Beef Stroganoff Casserole

I'm not a huge craver of red meat, but occasionally the mood strikes.  It struck recently, so I made this Beef Stroganoff, and then The Hubby and I devoured it.

Oh, which reminds me that I should mention, but that way, that you need to make this Beef Stroganoff.

I recommend this as a Sunday night dinner, served with some crusty bread and a green salad.  Or, perhaps an extra-extra-large portion reheated on a Monday night with no side dish at all, while you watch The Bachelorette.  Or, even a few bites for breakfast, cold, out of the dish, standing in front of the glaring judgmental light of the refrigerator.  Any of those methods are all good ways to eat this dish, strictly speaking from experience.

This is the best Beef Strogranoff I have EVER eaten, hands down, and is much better than the Hamburger Helper one that I used to eat in my early 20's (slash ate recently when The Hubby made it for me).  There are quite a few steps involved in the dish, but they are all worth it and each one adds great flavour.    


As I've mentioned before, The Hubby and I went to New Orleans in April of this year.  While there, we went to Emeril Lagasse's restaurant, NOLA, and feasted on southern food.  Afterwards, stumbling away from the table in my food stupor, I bought an Emeril cookbook from the restaurant, and that is where this recipe came from.  I realize that it's odd that from a cookbook that I bought in the Southern USA I have first chosen to make a Russian dish, but having now done so I will say that Emeril definitely knows what he's doing with this thing.

Speaking of the good old U.S. of A, I should probably address the fact that in the ingredients and directions for the recipes that I blog about I will often switch back and forth from the US Customary System, to the Imperial System, to the Metric System.  I'm going to blame this on being from Canada (reminds me of South Park, "Blame Canada!"), because through being next-door neighbours with the US, but also being a part of the Commonwealth, we tend to be a little confused.  Being Canadian would also be the reason that my American readers may think that I have misspelled some words in my blog, including this very post (see: flavour, neighbour, litre), but that's how us crazy Canucks spell those words.  So, please bear with me, as occasionally you may have to do the conversions in your head, although most often I use the US Customary System for ingredient quantities.  Eh.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Beef Stroganoff Casserole

Ingredients
1 pound bacon, chopped
3 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, trimmed and sliced into strips (about 1 x 3 inches)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 cups thinly sliced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine (a must)
Two 14 oz. cans beef broth
1 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence (Note:  Click the link...I made the 'Essence' recipe and keep it in my spice cabinet, and use it as an ingredient in meals that I make or as a rub for meat.)
1 pound large white button mushrooms, wiped not washed clean, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup finely chopped red onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound wide egg noodles
1 cup sour cream (I would recommend not using light or fat-free)
2 cups grated white Cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Cook the bacon in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until slightly crispy, about 7 minutes.  Meanwhile, season the beef with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the black pepper.  Add the beef to the bacon and cook, stirring for 3 minutes.  Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and the flour.  Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add the red wine and the beef broth.  Stir to blend and bring to a boil.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the remaining teaspoon pepper, and the Essence.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, red onion, and green onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Combine 4 quarts (about 4 litres) of water, the olive oil, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, add the noodles, and cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes.  Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Add the beef sauce and the sour cream and toss to coat evenly.  Pour the mixture into a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish (Note:  This will be a really tight fit).

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the noodle mixture.

Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet and bake until bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.  It's even better reheated the next day.

Makes:  8 servings

The Hubby's Review:  Awesome

Recipe Source:  Emeril's Potluck