stroganoff

Welcome to the third of five recipe remixes for early summer! This is three nights in a row of recipe remixes, and I’ll pick back up with numbers four and five next week. Alex and I are headed to the beach for a long weekend, so the challenge will conclude next week.

Many thanks to Lyn Harris, Laura Peacock, and Claire Steinbeck for the push to find a guiltless version of beef stroganoff! I will be the first to admit that I’m actually not a huge fan of the original recipe. Stroganoff is one of those dishes that is, by nature, a leftovers recipe. Have leftover pot roast? You make stroganoff, right? Well, if you have a hankering for stroganoff but don’t have leftovers to transform, I have a tasty, healthy, and economical meal for you!

Here are a few of my lightened up highlights: I used thinly sliced sirloin for the meat. I’m only cooking for two people, so I got 1/2 lb. thinly sliced sirloin for $4 at Kroger–pretty affordable! I cut out a good bit of butter, but retained some for flavor. I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or heavy cream and cut out some of the flour. I used extra mushrooms for volume and also added some thinly sliced carrots for color, fiber, and bulk. Since I cut out a good bit of fat, I made sure to use flavor enhancers like cracked black pepper and chives on top to brighten up the dish. I also carefully portioned out the buttered egg noodles to make sure that the dish was filling, but also didn’t get carried away with carbs.

Nutritional breakdown: 15 Weight Watchers Points Plus, or about 700 calories. This includes everything–sauce and noodles.

I paired this dish with a light green salad with some blueberries from our CSA and a lemon vinaigrette.

Guiltless Beef Stroganoff

Serves 2, but recipe can be multiplied for a larger crowd

1/2 lb. thinly sliced lean sirloin

2 Tbsp. butter, separated

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

8 oz. sliced white or baby bella mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup good white wine

2/3 cup chicken broth

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. flour

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt

4 oz. egg noodles

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp. chopped chives (or parsley, rosemary, or any fresh herb of your choice)

Prepare noodles according to package directions. After draining, add 1 Tbsp. butter to the noodles and stir to melt. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. While butter is melting, salt and pepper both sides of the sirloin slices, then place pieces in a pan in a single layer. Let each side brown for about 3 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the remaining butter in the pan, stir, and let cook for about 8 minutes. Next, add the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots and let cook for about 8 more minutes. Next, add the wine and, using a spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook for about 3 minutes. While this is happening, whisk together the chicken broth, Worcestershire, and flour. Add this mixture to the pan and let cook and thicken for about 3 minutes. Next, turn off the heat and add in the Greek yogurt, stirring to fully combine. In two bowls, evenly distribute the buttered noodles, then evenly ladle the stroganoff sauce over the noodles. Top with chopped chives or other herbs and serve hot.