This easy slow cooker meatball stroganoff combines tender meatballs, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and a few other simple ingredients in a rich, creamy sauce served over egg noodles for all the classic flavors we love. Comfort food made easy in the crockpot!
My crockpot cream of mushroom chicken has been popular so I wanted to do a spin on beef stroganoff. You know I love slow cooker recipes so I wanted to make a crockpot version.
Since its origins in 1800s Russia, there have been many variations made to the original beef stroganoff and this easy meatball stroganoff is just one of them.
Instead of traditional sliced beef or even ground beef, we’re using frozen meatballs for a flavorful shortcut.
This simple recipe is so easy to put together and results in a rich sour cream sauce with juicy meatballs combined with tender egg noodles for the perfect comfort meal any night of the week.
Why you’ll love this easy Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff recipe
Set and walk away – Other than cooking noodles separately, the crockpot does all the work. It’s the kind of recipe you can prep in 5 minutes and leave to run errands while it cooks.
Favorite recipe– The whole family should like this one, even your pickiest eaters. The aroma is enough to make your mouth water!
Comfort food– The kind of comforting dinner you love to come home to. This meatball stroganoff recipe will become a family favorite in no time.
Simple and budget-friendly – I’m all for lazy weekend meals or recipes that can feed a crowd during the week with little effort. The no-fuss ingredients and the shortcuts from the cream of mushroom soup and frozen meatballs are just a couple of reasons why this is a go-to meal for us.
Equipment you’ll need
- Slow Cooker – This 6-quart slow cooker has been my go-to for years. I love that it switches itself to WARM after the designated cook time. Perfect for long days.
- Spatulas – I use silicone spatulas for everything. I have far too many…
- Ladle – A ladle makes scooping the meatballs out of the crockpot easy.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Dry Onion Soup Mix – This works as a seasoning more than anything. We’re not making soup, but along with the broth, it makes a deliciously flavored liquid used for the sauce that requires fewer single ingredients.
- Beef Broth or Stock – The flavor base of the creamy sauce. Use store bought, homemade, regular, or low-sodium. Whatever you’ve got!
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – A condensed soup that comes in a can. We’re going to use it to thicken the sauce and deliver a tasty mushroom flavor. If you prefer, you can use my homemade “cream of” soup recipe and use beef stock instead of chicken.
- Fresh Sliced Mushrooms – These are totally optional and can be omitted for those who aren’t a fan of mushrooms. However, they do add even more mushroom flavor and texture.
- Minced Garlic – I like to use freshly minced garlic wherever possible, but if you have a jar of it, you can use that too.
- Frozen Meatballs – Use beef meatballs, pork, chicken, turkey meatballs, or even veggie. I usually buy them in bulk and keep them frozen and just take out the amount needed for each recipe when I’m in a hurry.
- Sour Cream – This is a signature ingredient in any stroganoff recipe. The sour cream sauce lends a tangy flavor and rich and creamy consistency. You put it in at the end of the cook time so it doesn’t curdle.
- Noodles – Wide egg noodles are nice and light and super slurpy!
- Parsley – Fresh garnish for serving. Adds a pop of color.
How to make Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff
- Step One: Spray the basin of the crockpot with nonstick spray and add in the onion soup mix, beef broth, cream of mushroom soup, and minced garlic. Stir to combine. The cream of mushroom soup is quite thick and you’ll see clumps of it, but a whisk will help with that. It’s fine if there are some left, it’ll merge nicely as it cooks.
- Step Two: Add the meatballs and sliced mushrooms and stir everything to coat.
- Step Three: Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Once the timer is up, uncover and stir in the sour cream into the meatball mixture.
- Step Four: In the meantime, cook and drain the egg noodles. Pour them into the meatballs and cream sauce and give everything a gentle stir to combine.
- Step Five: Keep it warm until you’re ready to serve and then garnish with parsley and enjoy!
What to serve with Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff
The traditional serving for any type of beef stroganoff is with egg noodles, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy it too.
Skip the noodles and serve your stroganoff meatballs over garlic mashed potatoes or rice instead. A side of oven roasted carrots or garlic green beans is a nice accompaniment.
If you’re like my family, you’ll definitely need to have a basket of freshly baked one hour dinner rolls to scoop up all of that flavorful yummy sauce!
To keep it nice and light you could always just stick with a fresh tossed green salad on the side.
Possible Substitutions/Additions
- If you love onions in your stroganoff, feel free to add diced onions!
- Have a homemade meatball recipe that you love? Go ahead and use those. Just make sure they’re fully-cooked meatballs and if not, adjust the cook time to make sure they cook through.
- A dash of Worcestershire sauce into the soup base along with the rest of the liquids can add a depth of flavor.
- Do a little taste test. If you’ve used low-sodium broth you may need salt and pepper to taste.
- For a lighter version, stick with chicken meatballs and light sour cream. Remember light sour cream won’t have the same thick consistency as regular.
- Use whatever short or medium pasta noodles you prefer. I love the lightness of the egg noodles, but you can use something like fusilli, rotini, or penne instead.
- Skip the noodles completely and serve the meatball stroganoff over mashed potatoes or rice.
How to reheat and store Slow Cooker Meatball Stroganoff
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for maximum freshness.
How long will this meatball stroganoff recipe last in the fridge?
You can have leftovers for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze stroganoff?
Meatball stroganoff freezes well, so I encourage it if you’ve got a lot left over!
Cool it first, then pour it into an airtight freezer container or freezer bag and keep it frozen for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the fridge overnight, I don’t recommend reheating from frozen.
How to reheat easy meatball stroganoff?
You can reheat stroganoff on the stove, in the microwave, or back in the crockpot if you prefer. The sauce may have separated so be sure to mix well as it heats through.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ouncedry onion soup mix (1 packet)
- 1 cupbeef broth or stock
- 10.5 ouncecream of mushroom soup
- 2 clovesgarlic minced
- 26 ouncefrozen meatballs beef, turkey, chicken, veggie
- 8 ouncesfresh mushrooms sliced
- 8 ouncesour cream
- 16 ounceswide egg noodles
- parsley optional
INSTRUCTIONS
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Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.
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To the basin of the slow cooker, add in the onion soup mix, beef broth, cream of mushroom and minced garlic. Stir to combine.
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Pour in the meatballs and sliced mushrooms and stir to coat.
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Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
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Before serving, stir in sour cream.
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Boil and drain the egg noodles and toss into the slow cooker and stir gently to combine.
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Garnish with parsley and serve.
NOTES
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can use fresh, frozen, or homemade meatballs – any variety (beef, chicken, turkey, or veggie).
- You can skip the fresh mushrooms if you are not a fan.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.