It’s 2026, and I’m decluttering, with some attention to old recipes. Here’s one that I recorded over 40 years ago, and I cannot recall the last time I made it - although I made it now and will put it back into rotation. So good! That could in part be because we don’t eat a lot of meat, and when we do, it’s more likely to be chicken or pork - not beef. Nonetheless, we always liked Beef Stroganoff and loved this recipe using ground beef - more affordable than good-quality beef tenderloin. (If you are keen on such a recipe, try this - James Beard’s recipe from Saveur.) I have absolutely no idea about the recipe source - and what parts are personal tweaks. Prep everything ahead, and this comes together in about half an hour. You’ll end up with about 28 one-inch meatballs; serve with rice or pasta.
Getting Ready - what you need
ground meat; the original recipe says ground beef, but it works with ground pork or BPV (a combo of ground beef, pork and veal sold at my grocery store); I bet this would also be fine with ground chicken or turkey.
buy breadcrumbs (or make your own)
Italian flat-leaf parsley - chop ahead to save time
mushrooms - 1/4 - 1/2 lb (227 g) cremini
butter and seasonings
good quality Hungarian sweet paprika
worcestershire sauce
sour cream
stock/bouillon - beef, if using ground beef (or chicken is ok)
This comes together quickly, so have everything ready (e.g. onions chopped, mushrooms sliced, flour and seasonings measured)
Time-Saver - mix and shape the meatballs and refrigerate for several hours before cooking; prep/slice mushrooms
1 lb ground beef (or pork or beef/veal/pork)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 TB finely chopped parsley
1 egg
Mix all the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Shape into 1” balls - use a cookie scoop to help with that if you wish. You’ll end up with about 28 meatballs.
Although I’ve used the term “meatballs”, cooking these is easier if you only have to flip them once, so consider flattening them ever so slightly into patties.
Refrigerate these if you are prepping ahead.
3 TB butter - In a fry pan, melt the butter and add all the meatballs. On medium heat, brown on both sides, flipping once or twice. Be sure to avoid burning them - that will spoil the entire dish. This may only take 10-15 minutes. Pull it off the heat if it starts to burn.
Remove meatballs and set aside until after next steps.
1-2 TB butter
1 medium onion, diced fine
1/4 - 1/2 lb sliced cremini mushrooms
2 TB flour
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 cup beef broth
I use 1/2 lb of mushrooms, sliced fairly thin - though you can also leave the slices thicker. Once you have removed the meatballs, add butter and melt before adding the diced onions. Cook them until translucent. Then add the mushrooms and cook just until they begin to soften.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for a minute. Add the paprika and continue stirring. Add the stock slowly at first (to avoid lumps) and then add it all, stirring constantly as the sauce forms. Aim for a gentle simmer and avoid a full boil.
(This recipe is so old it calls for “consommé” - not stock/broth.)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
Stir in the sour cream and the Worcestershire sauce. Add salt/pepper to taste.
Return the meatballs to the sauce and reheat them - without boiling.
Serve right away over rice or noodles, with a dollop of sour cream. It will look appetizing, but not so much once it begins to cool in the cooking pan (or serving dish). You can fix this with a quick stir. If reheating the next day, you’ll need to add a bit of liquid to freshen up the sauce - this can be water, sour cream, milk, broth, etc. On low heat, cover the pan with a lid to help the meatballs warm up more quickly.
Notes and Tips...
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