The other day, while watching TV, Amy and I saw someone prepare a mouth-watering Beef Stroganoff. We got really excited about making our own diet-friendly version of it, but then we realized that neither of us had ever made it before. However, we accepted the challenge and put together a new recipe. Finally, we were able to indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our carefully crafted beef stroganoff. After thorough research and planning, we have created a dish that boasts a creamy, tangy, and peppery flavor while also being mindful of calories. With every bite, you'll be delighted by the burst of flavor and feel completely satisfied.
Beef Stroganoff on a diet!!
I totally get it - certain foods can be a real obstacle when it comes to reaching our weight loss goals. We don't want to eliminate any foods, but it's no secret that chowing down on a whole big bucket of fried chicken isn't exactly going to do us any favors. We think it's important to have what you're craving, but make it fit into your health goals.
For us, right now, comfort food is a must! We're currently in the midst of purchasing a new house, we've been traveling quite a bit to determine where we'd like to live. When we finally return home, we find ourselves looking for comforting dishes and cozying up to talk about the various homes we've just viewed. By the way, we have narrowed down our search and know we need snow, snow, and more snow, a nice yard (at least an acre), and we are thinking about a place with a large building where we can maybe start a dog boarding business. We would love to offer a caring, safe place for pets while their owners are out of town, like a dog vacation resort. Also, we would love to help service members by taking care of their dogs while they're deployed.
****As an update, since this post was published, we have moved and settled into our home in North East Ohio. We absolutely love it, the dogs absolutely love it, and we get A LOT of snow! It's perfect! Unfortunately, we weren't able to start a dog boarding business....Yet. ****
Comfort food obstacles and how to overcome them.
When you feel the need for comfort food, it's important to consider the additional calories that come with it. However, many of these calories can be removed without compromising the dish's iconic flavor. For example, you can eliminate butter and substitute it with a smaller amount of olive oil. This simple switch can often save a significant amount of calories.
During our travels, we've had plenty of time to rethink the traditional Beef Stroganoff recipe and create a comforting meal to enjoy when we're back home. We discussed it, wrote it down, removed various ingredients, made substitutions, and finally came up with this perfect recipe.
How we came up with this lower calorie beef stroganoff.
During our research of Beef Stroganoff recipes, we tried to get an idea of what traditional stroganoff generally entails. Several recipes called for the addition of tomato sauce and ketchup. However, my personal preference leans away from ketchup, I really only use it for two purposes: incorporating it into meatloaf and pairing it with French fries (sometimes!). So, we had no desire to use it or any tomato products in this recipe. Instead, we wanted the dish to showcase the robust and hearty flavor of the beef.
As we were trying to give the traditional beef stroganoff a makeover, and boy, did it turn out delicious; we noticed that most recipes call for ¼ to ½ cup of butter, but we questioned whether it was really necessary in beef stroganoff. We concluded that it wasn't and decided to cut the butter and use a small amount of olive oil instead. We also swapped the full-fat sour cream for a mix of low-fat and fat-free options. Don’t worry; even with changes, the stroganoff keeps its creamy texture and is packed with flavor. Plus, we managed to cut out a whopping 814 calories by reducing the butter. Trust us, you won't even notice the difference in this revamped version - it's just as tasty as ever!
Best served over noodles
This recipe is lower in calories but has so much flavor. We had it over homemade noodles. Ever since Santa brought Amy several different pasta attachments for her precious kitchen aid (I'm not allowed to touch it!) Amy is trying to make the "perfect" homemade pasta. I think it already tastes amazing, but if she wants to keep trying... I'm more than happy to keep eating it! I get to sit back with a glass of wine and watch her get flour all over the counter, the dogs, her wine glass, the ceiling (one time), and herself! We have been experimenting with different flavors, too. I think next time we make this, we'll try black pepper pasta with this recipe. Stay tuned for even more of Amy's adventures in pasta making... I AM NOT paying for her to go to Italy to learn! Well, maybe if I go too!
Please let us know in the comments below what you think and if you made any fun changes to the recipe.
Looking for more recipe options? We have some suggestions you might enjoy:
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry - A lighter version of the classic take-out dishes
- Orange Beef Stir Fry - Thinly sliced beef and carrots are stir-fried with garlic and ginger and then coated in a savory tangy sauce.
- How to get the most out of corned beef leftovers - If you need any ideas for leftovers, we have you covered.
- Healthy and Delicious Black Beans - Incredibly easy to make healthy and flavorful black beans! Perfect for burritos, dips, nachos, taquitos, and more!
- Homemade Corned Beef Hash - A savory brunch or breakfast everyone will love.
Creamy, Tasty, and Healthier Beef Stroganoff
A Few Things We Use
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Sirloin Steak
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion Chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic Minced
- 8 Ounces Mushrooms Sliced
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 2 Beef Bouillon cubes
- ¾ Cup Low Fat Sour Cream
- ¾ Cup Fat-Free Sour Cream
Instructions
- Cut steak into strips or bite-size chunks—season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add the chopped onions, minced garlic, and sliced mushrooms.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt on the onions and mushrooms. Continue to saute until the onions are soft—about 5 minutes. Remove onions and mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
- Add the steak to the same pan the onions and mushrooms were cooked in and saute until cooked.
- When the steak is done, add Worcester sauce and dry mustard. Stir and cook for an additional minute.
- Add beef broth, bouillon cubes, and the cooked onions and mushroom mixture to the steak. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Make sure the bouillon cubes are dissolved and mixed through.
- Temper the sour cream. In a bowl, combine the low-fat and fat-free sour creams. Mix a couple of large spoonfuls of the beef sauce into the sour cream. This will keep the sour cream from breaking.
- Stir the tempered sour cream sauce into the steak, onion/mushroom mixture. Remove from heat and continue stirring until combined.
- Serve over egg noodles.
- Enjoy this with a nice glass of Red Wine
Please let us know what you think