Ready When You Are — Quick & Easy Slow-Cooker Stroganoff

This delicious Slow-Cooker Stroganoff recipe makes dinner EASY... After a day of playing out in the cold snow with your family, it’s literally “comfort in a bowl.” A big thanks to Reames® Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles for sponsoring today’s recipe.

For me, the cold of Wisconsin winters is both exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.

As I walk in the back door after a day on the slopes with my family, one whiff of the delicious smell coming from the slow cooker in the kitchen warms up our frozen bodies a solid 20 degrees in mere seconds.

My two girls stand in the middle of the kitchen, stripping off layers of ski gear, murmuring variations of…

“It smells soooOOOooo good in here.”
“I’m hungry!” and
“Mom, when’s dinner?”

I'm already filling a pot with water to make the Reames® Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles. The “return” on the 20 minutes of my time spent this morning prepping this Slow-Cooker Stroganoff recipe is high — it's so lovely returning to a home-cooked meal after a long winter day of family fun.

Certain recipes just seem to warm your very soul in the winter.

Now, I admit, that may sound a bit cliché... but unless you live where the temps get positively FRIGID (like here in Wisconsin), it’s hard to articulate that cozy-from-the-inside-out feeling of warming up after spending the day out in the brisk chill of winter.

For me, Slow-Cooker Stroganoff with big, hearty, homemade egg noodles is one of those tasty winter staples that does JUST THAT. I so look forward to coming home to big batch of it each year...

You see, my childhood was FULL of amazing, authentic German recipes, often accompanied by homemade egg noodles. My Grandma Gertrude was magnificent in the kitchen. She never used written recipes; she'd confidently add a scoop of this, a dash of that, and simply adjust the recipe as she went along.

Her homemade egg noodles were Ahh-mazing. Comparing my Oma’s egg noodles with store-bought, dried noodles from a box is... well, let’s just say, there is no comparison!

Sadly, I’ve never quite been able to master the art of noodle making myself.

That’s why I did a private, freak-out “happy dance” the first time I saw Reames® Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles in the freezer aisle at the grocery store. I knew these thick, homestyle noodles were going to be Ahh-mazing when I saw that they’re made with the same three simple ingredients that my Oma used — flour, eggs, and water.

The first time I tried Reames® Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles, they took me back to my Grandma Gertrude’s kitchen. That’s no small thing. 

These seriously hearty egg noodles stand up perfectly in winter comfort foods like stews, soups, and (of course)… Slow-Cooker Stroganoff. Imagine slow-simmered beef in a thick, delicious sauce on top of hearty Homestyle Egg Noodles.

Your home is about to smell Ahh-mazing, too.

This Slow-Cooker Stroganoff recipe requires you to sauté a few things on the front end, but I promise it’s worth the effort. Here’s what you’ll need to begin...

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Let’s get started...

STEP 1: Preheat your slow cooker. Just pop it on high while you’re dicing the onions, cutting the mushrooms, and prepping the meat.

STEP 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. It’s crucial that the pan has been thoroughly preheated to ensure a nice, brown searing. Sear the meat undisturbed for 2 to 5 minutes, allowing a crunchy, brown crust to form. Then, continue to cook until lightly browned on all sides before setting the meat aside.

Mom-to-Mom Tip: When prepping this dish, I diced the onions small so my husband can’t tell they’re in there. Then, I don’t cut the mushrooms any smaller than quartered so my picky daughter can easily pop ’em out. You may be asking yourself: “What’s Beef Stroganoff without mushrooms?” She’d reply, “Delicious.” Cest la vie... Kids.

STEP 3: Using the same pan, add a dab of butter and sauté the mushrooms and onions until they’re lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and thyme to the pan. Stir, then take a moment to enjoy the fragrance!

Transfer the sautéed mushrooms and onions to the slow cooker. Place the seared beef, cut into 2-inch chunks, on top of the sautéed mix.

STEP 4: Add the beef broth, soy, and Worcestershire sauce to the hot pan, along with a gravy packet. (To keep things simple, I like to use a store-bought gravy packet. If you can rock a standard roux, go for it!) Whisk it all together, and add it to the slow cooker.

Reduce the temp from high to low and cook for 6 to 10 hours. (The sauce will thicken with time.)

BONUS STEP: Go out and have some winter fun... Hit the slopes. Put on your snowshoes. Lace-up those ice skates. Grab the sleds. Enjoy the day together outside, knowing a delicious, hot, home-cooked meal will be waiting for you when you return!

STEP 5: When it’s time for dinner, simply prep the Reames® Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles, set out your dishes, and prepare to be basked in endless smiles and compliments!

We like to serve this Slow-Cooker Stroganoff two different ways, depending on the day:

1. If it’s just the four of us eating dinner together (and we anticipate leftovers), we serve the noodles and the gravy-covered meat separate. With this approach, we can eat the leftovers the next day or freeze them for another week’s dinner altogether. (To serve, simply thaw, heat, and make a fresh batch of Reames® Frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles. Dinner couldn’t get any easier!)

2. When we have guests or are hosting extended family, we serve everything together. We throw the slow cooker on the warm setting, put out dishes and silverware, and create a buffet-style line for dinner. Everything stays warm and fresh when people come back for seconds! (And, trust me, they WILL come back…)

When your family devours and then oohs-and-ahhs over this Slow-Cooker Stroganoff recipe, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world!

Here in the Midwest, we get some epic winter storms. In fact, we’re scheduled to get 3–5 inches of snow tomorrow. It will be our first significant snowfall, and we can’t wait for the ski season to begin! (By the way... If you’re a ski family, too, make sure to tell your non-ski friends you want more snow; it drives them up the wall.)

Our snowy-white forecast this week—and this hearty Slow-Cooker Stroganoff recipe—reminded me that…

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate gear.

Knowing that my girls will walk in the door after a fun day on the snow, announcing, “Yuh-uh-ummy” and “It smells SO GOOD in here,” brings me great joy.

Here’s to winter adventures, comfort food, and the warmth of being home with your loved ones.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Reames®. This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”