Beef Stroganoff

With the chilly Fall weather finally kicking in, some warm, hearty comfort food sounded really good tonight. So, I asked the kiddos what we should have. My oldest begged for Beef Stroganoff.

It’s funny how Beef Stroganoff is a popular comfort food here in America when it’s actually a Russian dish. Can you blame us though? Rich, creamy, meaty sauce over pasta…what’s not to like?

Regardless of the country of origin of the original dish, my Beef Stroganoff is far from traditional. The short people and I absolutely despise mushrooms, so you won’t find them in this, or really, any recipe from me. Instead of slicing my onions, I mince them up pretty small. It’s the only way I can get the kids to eat them! I also cheat and use packets of brown gravy as part of the sauce. I know, I know. You’re thinking packaged gravy is gross. And for the most part, I agree. However, it really adds to the flavor and ease in creating the sauce for this particular dish. Another thing is that I use ground beef instead of the traditional strips of beef. The reasoning behind that is partly due to cost and partly due to the ease. While I am certainly no Martha Stewart or Gordon Ramsay, I am a fairly decent cook but I seem to struggle with getting the meat tender enough when I use strips of beef and it seemed like we were always chewing on leather. So, I decided long ago to just use ground beef instead. Lastly, I make it a one pot meal by cooking the pasta directly in the sauce. I will admit this method came about on accident. One of the times I was making this, I made it way too soupy. I was trying to figure out how to fix it when I decided to just throw the pasta in with it and hope that it would help thicken it. It worked! From that day forward, I started making it all in one pot. I guess you could say that by the time I have made all my changes and adjustments, it’s not really “Beef Stroganoff” anymore. Whatevs. It’s yummy and quick and easy to  make (about 30 minutes from start to finish) and that’s all that matters, right? Right.

Ready to cook?

Ingredients:

Start with the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt (go easy on the salt as the gravy mix and broth both have quite a bit of salt in them as well) and pepper in a large skillet. You’ll want a skillet that has a lid for when you add the pasta later on:

Get the meat all browned up nicely and drain any excess grease:

Next, add your packets of gravy mix:

Mix the gravy packets into the meat. This will help keep it from clumping up on you when you add in the broth:

Add in the beef broth, beef consommé, and Worcestershire sauce:

Add in the sour cream and stir until it’s all combined:

Once the sour cream is all melted and incorporated in, add in your pasta. You can use whatever type you like. Egg noodles are traditional. Penne is my absolute favorite (and what I usually use) because the sauce gets inside the little tubes and its amazing. I used radiatore this time because it’s what I had on hand. I have also used farfalle in the past as well. Use whatever strikes your fancy.

Once you have the pasta mixed in, cover and simmer for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is a firm al dente. When you take the lid off, it will probably still look a little soupy. That’s totally normal, I promise!

Let it sit for another 5-10 minutes and it will thicken up beautifully and the pasta will be cooked to perfection.

Not the prettiest of meals (plus, I am a cook, not a photographer!) but so yummy and the perfect comfort food meal for a chilly night. I served it long with some roasted, fresh Brussels sprouts.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 14.5-ounce cans of beef broth
• 1 10.5-ounce can of beef consommé
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 16-ounce container of sour cream
• 2 packets of brown gravy mix
• 1 pound of pasta
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Add in packets of brown gravy mix and stir well.
3. Stir in beef broth, beef consommé and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Add in sour cream and stir until incorporated.
5. Mix in pasta and bring to a slow boil.
6. Cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes, or until pasta is a firm al dente.
7. Uncover, turn off heat, and let stand 5 to 10 more minutes until thickened and pasta is fully cooked.