Rich, creamy beef stroganoff goes healthy
I'm bonkers for all the mushrooms, beef and creamy sauce in beef stroganoff. I could just bathe myself in it. OK…maybe not bathe. But how about bathe a bunch of egg noodles in the luscious sauce and then chow it down! That sounds like a serious comfort-food dinner to me and one that's an easy crowd pleaser. Plus our recipe only takes 40 minutes start to finish.
Our secrets to keeping it light are:
We use flank steak, which is a relatively lean cut of beef.
We make sauce with beef broth thickened with a little flour.
Instead of heavy cream in the sauce, we just stir in a little reduced-fat sour cream at the end.
The sauce is rich-tasting from a touch of cognac and plenty of portobello mushrooms.
Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles, which have the added benefit of fiber.
Here are two more of my favorite comfort-food recipes starring beef:
Beef & Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff
Active time: 40 minutes | Total: 40 minutes
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 pound flank steak, trimmed
4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed, halved and thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley
1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (The meat will be rare, but will continue to cook as it rests.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 2 long pieces then crosswise, across the grain, into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are very tender and lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Stir in broth, cognac (or brandy) and vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream, chives (or parsley), the sliced steak and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each.
Per serving: 404 calories; 19 g fat (7 g sat, 8 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrate; 37 g protein; 2 g fiber; 426 mg sodium; 969 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Selenium & Zinc (43% daily value), Potassium (28% dv), Iron
By Jessie Price
EatingWell deputy food editor Jessie Price's professional background in food started when she worked in restaurant kitchens in the summers during college. She started out testing recipes for EatingWell and then joined the staff here full-time in 2004 when she moved to Vermont from San Francisco.
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