Grandma’s Autumn Stew

Lately, it seems, whenever and whatever I make for dinner gets panned by my kids.   It can be disheartening to work on a meal only to have it snubbed by the 6 and under crowd.   So, when last night’s dinner got rave reviews, I thought it was blog-worthy.

This  soup recipe is originally from Mike’s mom.  It doesn’t look like anything special (no fancy ingredients), but it sure was tasty. A bonus for me was I had nearly everything already in my pantry.

Updated 9/16/12 with a few Paleo substitutions/notes.

Grandma’s Autumn Stew

(slightly adapted)

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 2 cups celery, sliced
• 2 cups potatoes, pared and cubed OR parsnips OR turnips, sliced
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-3 garlic cloves, mashed or minced
• 1/8 tsp basil
• 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet, Worcestershire, or Barbecue sauce (optional, omit to keep Paleo)
• 1 large (28oz) can tomatoes — whole, diced, or crushed, or even sauce (if using whole, puree in a blender)

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, cook and stir meat until brown. Drain off fat. Cook and stir onion with meat until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and cover, simmering til vegetables are tender and for as long after as you want — typically ~30 minutes for me.

Makes 3-4 quarts.

Making a dinner the kids don’t turn their noses up works for me!

Checkout more Works For Me Wednesday Tips at We Are That Family.