Easy Beef Stroganoff

I know that in many parts of this country you're still sweating out the final days of summer, but here in Northeastern Ohio, it seems that fall is in the air. I actually needed to throw on a sweatshirt every morning this week. The skies are darker around dinner time and the neighborhood is quieter...presumably the school children are inside getting ready to fill their heads with another day of knowledge. My thoughts are turning toward heartier meals. Gotta put on that layer of keep-me-warm winter insulation, right? Well, I hope not. But at least the cooler weather means that I can breathe easier during my daily walk and if that doesn't work I can camoflauge the cool weather pounds with a sweater. A silver lining in every cloud...

This stroganoff is a quick and easy weeknight dinner. You can cook the beef in the dish or use up leftover pot roast. Make a crock pot dinner on Monday, use up the leftover beef on Tuesday! I'm all about the shortcut. I happened to use a jar of my home canned beef which made this super speedy. As always, the beef was perfectly tender and delicious. If you'd like to get your hands on a jar of this fabulous grass-fed Indiana beef, stay tuned...my one year anniversary is coming up next month. I feel a give away coming on!

I began with a cup each of fresh sliced mushrooms and a onions. If you're cooking the beef for this dish, add in about a pound of boneless beef round steak, cut into 1/4" strips. Heat a little oil in the skillet and cook the beef, mushrooms, and onions over medium-high heat until the meat is browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Since the beef I'm using here is already cooked, I just sauteed the mushrooms and onions until tender.



Now I add in a quart of beef. If using leftover roast, add it now. The canned beef comes out with 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid. I added an additional 1/2 cup of water and 2 bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir into the mixture until slightly thickened.



Here's the step that separates plain old beef and noodles from Stroganoff: the sour cream. Stir in a cup of sour cream and heat through.



Serve over hot cooked noodles and sprinkle with parsley. I prefer fresh, however when I removed mine from the crisper, it looks more like green slime than an herb, so tonight I used the stuff from my spice rack. Enjoy!



Easy Beef Stroganoff

Yield: 6 servings

1 lb. boneless beef round steak, cut into 1/4" strips,1 lb. leftover roast, cut up or a quart of home canned beef
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced onions
1/2 c. (if using canned beef) to 1 cup of water
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup sour cream (I used "light")
hot cooked noodles
parsley

Heat a skillet with non-stick cooking spray or 1 tablespoon of oil. Add in mushrooms, onions, and uncooked beef. Cook over medium high heat until the meat is browned. (If beef is pre-cooked, saute the mushrooms and onions until tender and then add beef). Add water and 2 bouillon cubes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into beef mixture and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve over hot cooked noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.