I have finally succeeded in finding a recipe for beef stroganoff, that is just, well, awesome. People have tried to make this dish ‘lighter’ – and so far the times that I’ve tried, it hasn’t been very impressive. Thus, my husband has asked a lot recently to throw the lighter versions of beef stroganoff to the wind, and just make a legitimate, stick-to-your-ribs version.

Enter the Paula Deen recipe. And no, it doesn’t involve a whole stick of butter ;-)…it’s a cup of sour cream instead!  Thus, I’m glad I walked downtown to the store today, instead of driving there!

Beef Stroganoff – adapted from Paula Deen

• 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
• garlic powder
• salt & black pepper
• flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 25% less sodium)
• 1 cup sour cream
• egg noodles
• peas

1. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt & pepper on meat, and dust with flour.
2. In a large pan, add 1 tbsp oil and brown meat on both sides. Remove from pan & set aside.
3. Add the onion & mushrooms to the pan, along with the rest of the oil, and butter. Saute until the onion is tender, and sprinkle with 1 tsp flour.
4. Add the beef back to the pan & toss. Add the soup and beef broth. Stir to combine; cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Stir occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add salt & pepper when/if needed.
5. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before serving.
6. Serve over cooked egg noodles and peas.

So delicious, it’s almost a tad sinful. I took one bite of this and sent a quick email to my husband – “Yum. I get it now.” Sometimes there’s nothing better than the real thing.