Meatball Stroganoff Freezer bag

Beef stroganoff is a staple in my mother-in-laws house, so I don't dare mess with it. But it can be difficult to get the texture of the meat, just right. It either ends up too tough, or chewy. So I started making this meat ball stroganoff instead of trying to figure out how to get the meat just right. It’s delicious over buttered egg noodles, or roasted potatoes. 

I know what you’re thinking, dairy doesn't freeze. Here's the secret. You’re not freezing any dairy. You freeze almost all of the ingredients first. When you cook the stroganoff in the slow cooker, you add the dairy for the last 30 minutes. It comes out rich and thick every time. 

Meatball Stroganoff

24 2 inch meatballs

2 lbs. sliced white mushrooms

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2/3 c dry red wine

2 c beef stock

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 Tbsp. dry mustard

2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard (stone ground)

2 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 c water

1 c sour cream

4 Tbsp. corn starch

1/4 c cold water

Get a large Ziploc bag and write the following:  Pour all the contents into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 1-3. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream, cold water and cornstarch together. Whisk 1 cup of hot cooking liquid into the sour cream mixture, then stir the mixture into the slow cooker and cook for 30 minutes on high (just long enough to cook some buttered noodles and grab a glass of wine). Now put the meatballs, mushrooms, onions, and green onion in the Ziploc bag. In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, dry mustard, whole grain mustard, brown sugar and water. Once well combined, pour into the Ziploc bag, seal 3/4 of the way and squeeze the air out. Seal and lay flat to freeze. 

When ready to cook, remove from the freezer the night before and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning pour in the slow cooker and follow the directions on the bag.