Thursday in the Kitchen recap | Living Well with Ian

When I worked on a hospital floor, dinner was whatever I could manage after a long shift. These days I’m cooking for my mom, who turns 90 this November, and I want her to have a real, warm, home-cooked meal. What I don’t always have is the energy for a sink full of pots and pans.

That’s why I was so excited to make this one on last Thursday’s live show. It tastes like two comfort classics in one pan: beef stroganoff meets green bean casserole. It takes about 20 minutes, and it’s all done in the microwave.

Want to see it made start to finish? Watch the full recipe demo on my YouTube channel, @IanBarnettRN. Sometimes it’s easier to see how simple it is than to read about it.

The 5:30 problem

I hear the same thing from so many of you: “Ian, I want to cook at home, but by 5:30 I’m tired, I’m out of ideas, and the kitchen is already a mess.” Takeout wins, and then you feel a little guilty and a little lighter in the wallet.

So here’s my promise: if you can stir and press start on a microwave, you can make this dinner.

How it comes together

Everything happens in the Pampered Chef Fully Glazed Deep Covered Baker (the Rockcrok® Everyday Pan works too). The flour goes in with the mushrooms, so it thickens the sauce on its own. No separate roux, no extra pan.

Then the beef goes in, followed by the green beans, noodles, and broth. While it cooks, a few pulls in the Manual Food Processor turn French-fried onions, panko, and dill mix into that crunchy topping. Stir in the sour cream, let it stand a few minutes to get creamy, and top it off.

I walk through every step on camera, so if you’d like to cook along, pull up the video on my YouTube channel, @IanBarnettRN, and press pause whenever you need to.

The nurse’s corner

• Check your beef. Ground beef should reach 160°F. A thermometer takes out the guesswork, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.
• Every microwave is different. Check your noodles at the low end of the time range.
• Swap freely. Ground turkey works great. No microwave? Use the stovetop with a little oil in the pan. No dill mix? Onion rub is a fine substitute.

Beef Stroganoff & Green Bean Casserole

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tbsp flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 8 oz 90% lean ground beef
• 6 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1½ tsp All-Purpose Dill Mix, divided
• 4 oz egg noodles (about 2 cups)
• 1¾ cups low-sodium beef broth
• ½ cup French-fried onions
• ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ cup sour cream

Directions

1. Add the mushrooms, garlic, flour, and salt to the Deep Covered Baker and stir.
2. Add the ground beef and mix well. Microwave covered 7 to 9 minutes until no longer pink, breaking it up halfway through.
3. Stir in 1 tsp of the dill mix, the green beans, noodles, and broth. Microwave covered 8 to 10 minutes, until the noodles are tender.
4. In the Manual Food Processor, combine the remaining dill mix, fried onions, and panko. Process until combined.
5. Stir the sour cream into the pan, let it stand 3 to 5 minutes, then add the topping.

Per serving: about 340 calories, 11 g fat, 20 g protein, 500 mg sodium. And since it serves six, you’ve got lunch covered for tomorrow.

Watch it, then make it

The full demo is on YouTube at @IanBarnettRN. Hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s dinner.

Want the recipe and the Pampered Chef tools I used? Comment KITCHEN on any of my posts and I’ll send them to you personally. If you’d like more easy dinner ideas, the Season’s Best Cookbook is $2.00 and has 15 recipes. And if you’d rather watch short product videos from your couch with no pressure to buy, ask me about joining my text party.

Remember: easy routines, better results. Trust the process. I’ve tried it myself, and I’ll show you how simple this can be.

Join me every Thursday at 7pm ET for Thursday in the Kitchen, live on Facebook and YouTube.

Ian, RN