Meatless Monday: Mushroom Stroganoff

Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

I know, I know, I told the husband when we jumped on the Meatless Monday bandwagon it wasn't going to be pasta meal after pasta meal, and here we are two weeks in a row eating pasta for dinner Monday night. But I just couldn't help myself. I got a new cookbook for my birthday (thank you, Mama!) and this dish just looked too good to pass up. Plus, we're in the midst of a tornado warning here, and I just wanted a good ol' comforting meal. (Don't worry, I'm working off a battery, and Chance has taken cover beside my feet under the dining room table. We're good.)






I've recently become a lover of mushrooms. I like them in salads, on pizza, in casseroles, on hamburgers, you get my point. So when I saw this recipe in my new Cooking Light cookbook, I just had to make it. Lucky for me, the husband was willing to give it a try. Of course I thought it sounded amazing, but just in case it didn't taste amazing, I thought it'd be best to cut the four servings down to two. (No need to make leftovers no one is going to want to eat!) 

And although the husband eats mushrooms, he doesn't always love them as much as me. The recipe called for 5 (4-ounce) packages of mushrooms. Doesn't that sound like a lot?Cutting this in half still left me with 10 ounces of mushrooms, which sounded edible to me, but I thought it'd be best not to scare the husband away. I cut the mushrooms down to about 6 ounces, and I think that perfectly suited the man of the house. He ate all of his mushrooms except three, asking if I'd like to finish his share and saying he didn't mind the mushrooms, he just would have preferred them sliced even thinner. Oy. 

So notes for next time: Slice the mushrooms thinner, throw in a few more mushrooms for the mushroom-lover in the house and know that the milk mixture is going to take at least 5 or 6 minutes to thicken up - not three as the recipe stated. Overall, though, this recipe was good, and it'll definitely be making a Meatless reappearance. I just hope I'll be creative enough to find vegetarian-friendly dishes the next couple of weeks that aren't based on pasta.

Mushroom Stroganoff
Varies slightly from Cooking Light's version; made to serve 2

1 3/4 cups uncooked whole wheat egg noodles
6 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
mixed-up salt, to taste

Cook the egg noodles in a pot of boiling water.

While the egg noodles cook, spray a large skillet with cooking spray and brown the mushrooms and onions, stirring frequently about 10 minutes.

While the mushroom mixture cooks, put the flour in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth. Add in the sherry, butter, salt and pepper. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until the mixture has slightly thickened.

Drain the pasta; stir the sauce and pasta into the mushroom mixture. Add in the sour cream and stir to combine. Enjoy!

Cooking Light's version, which uses regular egg noodles, more mushrooms, 2% milk and light butter, yields:
393 calories, 12 g fat, 55.2 g protein, 3.5 g fiber, 15 g protein