Healthy, Hearty Beef Stew

Well, life has been busy--as always. My wedding anniversary is this month (two years!), and to celebrate we went out of town for a concert. It was a wonderful, loooong weekend (didn't get back home until Wednesday), and the cooler weather this weekend got me excited for fall. That excitement, plus my recent craving for soup, made me think up this recipe.

   Beef Stew

Nutritional Information
(for the entire batch--makes about 4 to 5 big bowlfuls)

   Calories                 555
   Fat                         21.1g
       Saturated Fat     7.9g
   Cholesterol            103.1mg
   Sodium                  1,064.7mg
   Carbohydrates       53.1g   (39%)
        Fiber                 13.7g
        Sugars               28.2g
   Protein                   37.2g
   WW Points            13

Ingredients:

-1/4 lb ground chuck
-1 white or yellow onion
-5 stalks of celery
-a couple of handfuls of baby carrots (I counted 15) or 2 larg carrots
-2 cloves garlic
-1 can diced tomatoes
-2 pinches of dried rosemary (only because I ran out!)
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
-1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
-1/2 teaspoon powdered beef bouillon (not pictured)
-salt, to taste
I originally was going to make this a rosemary-rich stew, but I ran out of dried rosemary! So at the end, I added the beef bouillon to make the broth a bit richer.

Chop up the onion, and cook the onion and beef in a dutch oven or big stock pot over medium-high heat.

Saute until meat is no longer pink, drain off the fat, and return to the pan.

Chop up the celery and carrots, and mince the garlic, then add to your pot. Stir around and saute until the garlic is fragrant, then add the can of tomatoes (with their juices), pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes.

Simmer and stir for about a minute, then add 4 cups hot water and beef bouillon.

Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 30 minutes to an hour--the longer you let this simmer, the more the veggies will suck up the flavors. For more soup, just add more water and let simmer longer.

When it's all simmered down and the veggies are tender, spoon out a big bowlful and serve with some butter-covered sweet yellow cornbread.

This stew hit the spot--the red pepper flakes gave it little extra heat, and the celery and carrots were very filling. One bowl is just under 120 calories and about 3 Weight Watchers points, making this a low-calorie dinner that is extremely satisfying. Enjoy!