Do you have those days when you look in the fridge and see a handful of vegetables left over from your last cooking adventure that don’t have a purpose? There’s nothing wrong with them, but they are not quite in the quantity you need for some other recipe(s). So they sit there, waiting for their purpose in life to be realized. (Yes, I’m now anthropomorphizing vegetables. This is what happens when I haven’t had enough coffee yet.) That’s where this Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Stew comes in handy. If you have slightly more or less of something, that’s fine; it’s a very forgiving soup. Just make sure to keep things relatively in balance and that you have enough liquid to fully cover all of the ingredients (including the cauliflower rice that you don’t add until partway through the cooking).
For the flavor profile, I wanted something that would work with my melange of mire poix (onion, celery, and carrot) and the holy trinity (onion, celery, and bell pepper), so I went with a chili-like set of spices–some cumin, chili powder, paprika, and salt. I wanted some kick, so I added some chipotle powder to the mix, as well as a couple of bay leaves for depth. (Is it weird that I think of bay leaves kind of like adding Petit Verdot to a red wine blend because I think they smooth things out?)
Anyway . . . this Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Stew helped to clean up my veggie drawers and turned into a very tasty dinner with leftovers (since there were just two of us). I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Getting Started with Making Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Stew
Because the point of this recipe is to use up odds and ends from the refrigerator, we start off with chopping a bunch of vegetables. In my case, this included 1/2 of a large Spanish onion, 1 bell pepper, 4 large carrots, and 4 stalks of celery. You can use a fairly rough chop; nothing tiny required. Set all of those aside.
Combine the spices–2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder.
Pat the stew meat dry and place the meat cubes in a zip top bag. Sprinkle in 1/3 of the spice mix, seal the bag, and shake it until the meat cubes are coated.
Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat and sear the beef cubes until brown on all sides. About 8 minutes.
Add in the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery, and the remainder of the spice mix. Stir to combine and then add the broth and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the beef and vegetable stew for 20 minutes.
Next, stir in the cauliflower rice and shredded cheddar and cook the soup for another roughly 12 minutes. You want the cheese to be melted and the cauliflower rice to be cooked through. You will need to keep stirring it occasionally so that the cheese doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Remove the bay leaves and serve this Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Stew warm.
Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- 1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil Or Olive Oil
- 1 pound Beef Stew Meat Cut into ~1 inch cubes
- ½ Spanish Onion Large. Chopped.
- 1 Bell Pepper Chopped, any color
- 4 Carrots Large. Chopped.
- 4 stalks Celery Chopped
- 6 cups Stock or Broth Beef, Chicken, or whatever you have on hand
- 2 – 3 Bay Leaves 2 if large, 3 if small
- 12 ounces Cauliflower Rice 1 bag
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese Shredded
Instructions
- Combine all of the seasonings–2 teaspoons Cumin, 2 teaspoons Chili Powder, 2 teaspoons Paprika, 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder–in a small bowl. Place the beef cubes in a zip top bag. Sprinkle in about ⅓ of the spice mix, seal, and shake to coat.2 teaspoons Cumin, 2 teaspoons Chili Powder, 2 teaspoons Paprika, 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the beef cubes until brown on all sides. About 8 minutes.1 – 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil, 1 pound Beef Stew Meat
- Add in the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery, and the remainder of the spice mix. Stir to combine.½ Spanish Onion, 1 Bell Pepper, 4 Carrots, 4 stalks Celery
- Add in 6 cups Stock or Broth and 2 – 3 Bay Leaves. Bring to a boil.6 cups Stock or Broth, 2 – 3 Bay Leaves
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add 12 ounces Cauliflower Rice and 2 cups Cheddar Cheese (shredded). Cook for another ~12 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the cheese doesn’t stick to the bottom. The cheese should be melted and the cauliflower rice should be cooked.12 ounces Cauliflower Rice, 2 cups Cheddar Cheese
- Remove the bay leaves and serve warm. Perhaps let people top their bowls with some extra shredded cheddar.
Equipment
- Spoon or Rubber Scraper for stirring
