Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy

It is an extremely rare event when Terry and I deicde to stay in on a Friday night.  Last Friday we chose to take it easy and go to bed early so we would be ready to help our friend Stephen celebrate his 30th birthday the following evening. Since we were doing things we normally wouldn't do to start with, I continued the theme when I picked out a recipe with steak in it.  We very rarely eat red meat and besides ground beef, I am a little intimidated by working with this versatile protein.  The recipe for Cooking Light’s Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy has been lingering around the CLBB as of late.  Top sirloin steak was on sale at Von's so the stars seemed to be aligned, it was time to give this one a go. 

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy
Adapted from Cooking Light, JANUARY 2010


2 cups uncooked egg noodles (I made brown rice instead)
Cooking spray
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 (8-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, optional

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cover.
3. Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup beef mixture and 2/3 cup noodles)

CALORIES 344 ; FAT 12.5g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 95mg; CALCIUM 28mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.7g; SODIUM 538mg; PROTEIN 27.3g; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 4.3mg 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides.

Remove from pan; cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.

Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly.

Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened.

Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

This was SUPER good.  I was nervous that the steak would be chewy, but it remained tender.  I didn't have any fresh thyme, so I sprinkled in some dried thyme instead and the flavor of the herb was still easily detected.  We enjoyed some pasta the night before, so instead of egg noodles I made brown rice to accompany CL's Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy.  This recipe pulled together very quickly, I think it took me longer to cut and trim the steak than it did to cook the meal.  The next time that I prepare this dish I will definitely serve it with a side of some sort of green vegetable.  I am also looking forward to to smothering some egg noodles rather than brown rice to see which starch works the best.  I would strongly recommend giving this recipe a try, it will be especially good during these cooler months.

-Heather