Beef Stroganoff – a great way to use up leftover meat from a Sunday roast

Beef Stroganoff from the Hairy Dieters ticks so many boxes. Any meal with steak feels like a treat, you can have this on the table in under 20 minutes and for less than 300 calories per portion if you enjoy it on its own without rice.

Personally, if serving this between 3 people I don’t think you need to add a rice or mash accompaniment, but if serving between 4 you will need something else to bulk it out with – I’ve had it with some mashed carrots before which did the job. If you’re looking to save on costs (as I was in this instance), why not make this with leftover meat from a joint of beef after a Sunday dinner. It’s a great way to make your budget stretch further and will still taste the business.

Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

Calories: 269 calories per portion (if serving 3); 202 calories per portion (if serving 4)

Serves: 3-4

Book: Hairy Dieters – Eat for Life

Prep time: Approx 10 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 10 minutes

Ingredients: 1 large sirloin steak (about 350g), 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 250g chestnut mushrooms (wiped and sliced), 2 medium onions (halved and cut into thin wedges), 300ml cold water plus 1 tbsp, 1 beef stock cube (Oxo is great for this), 2 tsp cornflour, 3 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche, freshly chopped flatleaf parsley to garnish, flaked sea salt, ground black pepper

Cost per portion: Approx £3.46 (if serving 3), £2.60 (if serving 4)

Method: Trim all the fat off the steak and slice it on a slight diagonal into long strips about 5mm thick. Season well with flaked sea salt and ground black pepper.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok and stir-fry the mushrooms and onions over a high heat for 5 minutes until softened and well browned. The colour will add lots of flavour but make sure they don’t burn! Transfer the mushrooms and onions to a plate using a slotted spoon. Add the steak strips to the pan and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until nicely browned but not cooked through. Transfer the meat to another plate.

Pour the 300ml of cold water into the pan and bring it to the boil. Crumble the stock cube into the boiling water and simmer for a minute, stirring. Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of cold water until smooth and stir the mixture into the stock. Simmer for 30 seconds, stirring.

Put the mushrooms and onions back in the pan and continue to simmer for a minute until the sauce has thickened. Add the crème fraiche and when the sauce has combined, put the beef back in the pan and cook for a few seconds more until hot, while stirring.

Scatter with the fresh parsley and serve with small portions of freshly cooked rice.