When you see a super thin piece of beef, what is the first meal you think of? Some people think of steak tacos, some think of beef stir fry. Me? I think of one thing:
the Russian originated Beef Stroganoff.
Beef stroganoff is one of my favorite weeknight meals to make because it is simple and easy. It’s also one of those meals you can prep ahead of time and throw together quickly at the end of a long day. I tend to make a double batch of sauce so I stretch my buck even further and get two, two, two meals out of one!
Yesterday at the store, I found a super thin piece of beef marked down to $3.82. It was going to expire on 10/27, so I popped that baby into my cart and earmarked it for tonight’s dinner. Because I was able to get two meals out of the one piece of beef, I was able to make that $3.82 stretch waaaaaaaay out! Love it!
Apparently, Beef Stroganoff is one of those meals you can also make in the crock pot. Well, I must have done something wrong last time I tried this because my husband said the recipe was so bad he couldn’t even choke it down! Take it from me (and Paula Deen)…this recipe is so quick and easy, it takes no time to throw it together. Trust me. Would I lie?
Beef Stroganoff
(adapted from Mrs. Paula Deen herself)
3/4 pound thinly sliced beef, cut into bite sized chunks
Steak Seasoning
Flour
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 small onion, finely diced
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 can-full beef broth (see below)
Salt & pepper to taste
4 oz cream cheese
1 pound egg noodles*
In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm 1 tbsp each of the olive oil and butter. While the skillet is preheating, cut up your beef.
Season liberally with the steak seasoning (I used my favorite grill seasoning from Dorothy Lane Market. If you live in the area and haven’t tried it, you are seriously missing out!)
Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat.
Shake off any excess flour and place in the skillet. Brown on both sides. Once the meat is browned, remove and drain on a paper towel.
Add the second tbsp of olive oil and butter and then add the onions. This is also the time you add the mushrooms if you desire. I desired. Jeff did not. Guess who won that debate. (Let’s be honest…he’s just lucky I didn’t have any mushrooms in the house.)
Once the onions are nice and soft, add a tbsp of flour and mix in. Add your cream of mushroom soup and then fill up the empty can with beef broth and dump that in. Mix well and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your egg noodles to the package directions. Once cooked, drain and return to the stock pot. I try to plan my noodles to be done around the same time as the sauce so they don’t sit in the hot pot too long as they can start bonding to the pot itself.
After your sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, add in your cream cheese and stir to combine. I let my cream cheese sit in the sauce for a few minutes to soften up and then I stir it. Honestly, the whipped cream cheese would probably work better for this recipe.
Once your sauce is finished, add it to the drained noodles and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
I love beef stroganoff. I honestly think it’s one of our favorite meals! It’s definitely comfort food at it’s best. And Peanut liked it too. That or he just likes kneeing me a lot! One thing’s for sure…I love my new camera!
*This recipe is a full recipe that would feed 4 people easily. For the two of us, I save half the sauce and only make 1/2 a pound of egg noodles, saving the rest for when I make the second half of the recipe.
To view this recipe in an easy to follow format, click here!
