Who can’t resist the creamy goodness of Beef Stroganoff? It makes a wonderfuly comforting food when paired with a crisp tossed salad. Some recipes require expensive cuts of beef, wine, and hours of preparation. Often, when pressed for time, we reach for the boxed version which never quite compares to the real thing. The Skillet Beef Stroganoff recipe that I give you here uses real sour cream (un-like the mystery powder in the boxed version) and can be made up in 30 minutes. It’s a great option for a weeknight dinner and it provides excellent left-overs to use for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

• 1 Lb Ground Beef (very inexpensive ground Chuck works just fine)
• 1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tsp Instant Coffee granules
• 1 Pt Sour Cream
• 2 C Egg noodles (Other pastas can work just as well!)
• 1/2 Small Onion, diced fine or 1 Tbsp dried minced Onion
• 4 to 6 Button Mushrooms (washed and sliced or 1 4 Oz can of sliced Mushrooms, drained)
• 1 C Hot Water
• Pinch of salt and/or pepper (optional)

Method

     In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and diced onion until the beef is fully browned and the onion is clear. Drain off fat. Add water, sour cream, mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce. Heat slowly on medium until the sour cream is liquid. Add egg noodles and reduce heat to low. Cook covered for 15 minutes or until noodles are al dente, stirring often.

This recipe yields 5 servings.

Low Fat Suggestions:

•      Low fat sour cream can be used in place of full fat sour cream. Ground turkey can be used in place of ground beef, but you must add a tablespoon of oil to brown the turkey adequately. The sour cream can be replaced entirely with a can of low fat condensed mushroom soup. If this is done, omit the salt and add a can of hot water. Draining the canned mushrooms may not be the best option if you are using the condensed mushroom soup.