Beef Stroganoff with Noodles (Denali)
I spent my time in Denali outside as often as I could because I knew my level of park access wouldn’t last forever. I planned plenty of backpacking trips, and if the weather looked miserable, I’d be sure to include my splurge food: Mountain House freeze-dried meal pouches. They are on the pricier side—today one pouch sells for nearly $13—but they are packed with calories, delicious, and only require boiling water to make. One of my favorite meals is their beef stroganoff with noodles. I’d swat away mosquitoes as my meal rehydrated, and then, with aching muscles, I’d enjoy the warm pasta dish alongside friends. When I travel home to Michigan, my mom always asks me what I want for dinner on the night of my arrival, and I always say beef stroganoff. Her homemade version is a much greater labor of love than the version I ate mountainside. She meticulously cuts the mushrooms and beef into equal sizes, lays out her ingredients ahead of time, and stirs in the sour cream delicately until it’s all incorporated. It’s extremely rich, slightly salty, and a perfect meal that warms you to your bones.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound sirloin steak
- ¼ cup margarine
- 1 cup minced onions
- ½ cup water
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can undiluted cream of chicken soup
- ½–¾ cup sour cream
- 16 ounces egg noodles
Instructions
- Mix flour, salt, and pepper.
- Trim fat from meat. Rub meat with flour mixture. Tenderize, then cut meat into 1- by 1½-inch strips.
- Using a Dutch oven, brown meat in hot margarine. Add onions and water. Stir. Add mushrooms and soup. Stir. Cook, uncovered, over low heat until meat is tender (about 20 minutes). In a separate pot, boil water for noodles, timing so noodles and stroganoff finish together.
- Add sour cream just before serving. Allow sour cream to get hot, but do not boil.
- Serve over cooked, drained egg noodles.
