Beef Stroganoff has been a favorite meal of mine since I was a little kid. I don't know about you, but I am certainly a fan of the egg noodle and stew beef combination. If we had this meal at all, that's how it was made. I've made it myself with rice and ground beef before, sure it did taste yummy, but it didn't hit the spot quite as much as this meal does. That's why whenever I have the chance, I use this recipe to make my beef stroganoff.
First of all, let me just say how disappointing it is that beef is so expensive. It is a terrific cut of meat and I absolutely wish I could afford to eat it at least once a week, but the current market just does not allow for that at this time. So I only eat this meal when I really want to treat myself.
To be fair, stew meat isn't that expensive. I can normally get around 1.5lbs for $5 at Aldi. But when I look at the price of poultry versus beef, the poultry wins almost every time. Especially if I'm on a strict budget.
This meal could easily be made on the stovetop, but I prefer the slow cooker method. The meat is always tender, it kind of marinates as it cooks, and although the vegetables aren't caramelized they do gain the same marinated flavoring as the beef. As a busy mom and wife, any meal that I can just chop a few things up, put it in a pot, and let it cook for hours without needing to monitor it is just time-saving bliss.
If you're in the market for an excellent slow cooker, this is the one I own. I love it because it locks, meaning I can travel easily with it and don't have to worry about spills. It's simple and works perfectly. 10/10 would buy again.
Now, I know that most stroganoff recipes use sour cream. I like to use cream cheese instead. I find that it acts as a natural thickener without sacrificing flavor. You can certainly use sour cream instead, or probably even cottage cheese if it was blended a bit and you didn't mind the extra texture. However, I highly recommend using cream cheese for this meal.
Another little thing I do to add a touch of love is buttering the egg noodles. It's totally optional, but it adds flavor and shine to make your meal ultra appetizing.
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1lb Flat Iron Steak or 1lb Stew Meat
1 Onion, sliced
5 Cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8oz Cream cheese
1/4c Milk
1/2 lb Egg noodles
1/2c Beer (Optional)
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1Tb Black Vinegar (or Balsamic Vinegar)
1/4c Soy Sauce
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 Tb Black pepper
Dried or fresh parsley
1/4c Salted butter
Green onion
Directions:
Place the meat, onion, garlic, mushrooms, beer (if using), Worcestershire sauce, black or balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and parsley (if dried). Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low heat.
After the 4 or 8 hours, turn the slow cooker to 'warm' or 'off' depending on what settings you have on your machine. If using a whole steak, break it apart with a fork into medium-sized pieces. Add the cream cheese and the milk, stir them until creamy.
Cook the egg noodles according to the directions on their packaging. Typically this will be boiled in water for 5-7 minutes. Drain them, then add butter to the noodles.
Plate the noodles, top with the stroganoff mixture, and garnish with green onion (and parsley if using fresh parsley).
Enjoy!
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