Italian Style Pepper Steak
You know I have to put my spin on everything right? Well, here goes! I had some stir fry beef in the fridge. It was intended for Homemade Beef Jerky but I changed my mind. I do that a lot. Sometimes my best recipes start out that way. Or hunting through the fridge and pantry in a “what’s for dinner?” panic. I do that a lot too. Anyway. I had some peppers and I had this steak staring at me. There were some lonely potatoes giving me the stink eye. I spotted some mushrooms in there too. Stir fry would usually be the way to go here, but no. Not today. I immediately thought of pepper steak, but I had all these veggies too . So here is what I came up with.
The steak I used here was a lot thicker than the usual stir fry beef. I’m not sure why. Just use whatever stir fry beef cut your store sells. It will be fine. I promise. Don’t get too bogged down on details! Cooking should be fun! In my humble opinion, mushrooms are mushrooms. Of course certain mushroom have different flavors and textures, but for the most part the dish will turn out fine no matter what mushroom you use. Potatoes are potatoes. Believe me, I understand some kinds potatoes are better for certain recipes, but I just use what I’ve got, and it usually turns out delicious. For example, this recipe call for potatoes. Seriously., are you surprised by that? Anyway, some were small, a few were larger and some were purple! Like I said I used ’em cause I had ’em! The trick here? Cube them up nice and small so they cook evenly and quickly! Peppers are needed here too. I used yellow and orange because that was what I had. Use what ever color of the rainbow your heart desires. It will taste good.
I served this over brown basmati rice. Feel free to serve it over whatever type of rice your family enjoys. Riced cauliflower would also be a good choice!
Italian Style Pepper Steak
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1-1 1/4 pounds beef for stir fry
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 3 bell peppers thinly sliced into strips
- 3 tomatoes seeded and chopped
- 1 pound potatoes cut into small cubes
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 small onion sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup beef broth water works fine
- salt and pepper or your favorite italian seasoning ( I used Krazy Mixed Up Salt)
Instructions
- Seed and slice your peppers. Seed and chop your tomatoes. Chop your garlic. Slice your onions.
- Wash and cube you potatoes. Small cubes will ensure quick cooking.
- Wash and slice the mushrooms.
- Set the veggies aside and season your beef. Use whatever Italian seasoning you like. I used Mixed Up Krazy Salt, but salt & pepper also work great.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the beef until no longer pink on medium high heat. It shouldn't take long. Work in batches if it all doesn't fit in the pan. Remove the meat to a dish.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and add all the veggies to the pan. Add some more seasoning and/or salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes or until the veggies start to cook down. Add 1/2 cup of beef broth (or water) and scrape up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.
- After about 5 more minutes drop the heat to medium and add the tomato paste. Make sure it gets mixed in very well with the vegetables. Add the remaining beef broth. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the beef and any juices collected, back to the pan and cook for another minute or two. Check to make sure your potatoes are tender. You should have some "sauce" for serving over rice. Remove to a serving dish.
- Serve over rice!
