Beef Stroganoff Spaghetti and Meatballs
This easy beef stroganoff spaghetti and meatballs recipe combines tender meatballs and pasta in a creamy sour cream sauce for a fun twist on two comfort-food classics!
The Southern husband loves classic beef stroganoff, but sometimes all those slices of steak, mushrooms and egg noodles feel a little too fancy and serious for an ordinary weeknight. So I started wondering: what if we gave stroganoff the spaghetti-and-meatballs treatment?
This playful version pairs tender baked meatballs and spaghetti with a creamy sour cream and shallot sauce—and because this is my kitchen, the mushrooms hit the cutting-room floor. You mushroom lovers can add them back in, but either way, this cozy mashup delivers all that stroganoff deliciousness in a fun, family-friendly package. 🍝
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- Ingredients you need
- Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- How to make this recipe
- Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- Beef Stroganoff Spaghetti and Meatballs
- 👩🏻🍳 Variations on this recipe
- 😍 Other cozy beef recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
- 🥣 Come on into our kitchen!
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Tender baked meatballs and spaghetti tossed in a creamy sour cream and shallot sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Servings: 4 servings
- Cooking Method: Stovetop and oven
- Good For: Cozy family suppers, weeknight comfort food and celebrating National Beef Stroganoff Day. 🍝
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🍝 It combines two comfort-food favorites: Spaghetti and meatballs meet creamy beef stroganoff in one fun, family-friendly supper.🥩
- The meatballs are easy and tender: Baking them keeps the preparation simple and eliminates stovetop splatters.
- 🥣 The sauce is rich without being heavy: Sour cream and shallots create a smooth, tangy sauce without the need for canned soup.⏱️
- It’s weeknight-friendly: The whole cozy supper is ready in about 40 minutes.
- 🍄 It’s easy to customize: Leave out the mushrooms as written or add them for a more traditional stroganoff flavor.
- 💧 Pasta water makes the sauce silky: A splash of reserved cooking water helps the creamy sauce coat every strand of spaghetti.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes
- Spaghetti: Regular spaghetti is perfect, but linguine, fettuccine or another long pasta will also work.
- Ground beef: I like 80/20 ground beef for tender, flavorful meatballs. A leaner blend will work, but the meatballs may be slightly less juicy.
- Breadcrumbs: Use plain breadcrumbs rather than seasoned ones so they don’t compete with the stroganoff flavors. Panko will also work.
- Milk: Whole milk makes the meatballs especially tender, but 2% milk is also fine.
- Shallots: Shallots add a mild, slightly sweet onion flavor to the sauce. You can substitute a small sweet onion if needed.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream gives the sauce its smoothest, richest texture. Let it come close to room temperature and keep the heat gentle when you whisk it into the sauce.
- Dill: Fresh dill adds classic stroganoff flavor and a pop of color. Parsley is a good substitute if you aren’t a dill fan.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will both work; simply taste the finished sauce before adding more salt.
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
Cook 8 ounces of spaghetti according to package directions and drain, saving one cup of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450. Combine meat, breadcrumbs, milk and egg in a bowl, add a pinch each of salt and pepper and form into one inch meatballs (I love my trusty cookie scoop for this!).
Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until your meatballs are browned and cooked through.
Melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté two peeled and chopped shallots until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add half of the pasta water and bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes until liquid is reduced a little. Whisk in a cup of sour cream, taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
Add the spaghetti to the skillet and toss, adding more pasta water if you want to loosen up the sauce at all. Add the meatballs to skillet and gently stir until they are coated.
Divide pasta among plates, top with meatballs, garnish with some fresh chopped dill and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Yep! I would not use the totally fat-free kind though, as we want a good amount of creamy texture.
You and my mom and my little sis! And yes you can – slice up about 2 cups of shrooms, saute them in a little butter until they are tender, and then add them when you add the meatballs.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
You can. Cook or heat them according to the package directions, then add them to the sauce when you add the spaghetti. Beef or turkey meatballs will both work.
The meatballs can be baked up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. The creamy sauce and pasta are best made just before serving, but having the meatballs ready will make dinner extra speedy.
Lower the heat before whisking in the sour cream and don’t let the sauce boil afterward. Room-temperature sour cream will also blend into the sauce more smoothly.
Check out this plate of creamy, dreamy, stroganoff-y deliciousness!
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
Balance this creamy pasta supper with a bright green bean tomato salad or some simple roasted green beans with walnuts. For a cozy fall side, add roasted butternut squash with feta, then finish with a slice of easy apple cake for one very happy comfort-food dinner! 🍝🍎
So the next time you feel like trading in the tomato sauce for something a little different…it’s meatball stroganoff night!
Beef Stroganoff Spaghetti and Meatballs
Move over tomato sauce, the beef stroganoff spaghetti and meatballs is in town! This easy recipe is a creamy, hearty suppertime treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain, saving one cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450. Combine meat, breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl, and form into one-inch meatballs. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté shallots until softened, about 5 minutes. Add half of the pasta water and bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes until liquid is reduced a little. Whisk in sour cream and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and toss, adding more pasta water if you want to loosen up the sauce at all. Add the meatballs to skillet and gently stir until they are coated.
- Divide pasta among plates, top with meatballs, garnish with dill and serve.
👩🏻🍳 Variations on this recipe
- 🍄 Bring on the mushrooms: Sauté two cups of sliced mushrooms in butter and add them to the sauce with the meatballs.
- 🍜 Change the noodles: Swap the spaghetti for egg noodles, linguine, fettuccine or your favorite short pasta.
- 🦃 Lighten up the meatballs: Use ground turkey or chicken in place of the ground beef.
- 🥩 Take a shortcut: Use your favorite prepared frozen meatballs and heat them according to the package directions before adding them to the sauce.
- 🌿 Change the herbs: Replace the dill with chopped fresh parsley, chives or a combination of all three.
- 🥄 Add classic stroganoff flavor: Stir a teaspoon of Dijon mustard or Worcestershire sauce into the creamy sauce.
- 🥬 Sneak in some greens: Add a few handfuls of baby spinach to the skillet and let it wilt just before serving.
- 🌶️ Give it a little warmth: Sprinkle in a pinch of paprika or add freshly ground black pepper to the finished pasta.
😍 Other cozy beef recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Love this recipe! Such a fun twist on regular beef stroganoff. It was a huge hit in my house! Thank you!