Beef Stroganoff with Noodles

Easy to make, and tastes good compared to other options on the market.

I have been looking into shelf stable meals for camping, emergencies and when I am just to lazy to fix a good meal. I was really excited to try this freeze dried meal from Mountain House, beef stroganoff is one of my favorite meals. This was the first time I have tried a freeze dried meal. I had watched several videos where people have lauded the taste and texture when they ate this particular product, so I was ready to see what the hype is about. These meals aren't cheap, but not much is these days, especially a hot, filling meal that taste yummy. It was very simple to prepare the entree, you tear off the top of the package and add the specified amount of water. Except I didn't, exactly. Oh, I measured 1 and 2/3 cup of water and nuked it for 4 minutes until it was boiling hot, but I only put a bit more than a cup of the hot water in the package initially. I stirred the contents around, not viciously, I didn't want the freeze dried ingredients to crumble into dust, and then sealed the package and shook it a few times for good measure. I set the timer for 5 minutes and put a kitchen towel around the bag to keep it from loosing heat. After 5 minutes, I stirred the contents some more (it was hot!,) there was some creamy sauce, it looked good, but I figured since it had to sit for 4 more minutes, it was probably still rehydrating. So, I added about 1/3 cup more water, which still wasn't all of the water that was originally called for, almost, not quite. I gave it another stir around, sealed it, shook it, wrapped the towel around it and set the timer for 4 minutes. When I opened the packet this time, it looked wonderful! The contents were thick and creamy, just like I like my stroganoff. Of course it doesn't look as good as home cooked or restaurant quality, you must remember the ingredients had to be made to a size to be freeze dried in a cost effective as well as a consistent manner. It looked good to me though and didn't look like mush. The taste was very good in my opinion. It had a strong flavor of mushrooms, onions, beef and the taste of sour cream shone through. I enjoyed it thoroughly and yes, I ate the entire bag myself. The only draw back, it gave me a bit of heartburn, which I don't usually get. This may have been more the fact I was a little piggy and not the fault of the meal. I not only plan on purchasing this particular meal again, but will be trying other Mountain House products in the near future.

I did not measure the water. I just added enough to get the consistency I like. The flavor was really good for a freeze dried meal. The portion was small, especially considering the price. I was still hungry after finishing the whole bag. If I have to eat 2 bags as a meal, I might as well order UberEat and get a better quality dinner. This is good for emergency situation when no other options are available. If it is cheaper, I would consider buying more often as my lazy day food. I think this is still a good option for travel or as an emergency supply. The bag is sturdy and quite easy to hold while eating without burning your hand. The opening is quite wide and the bag is not too deep. It is easy to eat from the bag directly. Shelf life is long, about 30 years from date of purchase. The ingredients are all familiar real food items. No chemical. I took away one star for the small portion.

All of the Mountain House meals that we have utilized have been extremely consistent in very well made quality meals that bring functionality, ease of preparation and a very quick way to make a very nutritious meal to all of our outdoor adventures and also to any emergency situation you may find yourself in. They are very filling, every meal has enough portions for two grown adults. Not only are they delicious and nutritious but in almost every instance they've been very fun for us on our adventures because it's nice to be out in the backcountry and have something like beef stroganoff, hot and ready to eat in under 10 minutes. This Mountain House meal, the beef stroganoff is really, really good! The noodles are perfect, the sauce is mild, the onions, mushrooms and beef are perfectly cooked. There is a very generous portion of beef providing 12 g of protein per serving with two one and a half cup servings per meal these are perfect for quick, easy to pack, easy to carry, easy to prepare, nutritious meals. This meal is delicious!

Mountain House has become my preferred choice for camping meals as they seem to hit a sweet spot for quality and taste vs. cost. They also offer a good variety of menus so when I'm camping I have something I like no matter what mood I'm in. Outside of camping, beef stroganoff is a meal I always enjoy, so this meal was an obvious pick for me. Cooking instructions couldn't be easier, add boiling water, stir, let it sit, stir, let it sit some more, and enjoy. The noodles turn out perfectly tender, the bits of meat are decent if a smidge firm on occasion, the sauce tastes exactly like what stroganoff gravy should taste like. The package says two servings, but as is the case with most of their meals, I end up eating the whole pouch in order to feel sufficiently full. Also, like most of their meals, this one has a great amount of protein in it to help you get through any camping adventure. You can't beat the small amount of space and weight the packaging requires, especially if backpacking. The only thing I'd recommend to others is, reduce the amount of water you put into this one by maybe a 1/4 cup. I found that after giving it the proper amount of time to reconstitute that the gravy was more soupy than gravy like. This could just be a personal preference, but I want my stroganoff gravy to be thick, like a proper gravy.

This is my favorite Mountain House flavor: beef stroganoff. I count grams when I pack to go hiking, so I transfer the food to a thin ziplock bag (Amazon Basics sandwich bag is perfect) before I leave for hikes. I add the meal to boiling water in a 900ml pot. You can cook directly in the pouch, by that's not as nice, in my opinion. Plus you have more garbage to pack out if you cook in the pouch. This meal is good enough I sometimes even eat it at home.

Absolutely delicious! It's filling, comfort food on the trail. Yes, it's freeze dried. Yes, it needs time to hydrate. Yes, it's far better than eating fast food back home. It has great flavor, really decent ingredients, and rehydrates fairly well. Beef is always a little picky when rehydrating, regardless of the brand. Portion size was good for a single meal and therefore makes a good dinner when hiking or camping. At the price point, this has become one of my absolute favorite trail meals!

Great meal! Mountain House never disappoints and this is one of our favorites! Always good, always consistent.