Fast Beef Recipes. - Quick as a Burger but a Lot More Interesting

This may seem a highly irregular stroganoff – no paprika, no noodles – but I think you’ll get over it and really enjoy this more-Italian than Hungarian version.

1 & 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 portobello mushroom caps, gills removed, halved and thickly sliced
1/2 lb ground beef
Salt and pepper
4 cups chicken broth
One 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup tiny pasta, such as ditalini
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots, onion and oregano; cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are softened and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 more minutes and transfer to a medium bowl.

Add the beef to the pot and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until browned, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Combine the vegetable mixture, chicken broth and tomatoes with the meat, then stir in the pasta and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the pasta is tender, 10 to 12 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the sour cream (just like “regular” stroganoff).

Be sure to slice the beef very thin or the few minutes of “wokking” won’t be enough to tenderize this relatively cheap cut of steak. Now, if you want to be sure it’s “melt-in-your-mouth” tender, spend twice as much and get tenderloin; personally, I’ll take my chances with sirloin.

1 lb sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp canola or peanut oil, divided
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Place beef in a glass bowl. Combine sugar, 2 Tbsp oil, soy sauce, pepper, onions, garlic and sesame seeds. Pour over beef and toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

In a skillet or, preferably, a wok, heat remaining oil over high heat; add beef and marinade. Stir-fry until beef is browned. Serve immediately over rice or noodles.

A while ago I gave you a stroganoff recipe that takes almost half-an-hour; not bad, but this one should only take about 15 minutes! Maybe the other has a few more flavors but when you're really short of time try this one.

1 lb ground round steak
2/3 cup water
3 oz mushrooms, canned
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp flour, all-purpose
1 12-oz package wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

Boil your noodles about 8-12 minutes until al dente - don't you ever make mooshy pasta!

While the noodles cook, brown the beef in a large skillet with a little canola oil. Add water and mushrooms; stir in onion soup mix and heat to boiling.

Meanwhile, blend sour cream and flour, and add to the hot mixture. Stir to combine and thicken.

That was so quick you may have to wait for the noodles to finish.

If you aren't familiar with this sort of licorice or anise-flavored veggie, I think this easy recipe will provide a terrific introduction.

2 pounds sirloin steak, 3/4-inch thick and cut into 4 pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme

Heat grill to medium-high. Season the steak with salt and pepper to taste and grill to your desired done-ness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, gently toss the fennel with oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes; transfer back to the bowl.

Health concerns aside, 90% lean ground beef can be a little tasteless. But in this recipe there are enough flavoring agents that you won’t miss the other 10 or 20% fat content that makes for a great hamburger. This is NOT a hamburger, it’s a “steak”!

12 oz 90%-lean ground beef
3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp hoisin sauce, divided
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 tsp canola oil, divided
4 bunches watercress, trimmed
1/2 cup seasoned rice wine

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat the broiler. Coat a broiler pan and rack with cooking spray.

Mix beef, bell pepper, scallions, breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce and ginger in a medium bowl until just combined. Form the mixture into 4 oval patties and place on the broiler-pan rack. Brush the tops of the patties with oil. Broil, flipping once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat, add watercress and cook, stirring often, until just wilted, 1 to 3 minutes. Divide it among 4 plates.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add rice wine and the rest of the hoisin sauce. Stir until smooth, bubbling and slightly reduced, about a minute.

Finally, place the steaks on the watercress and drizzle with the wonderful pan sauce. What a dish you've made!

"Almost" because it doesn't have cumin or chili powder and because it does have pork & beans and ketchup (or do you say, "catsup"). I think you'll like this a lot but don't expect "chili" even if it looks like it.

1-1/2 lb ground beef
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
1 can (16 oZ) baked beans
1 can (15 oZ) navy beans, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup A-1 or other steak sauce
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Someone told me that, in Italian, gorgonzola means “smelly-socks-you-wore-all-day”. I didn’t believe him until I opened the package of cheese. But don’t be afraid; once you grill them these burgers smell fine and really taste great.

1-1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (4 oz)
1/3 cup snipped dried oil-pack tomatoes
1 Tbsp snipped fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
6 sourdough rolls, split and toasted
Sliced red onions
Sliced tomatoes

Combine beef, 3/4 cup of the Gorgonzola cheese, all but 1 Tbsp of the snipped dried tomatoes, the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Shape mixture into 6 patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Place burger patties on the lightly oiled rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat. Grill for 14 to 18 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 160 F, flipping once once halfway through grilling.

Remove burgers from grill. Top with remaining Gorgonzola (?) and snipped dried tomatoes. Serve on toasted rye or sourdough rolls with sliced red onions and tomatoes.

Sorry about the canned soup but we do use REAL mushrooms. You do want “quick and easy”,don’t you?

1 (10%-oz) can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 to 1&1/2 lb cubed sirloin steaks
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 (8-oz) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Whisk together soup and next 3 ingredients until smooth; set aside.

Sprinkle 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper evenly over steaks. Stir together remaining salt, pepper, and flour in a shallow dish. Dredge steaks in flour mixture.

Fry steaks in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side. Remove steaks, reserving drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms and thyme, and saute 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Stir reserved soup mixture into mushroom mixture in skillet; cook 1 minute, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Bring to a boil (if you don’t have a boil a pimple will do – Just kidding AGAIN), and return steaks to skillet. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until done.

Why “Argentine”? It’s the sauce: chimichurri is the basic grilling sauce in Argentina. This recipe assumes you can’t find chimichurri sauce in a bottle. Even if you can, make your own anyway; it’s a lot cheaper.

1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsn sea salt or coarse salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
6 of your favorite buns or rolls, split and toasted
Sliced tomatoes and onions as garnish

Create the chimichurri in your blender, combining the cumin, cilantro, parsley, vinegar, red pepper,and salt. Blend on lowest speed, slowly adding the oil.

Squoosh (=to mix with your hands) the 1/4 tp salt, and the ground red pepper into the ground beef in a large mixing bowl. Shape into 12 patties, then spoon about 1 Tbsp of the chimichurri onto the center of each of 6 patties. Top with remaining patties and pinch the edges to seal.

Place burger patties on the lightly oiled rack of the grill directly over medium heat and grill for about 20 minutes turning once halfway through.

Brush rolls with some of the chimichurri sauce. Top with burgers, the rest of the sauce, and tomatoes and onions.

I'd call these burritos but with one end open that would be incorrect. So it's a wrap. Make it a burrito by adding a little less filling and folding the top down.

1-1/4 lb ground beef
1-1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained well
1-1/4 cups prepared chunky salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 8 inch flour tortillas, warmed

Brown ground beef in large nonstick skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is not pink, breaking up into small crumbles. Pour off drippings; season with chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper.

Stir in spinach and salsa; heat through. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

Spoon about 1/2 cup beef mixture down center of each tortilla, leaving 1-1/2 inch border at bottom. Fold bottom edge up over filling, right and left sides to center and you've made a Beef & Salsa Wrap.

Small, thick steaks are best. To honor the Irish origin of this quick & easy serve with mashed spuds, fried onions, mushrooms and peas.

4 8-12 oz sirloin steaks, small & thick, at room temperature
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
1 & ¼ cups whipping cream
1Ttbsp butter
1 tsp o11
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat a heavy pan, over high heat. Season the steaks with pepper. When hot, add the oil and butter, swirl it around the pan and add the steaks one at a time to seal the meat quickly.

Lower the heat to moderate and, assuming the steaks are an inch to an inch-and-a half thick, cook for 1 & 1/2 to 2 minutes per side if you like them rare (like I do) or 2 & 1/2 to 3 minutes for medium. If you like them - Ugh - well done give them another minute per side. And don't keep flipping the meat; turn them just once.

When the steaks are cooked to your liking. transfer them to plates and place in a barely warm oven while you make the sauce.

Pour off the fat from the pan and add the whiskey stirring and scraping to remove the delicious remnants. Allow it to reduce a little, then add the cream and simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until the cream thickens. Add salt & pepper to taste and pour it over the steaks. Serve them immediately.

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I think this dish qualifies as “comfort food”, don't you? And don’t fret about using canned soup; it’s just so much quicker than making a sauce from scratch.

2 10-oz packages frozen chopped spinach
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 dashes Tabasco
1 tsp oregano
1 10-oz can mushrooms, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 10-oz can cream of celery soup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 8-oz package shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat: 350 degrees

Cook spinach; drain well, and squeeze dry. Set aside.

In a skillet, saute onions and garlic about 3 minutes until softened. Add ground beef and break it up as it browns to avoid ending up with a giant burger.

Add Tabasco, mushrooms, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer 5 minutes.

Add spinach, sour cream and soup. Heat thoroughly and pour into an oiled casserole and top with cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until brown and bubbly.

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You'll keep moving putting this Asian delight together, but in only about 15 minutes you can take your bow and sit down to dinner.

12 oz 90%-lean ground beef
3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp hoisin sauce, divided
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 tsp canola oil, divided
4 bunches watercress, trimmed
1/2 cup rice wine or dry sherry

Place rack in upper third of oven; preheat the broiler. Coat a broiler pan and rack with cooking spray.

Gently mix beef, bell pepper, scallions, breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce and ginger in a medium bowl until just combined. Form the mixture into 4 oblong patties and place on the broiler-pan rack. Brush the tops with 1 tsp oil. Broil, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3 or 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add watercress and saute 1 to 3 minutes. Divide the watercress among 4 plates. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add rice wine (or sherry) and the remaining 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce and stir until smooth, bubbling and slightly reduced, about 1 minute.

Top the watercress with the steaks and drizzle with the pan sauce. You've created a really exciting dish in about 15 minutes - aren't you proud?.

Beef with onions. Ho-hum. No, NOT ho-hum. In a little less than half-an-hour this Italian version will become a very special easy beef favorite. A hearty red wine is the braising liquid but in a Belgian or German version it would probably be beer. Glad you asked.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 oz pancetta cubed
2 medium onions, sliced
2 lbs braising beef (boneless chuck works), cut into 1 1/2 in chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 sage leaves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine
2 tsp tomato paste

In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When hot, add the pancetta. When it browns up, 3 to 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of oil over medium-high heat until hot, add the beef chunks in a single layer but don't crowd them. Stir them occasionally to brown all sides, then add the salt and pepper to taste.

Now add the beef, chopped sage, bay leaves, tomato paste and wine to the pancetta-onion mixture. Increase the heat until boiling, then immediately reduce heat to bring to a simmer.

Continue to simmer until the meat is tender and the wine turns slightly syrupy (say that 5 times fast), 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your pot.

Discard the bay leaves and serve immediately over polenta or rice, or with potatoes. While the dish is simmering you have time for any of them.

Ok, so we use a few "prepared" ingredients for this easy beef stew. How else do you think you could do stew in a quarter hour?

Very important - use choice or prime sirloin or you might find it a bit chewy.

1 lb beef boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1-lb bag frozen stew vegetables, thawed and drained (Use the microwave to thaw or you won't make 15 minutes) 1 15 oz can chunky garlic-and-herb tomato sauce
1 14 oz can beef broth
2 5 1/2 oz cans spicy V8-type juice

Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray & heat over medium-high heat. Cook beef in skillet about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Maybe it took 20 minutes; that's still pretty great for hearty beef stew.

Served with warmed flour tortillas you've got another Asian-Mexican cooperative venture - and a tasty one, at that.

1 cup spicy stir-fry sauce
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (grate zest first)
1 flank steak (about 1&1/2 lb)
1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb), cut in 1/2-in cubes (4 cups)
Nonstick spray
1&1/4 lb baby or regular bok choy cut crosswise in 1-in pieces (6 cups)
4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms(no stems), caps cut in 1/2-in slices
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 cup each chopped cashews and sliced scallions.

Heat oven to 500ºF with racks set to divide oven in thirds.

Mix 3/4 cup stir-fry sauce and the juice in a large ziptop bag. Add steak and shake it up - be real sure the zipper is zipped.

For quick and easy clean-up, line 2 rimmed baking sheets with nonstick foil then spread eggplant on 1 baking sheet; coat with nonstick spray. Remove steak from marinade and place it on the other baking sheet. Place steak on higher oven rack, eggplant on lower.

Roast 10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted from side into thickest part of steak registers 145ºF for medium-rare. Transfer to cutting board; let rest. 5. Remove eggplant from oven, add bok choy and mushrooms; toss to mix. Coat with nonstick spray. Roast 5 minutes more and remove. Mix remaining 1/4 cup of stir-fry sauce, the honey and zest. Pour over vegetables; toss to coat. Thinly slice meat across the grain. Serve steak and vegetables with cashews and scallions.