Kitchen Adventures || Vegetable (Beef) Stew
We had a brief glimpse of cool(ish) weather and I went full Fall! We’ve got another day of heat and then this weekend is supposed to be in the 70s! What?! While I do love summer, by far my favorite time of year to cook is the Fall. I love the flavors, spices, and cozy recipes that come out this time of year. It’s also just much easier for me to come up with hot recipes than cold ones so… there’s that 🙂
Anyway, I did this one as simply as possible and while I did add stew beef, you could easily do it without and just make it a great vegetable stew!
On with the show!
Vegetable (Beef) Stew
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs stew beef cut into 1-2 inch chunks (optional – do this without for a vegetarian option!)
1/2 yellow onion – chopped
3 stalks of celery – sliced
1 Bell pepper – diced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
3-4 cloves of garlic – minced
3 cups rainbow fingerling potatoes – cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups of mixed frozen veggies – I bought a bag with mixed corn, peas, carrots, green beans, and lima beans
4-5 cups beef broth (use veggie if making vegetarian)
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning – more to taste
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Red Chili flake
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
*If using beef, heat some oil in a large pot over medium high (preferably a deep cast iron pot/dutch oven). Season meat with salt and pepper. In batches, so you don’t crowd the pot, brown the meat for 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat until all the pieces are browned well and then set aside.
If not using meat, skip to this step – Add the bell pepper, onion, and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
*For beef – Add the beef back to the pot with the seasoning, tomatoes, bay leaf and broth. Bring to a low simmer and simmer for about an hour or until beef is tender.
If not using beef – add seasoning, tomatoes, bay leaf, veggie broth AND everything from next step all at once. No need to simmer for an hour.
Add the potatoes and chickpeas and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
Finally add the remaining frozen veggies, stir and cook for another 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and soup is hot throughout. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the bay leaf and enjoy!