Texas Ranch-Style Stew

I have never been much of a soup/stew/chili person, but I have been giving such dishes more of a chance over the last few years. This stew was a huge winner in my book!

This dish was bursting with flavor! I like how the recipe instructed to cook the onion, green pepper and garlic in the same pan as the meat was being browned. That really added a ton of flavor to the meat! This dish is already healthy, but I decided to use ground turkey rather than ground beef which made it even a little bit more healthy.

For the beans, I got country-style baked beans, which added a terrific slight sweetness to the stew. It wasn't overly sweet though. It was a nice balance to the chili powder and everything else. Fantastic blend of flavors!

Not only was this stew incredibly delicious, but it was very easy to put together as well! A perfect meal for a cold winter day. This was too amazing and easy not to try!!

Texas Ranch-Style Stew
Taste of Home: Everyday Light Meals
Published by Reiman Media Group, LLC in 2010.

Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 25 minutes  Yield: 6 servings

1 cup small shell pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (5 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium V8 juice
1 can (15 ounces) ranch-style beans or baked beans, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) southwestern diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta. Stir into stew.