Beef Stroganoff on a Budget

Beef Stroganoff on a Budget

 I have a large family that has quite the appetite, this recipe makes quite a bit but it's great the next day served over baked potatoes. Here is what I started with...
2 -2 1/2 lbs of Hamburger
1 C chopped onion
1 clove chopped garlic
1 6.5 oz can mushrooms (you can use fresh if you have them)
1 envelope Au Jus mix
1 C Beef or chicken stock
8 oz Sour Cream
1 Can Cream of mushroom soup (I used 2 to stretch this a little further)
1 package of Noodles ( My personal favorite is the No Yolk Brand)

1st saute the chopped onion and the garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil (Note: I cheated, I buy already chopped / minced garlic in the bottles - it saves oodles of time and messes) If you would like to use *fresh Mushrooms add them in with the onions and garlic and saute them till the are tender.

  Brown the burger.

 I want to point out the nifty tool I use to brown my burger - this is made from  hard silicone (from Pampered Chef) - it makes browning an easy task and nice even pieces.  The reason for separating the previous steps is because I like to rinse my burger to get rid of any excess grease. (picture on the right)

 Combine the onions, garlic, and burger.

Add Au Jus mix

1 C Broth ( I would normally use Beef Broth but I didn't have any and Chicken tastes just fine)

Add can of mushrooms (omit this if you use fresh Mushrooms (*see note above), Cream of Mushroom Soup

Add Sour Cream and heat on med-low for about 15 minute or until bubbly- After all the ingredients are added, you could put this in a Crock Pot and let simmer all afternoon - Just cook the noodles (or baked potatoes) and serve. 

Fill pot with water and put on to boil - I usually add salt to the water to add a little flavor to the noodles

Add Salt and Pepper to taste

Add noodles to the boiling water. Cook according to directions on package.

The finished product - My family likes to top this with a little Parmesan cheese.

A variation of this would be to use beef tips or stew meat, brown the meat, add to a crock pot, add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer all day on low till the beef is tender, serve over noodles or potatoes. 

This is one of my family's favorite meals - I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do. 

Have fun Cookin'

Cyndi