Traditional beef rouladen is a German dish in which thinly sliced beef is wrapped around varying vegetables and then cooked until tender. When I was in high school, my mom and I found a recipe for beef rouladen in our church cookbook. We quickly fell in love with the recipe, and it became a family favorite. I lovingly and jokingly named it “Pickle Steak.” When I went away for college and then moved from home, I always asked my mom to make “Pickle Steak” when I came home to visit. I now frequently make the recipe for my own family. However, one day I was in the mood to make the recipe but did not have the top round steaks needed. I did, however, have stew beef! So, I created the Pickle Steak Stew! It tastes exactly like the original recipe without taking the time to roll the steaks and vegetables hence the nickname lazy beef rouladen. It’s incredible comfort food, and it freezes well too. I hope you enjoy it!
1 to 1-1/4 pounds beef stew meat
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup dill pickle juice
1-1/2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup ketchup
1 large onion, sliced
½ cup sliced hamburger dill pickles or dill pickle spears chopped
¾ – 1 pound baby carrots
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Dried parsley for garnish
- In a gallon-sized zip-top bag, combine stew meat, flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Seal bag and gently toss until the beef is coated with the flour mixture.
- Heat a large sauté pan with a lid. Add oil and heat. Add flour-coated beef and sauté until brown.
- Add pickle juice to deglaze the pan.
- Add remaining ingredients except for the parsley. Simmer on low heat for one hour or until beef and carrots are tender.
- Serve stew over cooked egg noodles and garnish with parsley.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Pickle Steak Stew (aka Lazy Beef Rouladen)
Adding the pickle juice to deglaze the pan.
Kimberly Baker, ©2020, Clemson Extension
The deglazing process.
Kimberly Baker, ©2020, Clemson Extension
The stew before the 1 hour simmer
Kimberly Baker, ©2020, Clemson Extension
The final dish.
Kimberly Baker, ©2020, Clemson Extension
The final dish served with egg noodles
Kimberly Baker, ©2020, Clemson Extension
