If there ever was an old-school budget classic, it has got to be S.O.S., which is more properly known as Creamed Chipped Beef & Toast. I love it and always have. But what I love even more is this updated, upgraded version, Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes.

Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes

There’s no doubt you’re gonna put out a bit more cash for this fabulous take (artichokes, parmesan, wine & sour cream) on the old classic, but I promise you, it is going to be soooo worth it! And it’s still not gonna break the budget!

About Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes:

When I was a kid, I lived for a time in Georgetown, Colorado, a quaint mountain town. And one of my favorite places to eat was the historic Happy Cooker. Way back when it wasn’t called “historic” though. It hadn’t been around long enough. But then, neither had I, lol! My favorite dish was their Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes, which they napped over their savory waffles. It’s no longer on the menu, but this is my approximation of it.

The dish is lovely. There’s the salty, chewy dried beef and the bright artichokes all swimming in a winey Parmesan cream sauce. It’s fabulous and still a little old school, and just as good over biscuits as it is over waffles. As a matter of fact, most of the time I serve it over biscuits. Sometimes I even make my homemade Classic Biscuits (they’re a “mile-high” so they’re appropriate for a Colorado dish) but now and then, I pick up a tube from the store like I did today.

I hafta admit, though, as far as biscuits in a tube: either they aren’t as tasty as they used to be or my taste has gotten more sophisticated over the years. More and more I seem to notice kind of a strange taste. Maybe it’s a little bit of both, me and them?

If you do decide to serve this over waffles, homemade is the way to go. Don’t even bother with frozen. Check out any of the waffle recipes on my Breakfast and Brunch Menu. And if you don’t want to deal with either waffles or biscuits, well, there’s always good old toast or English muffins.

Making the Dish:

This is a super easy and only needs the bare minimum of equipment. Minus what you might need for waffles or biscuits or toast, that is. That makes this perfect for a quick, easy dinner but is also an easy toss together if you’re at a cabin. Just sayin’.

If I’m using real chipped beef in a jar (as opposed to the Buddig stuff which you can use in a pinch) I rinse the beef off, slice, and set it aside. The artichoke hearts need to be cut into quarters if whole, and whether whole or quartered, give them a good rinse and drain very well in a strainer. The moisture inside the artichokes can water down your lovely sauce.

After that minimal prep work, the recipe comes together in literally minutes. Melt the butter, add the flour, and stir in, cooking until it appears slightly dry. Add in the milk bit by bit, stirring, then then the rest of the ingredients, as listed. The beef and artichokes only need to be heated through and warmed up.

Saving Money on Groceries:

• Wine: I shop the sales and speak to the employees & I find I can find great wines for a pittance. If you have a wine shop you like, get on their email (or mail if they have one) list for their best sales – often in the fall and spring.
• Butter & Sour Cream: Buy on deep specials, often around the holidays, and really stock up. Buy enough to last until the next sale if you are shopping at a grocery store. If you have an Aldi or Lidl, they are great places to pick up butter, and so is your buyer’s club if you have a membership. The same goes for Sour Cream.
• Chipped Beef: Chipped Beef comes in a jar; you’ll find it near the canned meats and fish. It can be a little pricey but if you’re looking for a very cheap alternative, Buddig has a beef which will work in this in a pinch. You’ll probably want two packets of the Buddig if you go that route.
• Artichoke Hearts: These are canned artichoke hearts and they are never really “cheap,” but they do go on sale, often unadvertised. I scan for them when I’m shopping because I use them in several recipes. The quarters are often less than the whole artichoke hearts. Sometimes I’ll find them on the discount shelves or bins. Check out your discount grocery stores, too. They don’t always have artichoke hearts but I’ve been surprised a few times when they did.
• Cheese: Near Deli Cheese is my term for the grocery store “fancier” cheeses often found near the deli – pick the coupons up (generally on hangtags near the cheese) when you see them, not when you want to buy them. Sales seldom seem to happen at the same time the coupons are out, but most of the coupons have very long expiration dates. Hang on to them and use them when sales pop up. Watch your coupon matching sites, too – they’ll let you know when the sale is and if the producer has any coupons on their websites. These are always worthwhile coupons combined with a sale, even though it seems the coupon “heyday” is over. If your cheese is buy one get one free or buy one get one half off, most stores will let you use two coupons, and those coupons are usually a dollar each. That can make for a pretty sweet deal. Always buy the wedges rather than the pregrated cheese. Ounce for ounce it’s a better deal. Both your discount stores and your buyer’s clubs have great pricing on the near deli cheeses – but again, stay away from the pregrated for the best deal.

Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes

Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes

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• Author: mollie kirby
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: main dish

Ingredients

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• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk, preferable whole
• 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 jar of Chipped Beef, rinsed & cut in narrow strips
• 1 can artichoke hearts, cut in quarters, rinsed and well-drained
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Instructions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter just until it stops foaming.  Add flour and cook one minute or so, stirring, until it starts to look drier. Add in milk, bit by bit, whisking, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Turn down the heat and add in wine, Worcestershire, and cheese, bring back almost to a boil.  Stir in the sour cream, beef, and artichoke hearts and gently heat through.  Do not boil after adding the sour cream, or mixture may curdle.  Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve over waffles, toast, biscuits or English muffins.

Nutrition:

Per Serving: 251 Calories; 16g Fat (57.8% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 43mg Cholesterol; 293mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.