Easy Meatball Stroganoff

The last week of Sarah.

She came to the ranch on Saturday and we knew — I think we both knew before she arrived — that we were going to have the conversation that ends things, or at least as we've been doing them. She was kind about it. That's the word: kind. She said, "I care about you. I'm going to keep caring about you. But I need to be with someone who can come toward me, and right now I'm the one doing all the moving and I can feel you getting further away, and I don't think I'm wrong about that." I said, "You're not wrong." She said, "I'm not angry." I said, "I know." She said, "Are you?" I said, "No. I wish I could be different right now. I'm not there yet."

We had dinner after that. I cooked — elk stew, because you cook when the world requires something done. We ate and talked about other things and it was fine in the way that the end of something can be fine: sad and clear and without debris.

I called Gary after she left. He said, "How do you feel?" I said, "Regretful. Not surprised." He said, "That's the right set of feelings." I said, "When does the wall come down?" He said, "When it comes down. You're building the capacity for it to come down. That takes time." I said I wished time moved faster. He said, "No you don't. You're twenty-four years old. You have time."

Twenty-four years old and the ranch and the horses and the farrier work and the AA meetings and the writing and the elk stew and no one across the table. That's the picture right now. I'm not going to pretend it's the picture I wanted. But I'm going to work with what I have.

The elk stew I actually made that night isn’t something I can hand you a recipe for — it’s built from whatever the ranch has, and it changes every time. But this meatball stroganoff is the same kind of cooking: one pan, something meaty and rich, a sauce that comes together while your mind is somewhere else. It’s what I reach for when I need the act of cooking more than I need any particular dish — when the table is going to be quiet and the meal needs to be enough on its own.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb frozen or prepared meatballs (beef or turkey)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
12 oz egg noodles, cooked and drained
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles according to package directions until tender. Drain and set aside.
Brown the meatballs. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on the outside and heated through, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. In the same skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
Build the sauce. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the beef broth while stirring to prevent lumps. Add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and smoked paprika. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, about 3–4 minutes.
Finish with sour cream. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the sour cream until smooth and fully incorporated — do not boil after this point or the sauce may break. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine and serve. Return the meatballs to the skillet and stir gently to coat. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Easy Meatball Stroganoff — What You Cook When the World Requires Something Done