The Secret To Quick, Comforting Stroganoff Sauce Lies In One Canned Ingredient
We're a little obsessed with compiling a long list of effortless weeknight dinners that taste great and use ingredients we already have on hand. Who doesn't have some canned soup lying around their pantry? We previously covered how broccoli cheddar soup makes an easy, inexpensive pasta sauce – why not continue riffing in that direction, combining noodles and condensed soup to yummy effect? It turns out cream of mushroom soup is the ideal base for an easy beef stroganoff sauce.
Beef stroganoff is like a hug in a bowl; a cozy dish that warms the belly after a long day. Unfortunately, whipping up a roux-based sauce and nursing it while it comes together can be a real pain. That's why you need canned cream of mushroom soup. Not only does cream of mushroom elevate mac and cheese, but it's an all-in-one shortcut to a delicious stroganoff dinner. "Real" beef stroganoff uses a ton of ingredients to make a beefy, creamy, mushroom-y sauce with components that are just begging to go bad in your fridge, but canned soup substitutes neatly for all of them. All you need to do is simmer your cooked beef – thin strips of sirloin or roast, or even ground beef — in the cream of mushroom soup for about ten minutes. Combine with cooked egg noodles and stir in some sour cream before serving. Simple, easy, and tasty!
It's easy to dress up your canned soup stroganoff
If you have a bit more time and a few more ingredients, you can really turn your cream of mushroom stroganoff into a dinner fit for a king... or, should we say, a tsar? If you have diced onion and fresh mushrooms, feel free to fry them up with your beef for a more hearty protein component. Of course, plenty of fresh minced garlic is never a bad idea! Want to doctor your sauce to give it more depth of flavor? Stir in some Dijon mustard, or add a few generous glugs of Worcestershire sauce for an umami pop.
If you don't have egg noodles on hand, any small pasta shape will work for your stroganoff in a pinch. We've even been known to throw together some instant mashed potatoes and ladle the meat mixture over the top! A sprinkle of french fried onions on top adds crunch, salt, and texture. A great weeknight dinner is one that is basic, but filling and enjoyable, and stroganoff with canned soup checks all the boxes — just like using canned soup to make an old school cottage pie. This 3-ingredient ground beef meal uses just instant mashed potatoes, ground beef and your choice of canned soup.