Easy Beef Stroganoff

I love taking inexpensive cuts of meat and turning them into something delicious!  That is something Casey has taught me for sure!  Add a bunch of flavor and cook it slowly and you can make it so yummy!  I bought a bunch of mushrooms earlier this week because I was going to make a tomato ragu with mushrooms, but I never got around to it.  So, I was looking around to figure out what to make for dinner and beef stroganoff sounded super yummy so I threw it together! 

1.5 lbs stew meat
1 large onion, cut in half then sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed peeled and sliced
1 lb mini bella mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 cups red wine (I prefer a Burgundy or Cabernet)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I find in this recipe you can use low cal and not notice a difference)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Start by heating 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide shallow pan.  Next season all sides of the stew meat with salt and pepper.  When the oil in the pan is hot (if oil is not hot the meat will stick!) add your beef, allowing each side of the meat to brown (about 30 seconds on each side).  Take meat out and set aside for later, beef will still be raw in the middle but should have a nice crust.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil to your pan and add in the sliced onions.  Add salt & pepper.  Stir these and allow to cook for about a minute, then add in the garlic.  Stir this constantly so the garlic doesn't burn.  After another minute or so add in the mushrooms.  The mushrooms are going to soak up all the liquid so just keep them moving so they don't burn.  At this point, stir in your wine while scraping the bottom of your pan with a wooden spoon to loosen up all the browned bits from the beef.  Now add in the mushroom soup and stir until well combined.  Put the beef back in the pan and cover with the sauce.  Turn heat to low and slightly cover pan with lid.  Cook on low for about 4 hours or until beef is fork tender.  Make sure you do a final check of your sauce and add salt & pepper if needed.  Serve over rice, egg noodles (my favorite!) or mashed potatoes and with your favorite green veggie!

***This recipe is GREAT in your crock pot!  Put all ingredients in the pot in the morning and have a super yummy dinner that smells amazing at dinner time!