...it's always beef and mushrooms, right? Or just mushrooms for vegetarian? So maybe we just call this stroganoff. 
Anyway. HAPPY WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS. We are currently barreling toward San Diego for a week, and I can't wait slash am nervous for the flight with Beck because the whining. Please follow our trip on Instagram, we'll be posting a ton while we are gone!
I'm giving you a meal today that has nothing to do with Christmas per se, but is warm, comforting, and easy, which is so important this time of year. There are other meals besides major parties and gatherings, after all, and we still have to feed our families but now is NOT the time to be a hero with elaborate meals. I actually have another pasta for you NEXT week, so I'm really psyched to get all of our carbs in before January. It feels necessary in the cold, right? You know it does.
Easy Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff
So this easy beef and mushroom stroganoff! It's made with ground beef and teensy tiny mushroom pieces, which means my mushroom-hating husband loves it. I like it because it feels like more beef than you're actually using, and the mushrooms cook way down and get brown and toasty and just EARTHY in the best possible way. Onions, garlic, and spices bring it all home, and buttered egg noodles are a must for serving.
Also you can a thousand percent make this in advance and then cook noodles right before you'd like to serve. The stroganoff reheats so well!
You need tons of mushrooms and some ground beef, then diced onion and garlic. Spices are dried parsley, oregano, and dill, and I've also made this with thyme which is equally delicious. After the spices we add Worcestershire sauce, flour, and beef stock to thicken the sauce, then sour cream for extra flavor right at the end. Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and parmesan cheese for topping will have a moment too. 
First, preheat a skillet to medium-high heat and add the beef. Break up the beef a bit as it starts to cook, then start to chop the mushrooms.
The idea is to get them about the same size as the beef once it's broken up, so just keep moving your knife over and over the mushrooms until they are finely minced, then add them to the beef in the skillet. 
Cook the mushrooms and beef together for about 10 minutes, stirring often and breaking up the beef as you go. When you AREN'T stirring, let the mixture sit so the beef and mushrooms can get crispy in places and the water from the 'shrooms will cook off. 
When the mushrooms are very soft and the mixture isn't watery, add the onion to the skillet and cook it for about 5 minutes with the beef and mushrooms. 
Then, add the garlic, Worcestershire, spices, and flour to the skillet with a sprinkle of salt. 
Stir the flour and seasonings into the beef mixture for about 3 minutes to coat everything evenly and let the flour start to cook a bit. Then, very slowly poor the beef stock into the skillet, stirring as you go to incorporate the stock with the flour. 
Now, let the stroganoff simmer for about 10 minutes at medium-low, adjust the temperature so the sauce is bubbling gently. It should thicken slightly and reduce a bit. While that is happening, cook the egg noodles to al dente, drain them, and toss them with the butter and a sprinkle of salt. 
When the noodles are done, stir the sour cream into the sauce. Taste, and add salt and pepper to your preference - don't be shy!
Aaaaaand serve. Noodles topped with sauce topped with extra parsley and tons of parm, if you're into that kind of thing. 
Done! I love the flavors here so much, what on EARTH isn't good about mushrooms, beef, and sour cream? The answer is clearly nothing, it is a perfect combination. The egg noodles are soft and buttery, the sauce is creamy but slightly sharp. 
Definitely make the sauce in advance and stir in the sour cream at the last minute if you don't want to simmer this all at once, and leftovers reheat perfectly in the microwave, even with the sour cream already in the sauce. 
Definitely make this in the coming days before Christmas cookie madness sets in. The protein will keep your blood sugar regulated. 
Enjoy!
Recipe
Easy Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound cremini or white mushrooms
- ½ onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- ½ cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 2 tablespoons butter
- dried or fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the beef, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, for about 7 minutes until browned and crumbly.
- While the beef is browning, finely chop the mushrooms with a knife until they are about the size of the ground beef with no large mushroom pieces left. When the beef is brown, add the mushrooms to the skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have cooked down, the skillet is not watery, and the mixture is browned.
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, to soften the onion.
- Add the garlic, parsley, oregano, dill, Worcestershire sauce, and flour to the skillet. Stir to coat everything evenly with the spices and flour, and let cook for about 3 minutes to soften the garlic and cook the flour.
- Very slowly pour in the beef stock, stirring as you go to incorporate the flour with the stock. Let the mixture come to a bubble and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Adjust the temperature on the skillet so the sauce is very gently bubbling. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every once in awhile, while you cook the egg noodles to al dente. When the noodles are drained, toss them with a sprinkle of salt and the butter.
- When the noodles are done, stir the sour cream into the beef sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper until the sauce is very flavorful. If it seems thin, let it cook and reduce for a few minutes more.
- Serve the egg noodles topped with the mushroom sauce, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
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