Description
A make-ahead ground beef and mushroom stroganoff base for two, frozen flat and finished with sour cream and fresh egg noodles.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 ounces lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces wide egg noodles, for serving day
- 1/3 cup sour cream, for serving day
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for serving day
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the mushrooms are browned and their liquid has cooked off. Stir in the garlic until fragrant.
- Add the ground beef, break it up with a spoon and cook for 5 minutes, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Spoon off any excess fat.
- Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- To freeze: spread the stroganoff base in a shallow container and refrigerate until cold. Transfer to a quart-size freezer bag, press out the air, lay it flat, label and date it, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve: thaw the bag in the refrigerator overnight. Cook the egg noodles according to the package directions and drain.
- Warm the stroganoff base in the skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring, until bubbling and hot throughout (165°F); add a splash of water if it is very thick. Take the skillet off the heat, stir in the sour cream, then toss with the noodles and sprinkle with parsley.
Notes
Equipment: 10-inch skillet, shallow container, quart-size freezer bag, medium pot, colander
- Keep the sour cream and noodles out of the freezer bag; sour cream can turn grainy when frozen and noodles turn soft.
- Freezing the bag flat helps it thaw evenly and stack neatly.
- Ground turkey works in place of the beef; cook it to 165°F.
- Plain Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream for a tangier sauce; stir it in off the heat the same way.
- To serve right away instead of freezing, skip the cooling step and go straight to the noodles and sour cream.
- Freeze the cooked stroganoff base for up to 3 months for best quality.
- Refrigerate finished leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days and reheat gently until steaming hot.
- Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F (USDA FSIS).
- Refrigerate the cooked base within 2 hours of cooking, and thaw it in the refrigerator, not on the counter (USDA FSIS).
- Reheat the thawed base to 165°F (USDA FSIS).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American