Are you looking for something easy and tasty to make for the cooler fall weather? One of the easiest and healthiest dinners to make this time of year is garden stew.  This recipe can include almost any items that you have on hand from your garden, farmer’s market, or grocery store.  It can be made in a slow cooker (also known as a crock pot) or in a pan on the stove.

Ingredient List

(This can vary but here is a sample.  Use whatever vegetables that you have on hand):

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup cubed potatoes

1 cup chopped kale

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup peas

1 cup chopped beans

1 cup cut up broccoli

1/2 tablespoon of garlic (or to taste)

salt (to taste)

crushed red pepper (to taste.  Start small. You can always add more)

Two tables spoons parsley (optional)

1 cup corn

water

Three chicken breasts cut up or stew meat.  You could also add both red and white meat.

Shredded Cheese (Optional)

Method

Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker or pan. (I told you it was easy).  Fill up the rest of the slower cooker or pan with water.  Add heat and let it cook. If you are using a slow cooker, you can let it cook all day on low. This is a great meal to prepare in the morning and then come back to at dinner, and presto your meal is ready.  Or you could cook it on medium or high if you’d like it done sooner.  If you are cooking this in a  pan, then bring it to a boil. You are going to want to make sure that your chicken and stew meat gets cooked well.  Let boil for about 10 minutes and then let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Options

You could serve this with a bowl of shredded cheese that each person puts in their soup bowl after it’s served up.  If the garden stew is served while it’s hot enough, the cheese should melt within a minute in the individual bowls.   I like cheddar cheese and also pepper jack in my garden stew.

For a real tasty treat on a crisp fall day, serve this with freshly made bread right out of the oven. Or if you don’t have time to make bread, get some bread from the bakery section of your grocery store and warm it up in your oven.  I like to serve warm bread with home made butter.

You really can’t beat the simplicity and health benefits of garden stew.  No matter what garden ingredients I’ve added to my stews over the years, honestly it has never gone wrong. Of course, if you add beets or something that is going to change the color of it, your picky eaters may turn up their noses.  Have fun with this recipe and don’t be afraid to experiment.

For other easy recipes, check out our article here.