War has long had an interesting effect on food cultures in America. Who would have thought that a dish featured in an 1871 Russian cookbook would find it’s way to China and, thanks to GI’s returning home after WWII, to the shores of the U.S. on its way to becoming one of the more iconic dishes of 1950’s America?
Beef Stroganoff is a dish with many variants, typically consisting of cubes or strips of beef, onions, mushrooms braised in sauce and finished with sour cream. Usually, you’ll see it served over egg noodles. It’s something that, at one time, was exotic, but that, by now, most of us have grown up with.
In our house, we don’t eat a lot of beef, so, often, I’ll work to remake some of these classics using other proteins. Since, for me, this dish has always been about the mushroom flavor and the creaminess, it wasn’t hard to substitute cubed turkey breast for the beef and to really focus in on the mushrooms.
Since I also don’t have a ton of time every night to chop, dice, and slice my way to dinner early enough to feed everyone between school and evening practices and meetings, that slow cooker comes in pretty handy. So I start very simply with a bed of mushrooms and onions. Just to add some different flavors, I make sure to include sliced baby bellas and shitakes along with a pile of white button mushrooms.
I top those with cubed turkey breast…
…and pour my sauce right on top.
After 8 hours on low, I stir in some sour cream and it’s all ready to go. When I get home, I can quickly bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in a bag of egg noodles while I get the kids settled down and ready for the evening. I scoop a serving over the noodles and top with a little extra sour cream.
What is your favorite iconic dish from this era? Leave a comment and share your story!
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 turkey breasts, cut into 1" cubes
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup sour cream, plus more for garnish
- chopped parsley, for garnish
- egg noodles, for serving
- Add sliced mushrooms and onions to a 5-6 qt. slow cooker. Top with cubed turkey breasts.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the soup, stock, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour over the turkey, mushrooms, and onions. Heat on LOW for 8 hours.
- Before serving, stir in the sour cream to combine with the sauce and prepare egg noodles according to package directions.
- To serve, spoon a scoop of Stroganoff over a plate of egg noodles. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Enjoy!
[…] Slow Cooker Turkey Stroganoff by This Cookin’ Dad […]