hearty beef & bean soup… on the stovetop or in the slow cooker!

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Tender, melt-in-your mouth chunks of beef, with a flavor-packed broth and a bunch of beans, veggies and potatoes. This is a perfect hearty fall soup for these chilly evenings that are approaching!

I think I could eat soup every day and not get tired of it. Soup is definitely near the top of my list of all-time favorite foods… but oddly enough I always forget how much I love it until I am eating it.

I’m actually pretty sure I’ve never met a soup I didn’t like. Obviously some are more loved than others, but I love soup in every form. Thin, thick, creamy, brothy, meaty, light… There are just so many amazing options, it never gets old for me.

This soup started out as a clean-out-the-fridge dinner, but as ingredients got thrown into the pot I realized how tasty it was getting. By dinner time, I knew I had to share this with you and will definitely be making it again!

I absolutely love the beef in here. Tender, juicy and packed full of flavor… so comforting and satisfying!

Hearty Beef & Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 long celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large baking potato, raw or leftover baked, chopped
3 cans beans, rinsed (I used 2 black & 1 garbanzo!)
4 cups beef or chicken stock
4 cups water
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the bacon fat (if you don’t have any, olive oil will work) over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery until soft and slightly browned. Stir in the garlic and sauté for a minute or two until very fragrant.

Push the veggies all to the sides and dump the meat into the center to brown a little before adding in the rest of the ingredients.

Bring everything to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for as long as possible for best results, but at least 6 hours if you are using regular stew meat.

This is a soup that tastes better the longer it simmers. You could even start it one night and reheat it the next for amazing results!

OR brown all the veggies and meat and then dump it and everything else into the slow cooker on low for 8-12 hours for an almost hands-free meal. Yum!

easy, homemade man chili

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I kind of hate to admit this, but there are just some things that my husband does better than me in the kitchen.

And I have to say it, chili is definitely a win for him!

Maybe it’s because he has just eaten a lot more chili in his life, but I can never quite seem to keep mine from being too… different.

I can’t leave well enough alone, and in many cases that’s ok, but for a good, classic man-chili, simple is better!

Andrew made a huge pot of this last week and we finished it off in a matter of days.

And last night, we (and by we, I mean my pregnant chili-craving self) decided he should make another big pot!

You could definitely cut this recipe in half if you don’t want a large amount, but this is a great dish to feed your freezer with for future meals… so why not get out the big pot and have another meal waiting for you?

Oh, and the spice measurements? Totally subjective. We like things spicy around here, so we use quite a bit. If you’re making this for the first time, or you’re just not sure, start small and you can always add more later!

easy, homemade man chili

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 8 cups (or 4-15oz cans or 2-28oz cans) tomato sauce
  • 8 cups (or 4-15oz cans) beans (we like 2 kidney, 1 pinto and 1 black or garbanzo!)
  • 1/4 cup chili seasoning (your favorite brand, or homemade)
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • chipotle or cayenne pepper, to taste
  • chopped fresh or canned jalapeño peppers, to taste

Directions

In a large dutch oven or stockpot, brown the beef: breaking it apart into large chunks and cooking until there is no more pink. (You don't want to break up the meat into tiny bits, thick chunks the size of your thumb or a bit larger at the smallest!) As the meat cooks and browns, season it with salt & pepper and about half of the chili seasoning blend.

Here's the trick for the onions: Add them a little bit at a time, starting with when you brown the meat, and saving a little bit for the very end, so that there are different textures of onions all throughout the chili. Some bits will be very soft and sweet and others will have a little more bite to them!

(If your meat is on the fattier side, drain off some of the excess fat before continuing.)

Once the meat is cooked through, stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bring everything to a boil and then cover and simmer on low as long as you'd like! (Chili only tastes better the longer it simmers, so this is a perfect meal to make a day or two before and reheat in the slow cooker!)

Serve hot with shredded cheese, sour cream and corn chips if you're like me... or eat it plain if you're a purist like my husband! :o)

http://sweetannas.com/2012/06/easy-homemade-man-chili.html

 

slow cooker beef bites with gravy

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Well, we’re back from the doctor and Bjørn is officially getting better!! His pneumonia is healing and hopefully with another week of his antibiotics he will be back to his normal peppy little almost 3 year old self!

YAY!!!

To celebrate this wonderful news, I slaved away all afternoon on this flavor-packed, hearty comfort-food.

Just kidding. I’m still exhausted. All I did was throw a bunch of stuff in the slow cooker in the morning and this wonderful meal was waiting for me at dinnertime!

I would have slaved away, really I would.

You know, if I had gotten any sleep at all in the last 2 weeks, or if I didn’t have kids that needed my attention, or if I didn’t have a million other things that needed to get done…

Like catching up on my blogging and my reading. Important stuff, you know! ;o)

So, anyways… since I know you love easy meals as much as I do, and this one turned out so great, I wanted to share it with you!!

Enjoy!

And thanks again for all your patience with me lately. I will be getting back to normal (whatever that is?!) soon, I promise!

Slow Cooker Beef Bites with Gravy Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
12oz, or so, fresh mushrooms, cut in half
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
(or use homemade ‘cream of’ beef soup* like I did!)
1 cup beef stock
a few dashes worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon browning seasoning (optional for color)
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
*To use the homemade ‘cream of’ soup, substitute beef stock for the chicken stock in this recipe. If you’ve never made your own condensed ‘cream of’ soup, you’ll be amazed at how quick and easy it is! No need to buy those cans anymore!!

Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker, stir well to coat and cook on low for 8-12 hours.

Serve over mashed potatoes… with a side of steamed corn, if you’re feeding my husband!