Easy Beef Paprika

This recipe is one of our favorites.  Most of the ingredients, you already have in your pantry and refrigerator.  It requires minimal preparation and the result is delicious.  I hope you will try it.

Ingredients:

¼c. + 2T butter
2T. olive oil
2lbs. beef chuck or round, cut into one inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4c. tomato ketchup
2T. Worcestershire sauce
1T. brown sugar
2t. salt
1t. black pepper
2t. paprika
¼t. cayenne pepper (use less, if you don't like spicy food)
1½c. water
½c. flour
1/3c. fresh parsley, chopped
12 bag egg noodles
*2T corn starch
*¼c. water

 

In a large Ziploc plastic bag, add flour, salt and pepper.  Add beef cubes to bag and shake to coat.

In a large skillet, melt ½ c. butter.  You may also use olive oil to keep the butter from burning.

Shake excess flour from beef cubes and add half of them to the skillet.  Make sure they are not crowded, as this will cause the beef to steam, and will not brown on both sides.  Cook the beef for approximately 5 minutes, then flip the cubes over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from skillet and place in a bowl.  Add the rest of the beef and repeat.  You may add an additional 2 T butter for the rest of the beef cubes.  Remove from skillet.

 

Once the beef has been browned, add onion and sauté until tender.  Add garlic and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes, then add the beef back into the skillet.

 

Add ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper and water.  Stir to combine.

Cover and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes.


In the meantime, add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente.  Remove from heat and drain.

Place a bed of cooked noodles onto a plate.  Cover with beef and sauce.  Garnish with parsley and service.

*If a thicker sauce is desired, dissolve corn starch into water and stir in.  However, in this recipe, the sauce appears to be thick enough not to need an additional thickening agent.

Serves 4.

Turkey Dumpling Stew

If you're lucky enough to have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, this may be a recipe you'd like to try.  If it sounds good and you don't have any leftover turkey, please check out my archive and check out a recipe for Chicken Dutch Dumplings.  This recipe uses leftovers and the other uses fresh.  Either way, you'll be happy with either recipe.













Soup Ingredients:
32oz. chicken stock (unsalted)
4c. cubed, cooked turkey
2c. frozen mixed vegetables (semi-thawed)
1c. pearl onions (semi-thawed)
1c. chopped mushroom caps
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2-3t. fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Dumpling Ingredients:
1c. all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1½T. melted butter
½c. water
dash nutmeg
½t. salt

Add chicken stock to a 2qt dutch oven.  Bring to a simmer and add thyme.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes, then remove thyme. 

 
Add frozen vegetables and pearl onions.  Simmer for approximately 15 minutes. 

Add mushrooms.  Allow to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes then bring to a boil.

 

In a bowl, add flour, egg, butter, water, nutmeg and salt.  Stir until most of the lumps have dissolved.

Dip a scoop or spoon into the boiling broth, then into the batter, repeating for each of the dumplings.  The broth will keep it from sticking to the scoop.  Once all of the dumplings have been added to the broth, cover with a lid and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.  Do not remove the lid while cooking.

Add the turkey and continue to simmer, allowing the turkey to heat through.  Before serving, add chopped parsley. 

Tuna Rice Bake

I found this recipe the other day.  It seemed very simple, had minimal ingredients and seemed to be very cost-friendly.  Some of the ingredients you may already have in your pantry.  I tweaked a few things, changed the process and was quite pleased with the outcome of this dish.  If you are looking for something easy to prepare for dinner, this might be the casserole for you.

Ingredients:
3 oz. cream cheese
10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
2 c. cooked rice
2 - 5 oz. cans tuna, drained (I prefer oil packed, but water packed may also be used)
7 oz. can mushrooms, drained
¼ c. chopped green onions
1 T. chopped parsley
1/8 t. black pepper
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
paprika, to taste

Put cream cheese in a microwavable bowl.  Place in a microwave oven for 20 seconds to soften.

 Remove from the microwave and add can of soup; stir to combine.

 

Stir in cooked rice, tuna, mushrooms, green onions, parsley and pepper.

Place in a 2 qt. greased casserole dish.  Cover with foil and bake in a 350º for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove foil.  Sprinkle the casserole with Parmesan cheese, followed by paprika.  Finish with a layer of cheddar cheese.

Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with an additional tablespoon of finely chopped parsley.  Serves 4.