A Simple Stew For A Cold Night
Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash
It’s that time of year when we’ll do anything to warm up our winter-chilled bones — put on two pairs of socks, make coffee more to have something warm in our hands than to get a boost of energy, and crave a hot bowl of soupy stew for dinner — if this last one is you, it turns out I’ve got just the recipe for you.
This stew recipe I’m about to share, developed in the early days of the 2020 COVID lockdowns, is lovingly referred to by my husband as “quarantine stew” — and I like to think that this beloved stew of ours got us through the toughest days of the pandemic, giving us something simple yet delicious and delectable to look forward to as we spent days and weeks without much to do or anywhere to go.
The best part about this recipe is that it only requires one pot (!) to create a fantastic dish that I have no doubt you’ll return to. It takes around 40 minutes to put together and serves 4.
The Ingredients:
1 lb of ground meat (we use turkey)
1 white onion
1 can of black beans (15 oz)
1 can of crushed tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can of white corn (11 oz)
1 container of veggie stock (32 oz)
1/2 cup - 1 cup of rice
shredded cheese (we use sharp white cheddar)
sour cream
hot sauce of your choice (we use Texas Pete)
salt & chili powder
How To Make ‘Quarantine Stew’:
First, drizzle a large pot or dutch oven with some olive oil and start heating it up on medium-high heat. Then, dice up your white onion and throw it in the pot, and saute, allowing the onion to cook until soft and slightly golden. Next, add your ground meat and cook through, until there’s no hint of pink in the meat — season with a little salt and chili powder at this point (but keep in mind you’ll add more later). After the meat is fully cooked, add in your veggie stock, black beans, crushed tomatoes, white corn, and rice, giving it all a good stir. Turn the heat down slightly.
As you allow the rice to cook (about 20 min), stir occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom, and give the stew a taste, continuing to season with salt and chili powder to your liking. The stew should start to bubble as it’s getting closer to being done. Once the rice is soft, it’s time to serve up the stew.
I like to top my stew with some Texas Pete hot sauce to give it a nice kick, along with a little dollop of sour cream and some shredded white cheddar. If we’re extra hungry that night, we’ll dip some tortilla chips in our stew as well.
And voila — a simple yet incredibly satisfying stew for a bone-chilling night. Enjoy!