This one pot Meatball Stroganoff Recipe is the ultimate comfort food made easy with frozen meatballs, a creamy rich sauce, and tender egg noodles. It's a quick, cozy meal that the whole family will love.
Why You’ll Love It
You’re going to be obsessed with this easy meatball stroganoff because it checks all the right boxes: creamy, hearty, and ridiculously simple to make!
The combination of beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and savory mushrooms creates a deep, comforting flavor that's perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends. You'll love how the juicy meatballs soak up the rich sour cream sauce. It is unreal and everything just melts in your mouth!
Plus, using frozen meatballs means zero fuss and zero hands covered in ground beef - which is basically a love language in my kitchen!
And unlike traditional beef stroganoff, this recipe uses only one pot! So there's no need to mix ground meats, drain noodles, or wash any extra dishes. It's easy peasy and for that, I love it! Because if there's a shortcut to get dinner on the table, I'm going to take it.
This easy recipe is kid-approved, husband-approved (even if you're not a huge fan of mushrooms like mine!), and let's be honest—you'll be sneaking seconds straight from the pan.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Trust me when I say that making this one pan meatball stroganoff is a total breeze! Here are all of the ingredients that it takes for this creamy mushroom pasta to come together
- Olive Oil: Olive oil adds richness and helps soften the onions but you could absolutely swap it for salted butter if you wanted to... but from my experience, having the combo of olive oil and butter is the best. It is less likely to burn this way.
- Salted Butter: I love how salty butter enhances the creamy sauce with a rich flavor. But if you didn't have any, you can just stick to olive oil.
- Sweet Onion: Finely diced for a sweet, savory base. If you can't find sweet onions, you could use white or yellow onions in its place.
- Fresh Garlic: Freshly diced for a bold, aromatic kick. If you can avoid the pre-minced jarred garlic, please do. I know it's a time saver but it's just not the same... and that is a hill i will die on. haha.
- Baby Bella Mushrooms: Fresh sliced mushrooms (whether it's baby bells or regular white mushrooms) work best for that earthy, meaty texture. You could use canned mushrooms if you absolutely had to but in my opinion, the texture is not great.
- Dried Thyme: Adds a subtle, herby note to complement the beef.
- Frozen Mini Meatballs: I always buy the Earth's Balance mini beef meatballs because they are super convenient and juicy. I always buy these fully-cooked meatballs at Target and my kids LOVE them. But if that's not your thing, you can always swap with homemade meatballs or even Swedish meatballs if you wish.
- Beef Stock: Beef broth or stock builds that iconic base for the stroganoff sauce. Chicken stock or chicken broth works in a pinch.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds umami depth and a tangy zing. You could also swap this for soy sauce if you needed to.
- Wide Egg Noodles: Wide noodles are a key ingredient in the original recipe. But you could use another type of noodle if you prefer. And to note, since the starch from the noodles will help thicken the sauce, there is no reason to use all purpose flour to create a roux... this does it all by itself!
- Sour Cream: Full fat sour cream brings a tangy creaminess to the dish. Use low-fat sour cream if preferred. If you didn't have any sour cream, you could try some heavy cream or even a splash of buttermilk which will mimic the classic dish. If you wanted to use something with less calories, you could try skim milk, low-fat milk or another vegan alternative although it won't taste the same. But please keep in mind that the texture will be runnier.
- Cream Cheese: Makes the sauce extra rich and velvety. This is optional but I consider it my secret ingredient.
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper: My two kitchen staples - no recipe is complete without them.
- Optional Additions: Since I try to always try to use minimal ingredients and keep these recipes as easy as possible, that doesn't mean that you can't add more! Feel free to add a few dashes of garlic powder, black pepper, and a squirt of dijon mustard to the mix. Deglazing the pan with a splash of white wine is another way to infuse more flavors while also being totally optional. You could also finish with a sprinkle of dried parsley or fresh dill for color.
How to Make It
Here are the detailed instructions on how to make this easy one pot meatball stroganoff. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me on instagram, comment below or shoot me an email.
PREP INGREDIENTS: Add olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan or large skillet with a lid over medium heat. Then add the onion with a pinch of kosher salt and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
BUILD FLAVOR: Add butter, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and another pinch of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the mushrooms start to caramelize.
DEGLAZE THE PAN: Toss in the frozen meatballs and a splash of beef stock to deglaze, scraping up all those golden brown browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
COOK THE NOODLES: Add the egg noodles, the remaining beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the noodles are tender.
FINISH THE SAUCE: Stir in the sour cream and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
SERVE: Dish it up hot and enjoy the cozy, creamy goodness!
SAVE: You can place any leftover meatball stroganoff in an airtight container for 4 days.
What goes with Meatball Stroganoff
Here are some of my favorite easy recipes to serve with this one pot meatball stroganoff.
- White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Yellow Squash & Zucchini Recipe (Simple Southern Side)
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots - Cacio e Pepe Style
- Easy Classic Southern Deviled Eggs with Relish
- Southern Cucumber Salad with Onion, Vinegar & Sugar Recipe
Recipe
Meatball Stroganoff
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoon Salted Butter
- 4 cloves Garlic finely diced
- 8 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms finely diced
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2 cups Frozen Mini Meatballs (large meatballs also work just fine)
- 4 cups Beef Broth (or stock)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 12 ounces Egg Noodles
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- 4 oz Cream Cheese (half a block) room temperature
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Then add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook down, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
- Add butter, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and another pinch of salt and cook down for another 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and mushrooms are starting to caramelize.
- Add the meatballs and a little bit of the stock to deglaze the bottom of the pan - scraping up any bits that are stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Now add the noodles, the rest of the beef broth and the Worcestershire and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer with the lid slightly ajar for about 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the noodles are cooked through.
- Stir in the sour cream and cream cheese until combined.
- Season with kosher salt and pepper before serving.
