THE Vegetable Beef Stew
I’ll be honest: I HATED this meal growing up- like crying at the kitchen table didn’t want to eat it. And to be fair, it’s not the most kid-friendly recipe. It has 11 different types of veggies and beans in it which now as a health practitioner? I’m obsessed. (Don’t tell my mom she was right all along!)
With tons of fiber, iron, antioxidants, protein, and resistant starch, this stew is deeply nourishing and a great way to get a variety of plants into your diet. It does make an ENORMOUS batch, but that makes it perfect to freeze and enjoy all season. An easy recipe that you can eat 5-6 times and only uses one stockpot? Say less.
If you don’t have a gigantic stock pot, that’s fine too. I’ve made a mini version down below!
THE Vegetable Beef Stew
INGREDIENTS:
3 lb ground beef
1 large white onion, chopped
2 bags sliced carrots
1 1/2 c celery, chopped
42 oz petite diced tomatoes
1 can black eyed peas
1 can black beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
5 cans green beans
1 bag frozen lima beans
1 bag frozen shoe peg corn
6 c water
52 oz beef broth
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 heaping tsp basil
1 heaping tsp thyme
3 bay leaves
DIRECTIONS:
In a large stock pot, brown beef and onions until no pink remains; drain any grease. Return beef to pot. Drain and rinse all canned vegetables. Add broth and water to beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Add spices and all vegetables; cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 3-4 hours.
***for a meat-free option, omit the beef and swap the beef broth for vegetable stock
Catie’s Apartment-Friendly Version
If you don’t have a fabulous home kitchen straight out of Food Network, we’re in the same boat. I trimmed down this recipe to still include as much variety as possible while being able to fit in a Dutch oven sized pot. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lb ground beef
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 bags sliced carrots
3/4 c celery, chopped
24 oz petite diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
3 cans green beans
1/2 bag frozen shoe peg corn
3 c water
26 oz beef broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1-2 bay leaves
DIRECTIONS:
In a large stock pot, brown beef and onions until no pink remains; drain any grease. Return beef to pot. Drain and rinse all canned vegetables. Add broth and water to beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Add spices and all vegetables; cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 3-4 hours.
