Common Meals in Alberta

Alberta meals centre on beef, potatoes, and simple prairie cooking. Many families still cook the same dishes their parents made. The food is hearty and easy to share.

Roast beef and potatoes

• A large piece of beef is roasted in the oven with salt and pepper.
• Potatoes, carrots, and onions cook in the same pan.
• Gravy is made from the drippings.
• It is a Sunday meal in many houses.
• Leftovers make sandwiches the next day.

Beef stew

• Chunks of beef simmer for hours with potatoes, carrots, and onions.
• A little flour thickens the broth.
• It is cooked in a pot on the stove or in a slow cooker.
• Bread or bannock comes with it.
• The stew tastes better the next day.

Perogies

• Potato-filled dumplings are boiled, then fried in butter or oil.
• Sour cream and fried onions go on top.
• Some families make their own. Others buy them frozen.
• They appear at weeknight suppers and at community dinners.
• A little bacon or sausage is often added.

Bannock

• A simple bread is mixed from flour, baking powder, salt, and water or milk.
• It is fried in a pan or baked.
• Butter and jam, or stew, go with it.
• It is quick to make and keeps well.
• Many families still cook it on camping trips.

Steak and baked potato

• A steak is grilled or pan-fried.
• A baked potato sits beside it with butter or sour cream.
• A salad or green beans is the side.
• It is a common weeknight or weekend meal.
• The meat is the centre of the plate.

Saskatoon berry pie

• Fresh or frozen Saskatoon berries are cooked with sugar and a little flour.
• They go into a pastry crust.
• The pie is baked until the top is brown.
• It is served with ice cream or whipped cream.
• Summer and early fall are the berry season. Many families freeze the fruit.