measuring the ingredients.

Don’t spend an hour in the kitchen, let the crock pot do all of the cooking! To save on time in the morning, prep the slow cooker ground beef stroganoff the night before by browning the meat and adding the rest of the ingredients to a bowl or ziplock bag. In the morning, dump the ingredients into the crockpot and set on low for 4-6 hours.

How to make Beef Stroganoff in a crock pot:

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

  • 2 lbs cubed beef stew meat or 4 cups of ground beef
  • 2 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 packet of onion soup mix
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • egg noodles

  • In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, drain. Add all ingredient except egg noodles into the crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. With a few minutes left, cook the egg noddles. Serve over egg noodles.

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, drain & let it cool. Add all ingredients except egg noodles in a gallon size freezer bag. Zip close and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

Jump to Recipe

This Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff recipe could not be any easier to make!  With only five ingredients, a working crockpot, and a few hours on your hands, this beef stroganoff recipe can be made by anyone with a slow cooker! In fact, it’s so simple that, in no time, you’ll know how to make beef stroganoff based on memory alone.

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

A few years ago, a co-worker of mine gave me her recipe for beef stroganoff, crockpot edition. The recipe had only 5 ingredients so I knew I had to make it that upcoming Sunday.  

My family loves digging into crock pot meals on Sundays. We can simply toss the ingredients into the pot, go to church, then come home to an AMAZING dinner ready just as we walk through the door.

Of course, we instantly fell in love with my co-worker’s classic beef stroganoff recipe. It has become a regular Sunday dinner at my house, though I’ve also made this beef stroganoff with cream of mushroom soup for Christmas dinner and for dinners with company over. Whether it’s for a big meal or simply packing your freezer for future lunches, this easy recipe gets the job done. 

Is It Good for Meal Prep?

Speaking of freezer meals, this is perhaps the best beef stroganoff recipe for meal prep ever. Not only is it super tasty, but it lasts for a great amount of time and contains all those vital proteins and hardy carbs to get you through the week.

That’s especially great when I have a new baby around. A good stock of freezer meals to choose from is a lifesaver for a foggy, sleep-deprived new mom brain.

Simply toss all the raw ingredients (with the exception of the sour cream in this recipe) into a freezer bag and store it for later. Whenever you’re ready to cook it, just throw these frozen ingredients into your crock pot and let it simmer to a tasty perfection.

Since this crockpot beef stroganoff recipe is kid and husband-approved, I never have to worry about dinner being lackluster just because I’m in a time bind. I’m sure your family will feel the same way! 

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

How Long Can I Freeze This Crockpot Meal?

If you plan to make this Campbell’s beef stroganoff into a freezer meal, be sure you place ONLY your stew meat, cream of onions soup, and cream of mushroom soup in the sealed bag before popping it in your freezer. Sadly, the other ingredients don’t handle freezing well. 

But that’s not a bad thing! Unlike some freezer meals, you don’t have to contend with ingredients reheating poorly. It’s always fresh! 

You can keep this in your freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to cook it, simply toss the frozen ingredients into a crockpot and cook for four hours or until the stew meat is cooked through. You can add in the sour cream just before serving.

You can also add in some sliced mushrooms, however we prefer this beef stroganoff without mushrooms.

What is the Origin of Beef Stroganoff?

Beef stroganoff (also called beef Stroganov) originated in Russia in the mid-19th-century. Named after one of the members of the influential Stroganov family, this classic dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with smetana (or sour cream) has now become popular all around the world.

The Stroganovs were the richest businessmen throughout the Tsardom of Russia during Ivan the Terrible’s reign, and their highly successful family have many acclaimed merchants, industrialists, landowners, and statesmen under their belt.

A hearty origin for a hearty meal. It’s pretty fitting, right?

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

How to Make Beef Stroganoff?

This recipe is definitely a toss it and forget it meal.  Simply toss into the crock pot beef stroganoff ingredients:

  • Stew Meat
  • Cream of Mushroom (or chicken) Soup
  • Cream of Onion Soup. 

Then turn it on and forget about it.  When you’re ready to enjoy, cook up your vegetables, your rice or your noodles and add the sour cream to your stew meat.  Mix well and serve!  

How Do I Thicken Beef Stroganoff?

If your slow cooker made your beef stroganoff sauce thinner than you’d like, you can easily thicken it up again with a mixture of water and either flour or cornstarch.

Mix three teaspoons of either cornstarch or flour with 1/4 cup of warm water until it becomes a semi-solid paste. Be sure to mix your chosen dry ingredient well, so it doesn’t clump up in the sauce once you add it in.

When adding this paste to your stroganoff, stir slowly for three minutes to ensure it blends in completely. Serve hot off the pan alone with your stroganoff or alongside some tasty side dishes.

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

What are Good Side Dishes for Beef Stroganoff?

While this beef stroganoff with sour cream tastes great on its own, you can also spice up the meal with extras!

Rice

Serving beef stroganoff on top of plain rice is fantastic, because the neutral taste of the rice balances well with the strong flavor of the stroganoff. If you want extra flavor, you can serve it over this Buttered Ricerecipe instead.

Noodles

If you want a side dish that tastes pretty carb-y without all those pesky calories, serve it with egg noodles. This is our favorite way to serve this dish. These noodles taste very similar to regular pasta, but they are made up of mostly flour and egg.

Veggies

If you’re on a diet, however, then you may want to steer away from a carb-filled side dish altogether. The beef and sauce alone already contain a high number of calories. It only makes sense that the perfect side dish for you would then be a vegetable-based one.

Serving your simple beef stroganoff alongside a nice salad would help balance out the cream sauce!  This Winter Fruit Salad recipe is a favorite side of ours with this meal!  

Crockpot ground beef stroganoff with onion soup mix

Side Dishes You’ll Love with this Meal:

  • Pistachio Fruit Salad
  • Strawberry Salad
  • Fruit Cocktail Salad
  • Brown Sugar Green Beans
  • Watermelon Feta Mint Salad
  • Easy Garlic Bread

Desserts You’ll Love with this Meal…

  • Stovetop Rice Pudding
  • Strawberry Crisp Recipe
  • Chocolate Pie
  • Apple Brownies
  • Banana Pudding Cake

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of stew meat
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) can of cream of onion soup (if you can't find cream of onion soup, then use 1 packet of Lipton dry onion soup mix and an extra can of cream of mushroom soup)
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup (if you don't like cream of mushroom, cream of chicken works great too!)
  • 8 ounces of egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 4 ounce can sliced mushrooms (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a crock pot toss in stew meat, cream of onion soup and can of mushroom soup.
  2. Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for 3- 4 hours, depending on your crock pot. (Mine cooks hot so 2 - 3 hours is plenty for me, however most readers tell me it needs 3 - 4 hours for their crock pots).
  3. After 3 - 4 hours, when meat is cooked through, stir well and turn off crock pot.
  4. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions.
  5. Add sour cream to meat mixture just before serving.
  6. Serve immediately.

Notes

1. If you are doing this as a freezer meal, place stew meat, cream of onion soup and cream of mushroom soup in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to make, toss frozen ingredients into a crock pot and cook for 4 hours or until meat is cooked through. Follow normal cooking directions from here.

2. You can add extra sliced mushrooms if you wish.

3. You can substitute dry onion soup mixture for the cream of onion soup if you cannot find it if you do this, add an extra can of cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup.

4. If doubling recipe, add an extra 1 - 1.5 hours of cook time.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 723mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 43g

Originally Posted: June 12, 2017

Photos & Text Updated: October 15, 2019

What is the sauce in beef stroganoff made of?

Sauce Ingredients: Butter, onion, garlic, white wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, flour and plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) are the ingredients used to make classic beef stroganoff sauce.

How do you make beef stroganoff better?

The longer you simmer, the more tender it will be. If it starts to get low on broth, you can add some extra. The 2 hours in the recipe is important, even at 1 ½ hours the meat is still not tender enough, it's been tested that many times. I think what makes this the best beef stroganoff ever is the sour cream sauce.

What is the most tender cut of beef for beef stroganoff?

Performing best when thinly sliced, rump steak is the most tender cut that comes from the hip section of the animal. This option will prove to be one of the most affordable for your stroganoff. Similar to the sirloin, thinly cut strips seared over high heat will be the most effective and tasty way to cook them.

Why do you add flour to beef stroganoff?

How to Thicken Beef Stroganoff. The sauce is thicken by making a roux, which is simple a mixture or a little fat and a little flour. the flour is toasted in the butter so the raw taste is cooked out, and then this mixture will thicken the broth, sour cream and other ingredients in the sauce.