I don’t know about you, but just the thought of a savory cream sauce makes me start to salivate. If your palette runs sweet, you probably think I’m a bit crazy, but if you fall on the savory side of the spectrum as I do, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Beef Stroganoff was one of those dishes I always looked forward to for dinner growing up, although I was never a huge fan of egg noodles. The tangy, rich cream sauce pairs so exceptionally well with the hearty beef. I love a good cream sauce.
Now a fully functioning adult with a weekly cooking club and newsletter to boot, I figure why not take the opportunity to whip out a childhood favorite and do it up right, my way. Forget everything you think you know about Beef Stroganoff and throw it right out the kitchen window. Well, everything except sour cream, Worcestershire and beef.
That’s right folks, instead we’re swapping out strips of beef for ground chuck, egg noodles for pasta, and not a single mushroom in sight. Nothing about it is Stroganoff, yet here we are. The flavors give a subtle nod to the original dish and then you’re off down the rabbit hole with some other not-so-traditional ingredients for this recipe.
I had decided on the meal when we grabbed our groceries for the week on Sunday, but not the recipe just yet. I had perused the internet gathering information on what a Stroganoff technically is but ended up deciding to make it all up as I went. It was actually quite fun and turned out great, although I probably wouldn’t recommend trying that tactic with a more involved recipe.
This recipe features some of my favorite ingredients I cook with regularly and is equally as simple and as it is tasty. I paired it with a sourdough focaccia and light salad. I had managed to set the table ahead of time and so thankfully did slightly less scrambling than usual to prepare for our guests. We listened to some old folksy music on shuffle like Peter Paul & Mary, John Denver, and Joan Baez as we had dinner with my beloved milk glass pitcher vase full of white zinnias between us on the table.
Enjoy my spin on Stroganoff or make up your own as you go, whatever suits your fancy.
Almost Stroganoff
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 package fusilli pasta, or pasta of your choice
1 cup red cooking wine
1 cup beef stock
1/8 - 1/4 cup Worcestershire
1 heaping tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
3 oz cream cheese
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Spices I used: Italian seasoning, rubbed sage, french thyme, paprika, salt & pepper
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Grated Parmesan
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well and cook pasta according to package directions.
Preheat the oven to 425F.
In a large cast-iron or oven safe skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and seasonings, stirring to toss and coat the meat. Once beef has sufficiently browned, reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine. Let cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the wine to deglaze the pan, letting some but not all boil out. Then add the Worcestershire, dijon mustard, beef stock and sour cream— stirring until it melts into a sauce. Repeat with the cream cheese, stirring until it melts. Let the sauce come to a boil, raising the heat if necessary, and then reduce to a simmer. Once it’s begun to thicken, taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, stirring to coat. Top generously with grated parmesan and a few more seasonings if you like and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, to your desired consistency.
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