Quite some time back I created a delicious gourmet mushroom soup using button mushrooms. I based this recipe on the sauce that I created for the soup, with just a few shake-ups in the ingredient list as well as the amounts to add to the recipe.

My inspiration was actually seeing four button mushrooms which were at their peak - just sitting in the crisper bin of the refrigerator. Another day and they would have started to lose quality.

Great Recipe for Using Up Leftovers in a Healthy Way

I also had a container of light sour cream which needed to be used, so I took that out of the fridge and reached up into the freezer to remove a lean piece of beef that was about the size of my hand. We don't like a lot of beef in our meals, so we use it very infrequently and when we do use it, it's in minimal amounts. However, if you're a beef lover, use freely as long as it's free of visible fat and the meat doesn't have a marbled appearance.

Opt for Lean Proteins

Several cuts should work well in this recipe from round steak to tenderized beef steaks to stew meat. Just be sure to cut into bite-sized pieces for the recipe.

If you don't want to use beef, then lean chicken will also work very well in this recipe.

Preparation Directions

Begin by spraying a non-stick pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Or you can use a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil if you wish.

Add 1/2 cup of chopped celery, bell peppers and onions to the pan and cook until they clarify. I used a frozen tri-mix of these vegetables which saved prep time.

Add the lean beef chunks. While they are browning, cook two servings of your favorite pasta(noodles, bowtie, spiral)  in the microwave.

I rarely measure pasta and water content. I simply fill a bowl with water 1/2 way to the rim, then boil in the microwave. Next, I carefully add the noodles so that at least an inch of water covers them. Then I return to the microwave for about 10 minutes. They always come out perfect.

I cleaned and sliced the button mushrooms to a very thin state and then added them to the skillet.

Now that the beef has browned, add about a cup of water to the pan and stir the ingredients around in the pan.

Also add 1 teaspoon of ground paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, a couple of shots of soy sauce, cracked pepper and two beef bouillon cubes.

Because bouillon is used, we don't want to add anymore salt until we taste the final dish. If it's too salty, it will be basically impossible to rectify - and the bouillon should contain sufficient salt for the recipe.

When the beef is fully done, transfer the drained noodles to the pan and stir to incorporate all of the ingredients. Be sure that the beef bouillon has dissolved into the juices of the pan before adding the pasta.

Cut off the fire, and then add 1/2 cup of reduced fat sour cream. Stir to incorporate. Be sure to cut the fire as the sour cream can curdle if the heat is too high.

Serve with crusty bread and light, reduced fat margarine. This entire recipe contains less than 600 calories and feeds 3-4 people generously.

The Recipe Ingredients

The central ingredients for this recipe are: beef, noodles, pepper, 2 bouillon cubes, onions and sour cream. The remaining ingredients can be optional. Next Page 

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