Through a series of unfortunate events, we had to miss church last night. I adore my church and was just disgusted with having to miss. Furthermore, I had no meal planned for dinner. On church nights we used to eat out before services due to the time crunch. I can't afford that as much any more, so the plan for last night was just to make some sandwiches to eat in the car after I picked up my eldest from the bus stop. Since we were no longer in that situation, I had to come up with a real meal. I raided my pantry and freezer and tossed together a soup/stew. (What's the difference between a soup and stew? I always assume stew is heartier, but no idea what makes a soup become a stew....)
I don't often buy canned veggies, but happen to have some in my pantry. And last night I added those to some pre-made frozen meatballs that I keep on hand basically for emergencies like this. These are great to toss into a recipe that usually calls for ground beef when I haven't taken the time to defrost any. So tossing what I had on hand into a pot turned out pretty decent. It filled my belly and honestly soothed my soul. (Yes, I am a food addict. I totally have an emotional reaction to food. Comfort food is my downfall. Also chocolate. And ice cream. And warm ooey gooey brie....not all together of course...) I added some grilled cheese sandwiches and called it good. And it was, actually. Really really good. And best of all, I have leftovers. So I get to have it for lunch today and tomorrow. Mmmmmm....
Without further ado, here is my "recipe" for Oops, I Need A Fast Meal! Meatball Veggie Stew (soup?)
Canned vegetables, as many as you feel you need for your crew and whatever you have on hand or your favorites. Last night I used 2 cans of green beans, 2 cans of corn, and 1 large jar of my home-canned carrots. I would have used peas as well if I'd had some. Potatoes would work too. Do not drain these. Just dump them in.
Add whatever seasonings you like. I generously sprinkled Johnny's seasoning salt into the pan. Because Johnny's makes EVERYTHING better. Seriously. Go try this stuff. I also added 1 packet of onion soup mix and about 8 beef bullion cubes.
Dump in enough meatballs to feed your family and/or to bring the stew near the top of the pan. I have no idea how many, I just dumped them in.
Bring to a boil and let cook until meatballs are hot. Stir occasionally.
I know this is totally frustrating to those of you who measure everything. But seriously, this soup/stew is completely versatile and changes every time I make it. Because, yeah, I've made it before. Usually with frozen veggies. In that case, I add water in place of the canned veggie liquid. As much as I love meal planning, sometimes you just need a quick meal on the fly. This has become my go-to meal in recent years. Of course, you can always adapt this to "real" veggie beef stew and use fresh veggies and chunks of steak, but that takes longer. This is awesome when you are craving "real" veggie beef stew but just simply don't have the time. Oooh, maybe I should call this one "Imitation Veggie Beef Stew"....
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