Rachael Ray’s Stroganoff Casserole
Classic comfort food from the queen of quick meals.
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Rachael Ray is the queen of quick and efficient meals, but she also manages to make them incredibly tasty. Case in point – her Beef Stroganoff Casserole. Her recipe takes a classic comfort food dish and does it one better by transforming it into casserole while staying true to all the components that make it so good in the first place. Full of tender egg noodles, savory beef and mushrooms in an herbed sour cream sauce, and the genius addition of rye breadcrumbs, it’s a casserole that tastes familiar and totally new all at once.
This has everything you know and love about beef stroganoff plus the comfort of a baked casserole. In short, there’s even more to love about it. The base is ground beef and mushrooms that are sauteed with garlic, shallots, and a little sherry before they meet some heavy cream and sour cream and get tossed together with egg noodles and a bounty of fresh herbs. It’s not quite as creamy as a skillet stroganoff, but it hits all the right notes. (And some extra ones.)
My favorite addition here is the breadcrumbs. You can use rye or pumpernickel bread to make them – either impart great flavor – and then you toss them with melted butter and shredded gruyere. That mixture forms a crispy golden blanket over the top of the casserole and while it’s not a flavor that generally accompanies a stroganoff, it tastes as if it was always meant to be there.
Rachael’s original recipe doesn’t include baking times or instructions for making breadcrumbs so we’ve added those in to make the process a little clearer. Even without those additions, it’s a simple casserole to make, and one where an extra minute here or an extra pinch of something there doesn’t negatively affect the final outcome.
Rachael Ray's Stroganoff Casserole
Yield(s): Serves 4
15m prep time
30m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) bag extra-wide egg noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped (such as chives, dill, and parsley)
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 12 oz white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
For the breadcrumbs:
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 cups rye or pumpernickel breadcrumbs
- 1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For serving:
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped (such as chives, dill, and parsley)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the noodles two minutes less than package directions indicate. Drain and toss with the 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
- While pasta cooks, make the beef and mushrooms:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat half of the olive oil, then add ground beef and brown, seasoning with salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Remove beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining olive oil to the pan, then add mushrooms. Cook until starting to brown, then add shallots, garlic, thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots of have softened, about 3 minutes, then stir in sherry or wine and let cool until nearly evaporated.
- Add stock and let simmer 5 minutes, then stir in heavy cream and sour cream.
- Add beef back to skillet, stir to combine, then remove from heat.
- Stir noodle into beef mixture, then transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Toss breadcrumbs with melted butter and gruyere and sprinkle over casserole. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with fresh herbs, if desired. Enjoy!
- Note: To make breadcrumbs: Cut crusts from bread and place on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes. Flip and cook 5 minutes more. Let cool to the touch and process in a food processor or place in a zip-top bag and crush, if coarser crumbs are desired.
Recipe adapted from the Rachael Ray Show.