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 just 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 other times I just pick up a tube from the store like I did today.
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 toast or English muffins.
Making Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes:
This is a super easy dish that only needs 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 also an easy toss together if you’re at a cabin or on a trip.
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 artichokes need to be cut into quarters if whole, and whether whole or quartered I give them a good rinse and drain them well in a strainer.
After that, 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 the rest of the ingredients as listed. The beef and artichokes only need to be heated through.
Saving Money on Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes:
- Wine: I really 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, I find you can get mailings or emails for their best
sales – often in the fall and spring. - Butter: Buy on deep specials, often around the holidays, and really stock up. Buy enough to last until the next sale if you don’t have an Aldi or Buyer’s club membership. The same goes for Sour Cream.
- 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.
Artichoke Hearts are never cheap, but they do go on sale, often unadvertised. I scan for
them when I’m shopping because I use them in several recipes. Check out Aldi, too. - 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.
Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes
Creamed Chipped Beef & Artichokes
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
Ingredients
- 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
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.
Keywords: Alcohol, Artichokes, Bargain Meal of the Week, Beef, buddig, Chipped Beef, milk, parmesan, Sour cream, White sauce, Wine
