Tomato-Beef Dinner

This is a "whatever you have in your pantry" kind of recipe.

my usual ingredients are:
sweet onion (one small or medium size)
mushrooms (at least a dozen, combination of button & crimini)
red bell pepper (one or two)
ground beef (about a pound, usually less)
one can of diced tomatoes, no seasoning
one can of stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning
one can of corn kernels, drained
one can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
optional: one can of black beans, drained and rinsed (can be used in place of or in addition to the kidney beans)
optional: whatever else you have in your fridge or pantry that you think might be tasty


seasonings:
pretty much whatever you think would be good
minimum: salt & pepper to taste
classic: parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Italian: oregano & basil
hot: mustard, paprika, cayenne, chili powder


Dice or chop the sweet onion. In a very large frying pan sauté with butter & canola oil. Add the mushrooms before the onions caramelize.

Wash, stem, & slice the mushrooms. Push the onions off to the side & sauté in the same pan. When the mushrooms are about half-cooked, add the red bell pepper and stir the onions back into the mix.

Clean & chop the red bell pepper. Lightly sauté with the onions & mushrooms.

Push the vegetables off to the side and cook the ground beef. When the ground beef is about half-cooked, stir the vegetables back into the mix and add the seasonings.

When the beef is thoroughly cooked (but not dried out), start to dump in your chosen canned foods and stir to mix them all in. The tomatoes will add some liquid, so leave the lid off for awhile to reduce it a bit. Stir occasionally.

This dish gets better as it cooks, so transfer to a crockpot if desired for long slow cooking.

Serve over rice or pasta. Also good mixed with refried beans and rolled up in a tortilla. A dollop of sour cream helps take the edge off if you've added too much cayenne & chili powder.

The last time I made this my seasonings included a lot of Colman's dry mustard, some sweet Hungarian paprika, and about a tablespoon or so of Korean chili powder in addition to some kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

~Lenore