Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ground Beef Stroganoff is the perfect comfort food style dinner with beef and noodles cooked in a creamy sauce with melted cheddar cheese.

December 5th is National Comfort Food Day! Celebrate by making something that feels like comfort food to you. I suggest making this Ground Beef Stroganoff, but you might also be interested in whipping up Meatball Subs, Classic Cheese Pizza, Macaroni and Cheese or Fried Chicken! Or go to your favorite southern-style restaurant and order up the best comfort food on the menu.

Share your comfort food on social media today using the hashtags #NationalComfortFoodDay, #ComfortFoodDay and #RecipesForHolidays.

Be sure to follow my December Food Holidays page so you never miss a food holiday in the month of December!

“Comfort food is the food that makes us feel good- satisfied, calm, cared-for and carefree. It’s food that fills us up emotionally and physically. Finding comfort in food is a basic human experience.”

-Ellie Krieger

The History of Comfort Food:

‘Comfort Food’ is  food that gives emotional comfort and provides a nostalgic or sentimental feeling to the person eating it. It’s usually prepared in a traditional way and reminds the person of her childhood, home, family and friends.

The term comfort food has been traced back at least to 1966, when the Palm Beach Post used it in a story: “Adults, when under severe emotional stress, turn to what could be called ‘comfort food’—food associated with the security of childhood, like mother’s poached egg or famous chicken soup.”

In the 1970’s, favorite comfort foods included potatoes and chicken soup. Over the years, comfort food favorites have transitioned to sweets as well.

Comfort food cookbooks began emerging in the 1980’s. Popular cookbook author Ina Garten published her Modern Comfort Food cookbook in 2020.

In 2020, consumption of comfort food surged when Americans became nervous about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ingredients needed:

• ground beef
• salt and pepper
• onion
• garlic
• unsalted butter
• all purpose flour
• beef broth
• sour cream
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dijon mustard
• frozen peas
• cheddar cheese
• egg noodles

How to make Ground Beef Stroganoff:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef for 2 minutes, using a spatula to break up the meat. Add the onions and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the beef is browned and the onions have softened. Spoon out any accumulated grease and discard.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beef broth in splashes, stirring continuously with a silicone spatula to deglaze the skillet. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream with 1 cup of the warm broth and stir until smooth and combined.
5. Add the sour cream mixture to the skillet along with the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, frozen peas and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.

Let the sauce simmer on low while you boil the pasta for 1 minute less than the package instructions. Drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and gently stir to combine.

This recipe comes from The Cozy Cookbook by Stephanie Melchione. It’s a fabulous book filled with great comfort-food style recipes, and it’s one you should add to your cookbook shelf!

Fun Facts about Comfort Food:

• According to a research by April White at JSTOR, it might have been Liza Minnelli who used the term for the first time in its modern meaning in an interview, admitting to craving a hamburger.
• American’s favorite “sweet” comfort food is ice cream.
• Favorite savory comfort food items include fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, French fries and pasta.
• Eating comfort food releases neurotransmitters that make us happy, physically stimulating our brain’s reward system. Some studies show that when you eat comfort foods, your body releases feel-good hormones like dopamine. That is why comfort food cravings are most prevalent when you’re feeling depressed.