Ground Beef & Veggie Stew
Jan 01, 2023
Ground Beef & Veggie Stew
I love to cook! And what I love is finding new recipes that are super easy and healthy, and preferably involve my crockpot. I’ve been doing quite a bit of recipe testing lately. I’ve noticed I need to expand my easy-to-throw-together recipes now that our family has grown to seven.
This recipe is one of many that has graced our table a lot lately. A dear friend introduced it to us two years ago when she brought it over after we had baby #4. It’s always such a wonderful blessing to have someone bring you a meal after you’ve just had a baby!
Anyway, I’ve tweaked this recipe here and there to get it just the way we like it. It was originally a bit spicy. Too spicy for my kids. But we love it now. My favorite addition to this recipe was beans. This was a simple way to build upon this already healthy recipe and add some more protein and fiber to the mix.
Not only did I make this stew less spicy to appeal to my kids, but I also used my immersion blender to slightly puree my canned tomatoes. This ensures there is no way for my kids to eat around them.
This delicious stew is also a go-to recipe when I’m trying to slim down. Again, great to receive after having a baby.
We’ve tried serving this stew over macaroni noodles recently. It was pretty good, but we all agreed it needed a smaller noodle. Let me know if you find any noodles that work for you. We also tried it without beans and added potatoes instead. You can do so many things to make it fit your palate.
I hope you enjoy it!!!
Ground Beef & Veggie Stew
*This is a very healthy, easy meal, and a family favorite! Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (or turkey) – (I use organic, grass-fed beef)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 (25-30oz) jar of marinara spaghetti sauce
- 3.5 cups of water
- 1 (16oz) package of frozen mixed veggies (I use Trader Joe’s Frozen Foursome)
- 1 (15oz) can of diced tomatoes, with juices
- *I blend these with my emersion blender to hide from kids
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Beef (no MSG)
- 1/4–1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 (15oz) white kidney beans (or navy beans)
- Optional: Parmesan cheese
- Optional: Small noodles (like a small macaroni or whatever you like)
Instructions
- Brown meat and onion together in a skillet until meat is mostly browned, then drain.
- Transfer meat and onion into a CROCK POT!
- Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the beans
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until veggies are tender.
- About 10 minutes before ready to serve, add beans to the stew to heat them up.
- Top with parmesan cheese for extra flavor. You can even put this stew on top of some noodles if you’d like.
Notes
If you are short on time, this recipe can be made in a big pot on the stove. Just brown the beef with the onion, then toss the rest of the ingredients (minus the beans) into the pot. Cook on medium-high until almost boiling. Then reduce heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.
If you don’t have frozen veggies handy, then toss in canned or fresh corn and green beans, frozen sweet peas, and chopped carrots.
As I mentioned above, I use my immersion blender to puree the tomatoes a bit. My kids don’t like tomato lumps.
Goes Great With:
- Yummy, crunchy bread and a big green salad.
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