Drunken Round Steak

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m on a real comfort food kick lately and this weekend was no exception. We’re getting bombarded with snow right now, so what better way to spend time inside than cooking up a warm and comforting dish of round steak and noodles?

It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything with round steak but since it was part of the side of beef we recently purchased, I have a few of them on hand that I need to get creative with.  Braising is perfect for it, but I wanted to change it up and make something I could serve with noodles or rice. I trimmed the beef and sliced it, and then tossed it in some flour before browning it. Then I threw in some garlic, onion, mushrooms, red and yellow bell peppers and then some beer (hence the “drunken” part of this recipe) to make a gravy. After about an hour-long simmer, the results were delicious. This is an amped-up recipe version of beef tips with noodles and it’s packed with heartiness and flavor.

It may not make for the prettiest of photos, but sometimes flavor trumps food porn.

Round Steak with Peppers, Mushrooms, and Onions over Noodles Recipe

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. round steak, trimmed of bone and fat and cut into 1-2 inch strips (save those extra parts for beef broth!)
• salt and pepper for seasoning steak, plus extra if needed
• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used unbleached whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup oil (I used a non-GMO sunflower oil but most types of oil will work here)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped (don’t mince it – you want it chunky so it doesn’t burn)
• 1 medium onion, cut in half at the root end and sliced
• 1-2 bell peppers, preferably red, orange or yellow, sliced
• 8 large mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bottle of beer or 1 /1/2 cups stock
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 lb. cooked pasta or egg noodles (I used Buitoni fresh linguine)
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)

Season beef strips with about a teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper. Toss in flour to coat.

Cook pasta and drain. Return to pan and add butter. Toss well and cover until ready to use.

Heat oil n a large, deep-sided skillet. Add beef strips in 2 portions and brown well. Set beef aside and add the garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms to the pan. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add half of the beer or stock and stir well, scraping up all of the crispy bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the beef to the pan, add the red pepper flakes (if adding) and the remaining beer or stock. Stir well. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour or until the beef is incredibly tender, stirring a couple of times during cooking time. Taste and season with more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Pour beef mixture over buttered noodles and serve immediately.

Notes: As mentioned, you do not have to use beer here – stock will work just as well. You could use chicken stock for a lighter flavor or beef stock for a beefier flavor; even vegetable stock would work. Also, the butter adds a beautiful richness to this but can certainly be omitted.  When I make comfort food, I go all in, but you can modify as needed.

I will warn you that after initially cooking the beef, it will look like one big hot mess in your pan, but don’t despair…once you add the beer or stock and scrape and stir it all together, your gravy will form. If you prefer more gravy, you can add more beer or stock accordingly.

Noodles or rice? Totally your preference. I happen to prefer noodles but it’s your call. Either way this is a delicious round steak recipe!

Also, don’t be afraid to try other veggies in this – broccoli, leeks, and greens would all be great substitutions or additions, depending on your taste.

Happy snow days everyone!