Spicy Steak and Mushroom Gravy

I was on vacation last week and during my time away hadn't cooked anything new. Since I wanted to try out a new recipe, I asked my husband to pick up some steak to use for dinner.  We got some thin cut sirloin steaks, which I hadn't tried cooking with yet.  Then came the real question...what could I make with them?

 I got to searching, and stumbled on a recipe forum where someone else had asked for advice on the matter and saw a suggestion for a recipe using the steak and some cream of mushroom soup to make a gravy.  The recipe itself was fairly basic, so I chose to add in some seasoning to kick the spice level up a notch.

I started out by slicing the thin cut sirloin tip steak into thin strips.

After heating some olive oil in my cast iron skillet, I seasoned the steak with salt, pepper, and paprika and cooked them over medium heat until the meat was browned.

Next, I drained some of the liquid from the pan, then added in the chopped onion.  I decided to toss in some chopped green pepper and minced garlic for some extra flavor.  I cooked the vegetables until the onions began to caramelize, then poured in the can of mushrooms.

The cream of mushroom soup went in next, and I added some cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper to boost the spiciness.  Then, I heated the mixture until it began to simmer.

I lowered the heat and covered the pan, then let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring it every little bit to prevent it from burning to the bottom.  It started to thicken pretty quickly, and I considered adding some beef broth to thin it out, but decided against it.

I served the finished steak and gravy over some white rice.

This turned into an awesome dinner.  The steak was delicious, and went well with the rice. This was definitely a little spicy!  The cayenne and crushed red pepper gave the gravy a nice kick.  It was thick, but not enough to make the broth addition necessary.  Next time I would probably go with mashed potatoes as a side, but that is just a personal preference for the gravy.  I love how handy a can of soup can be!

Spicy Steak and Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

3/4 pound thin sliced beef sirloin
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms (4 ounces)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups cooked rice

Instructions:

Cut steak into thin strips. Add olive oil to cast iron or nonstick skillet and season steak slices with salt, pepper, and paprika; add steak and cook until browned. Add minced garlic, chopped onion and pepper and sauté until onions begin to caramelize. Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, canned mushrooms, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper and heat until mixture bubbles. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over cooked rice.