Hamburger Buddy

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
10 ounces white mushrooms, cut any large pieces in half
1 large onion, cut into 2″ pieces
1 pound ground sirloin
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups water
1 3/4 cups beef broth, divided
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Procedure:

With a food processor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced. Add carrots and mushrooms - process until finely chopped. Add onion and pulse just until the pieces are roughly chopped. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add ground sirloin and cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper - cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, about 7 minutes. Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth until smooth. When the pasta is just tender, stir into the meat mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes. Scatter each portion with a sprinkling of parsley. Makes 6 servings.