Meat Ball Stew

Meat Ball Stew

Adapted from a recipe in the Farm Journal's Country Cookbook, page 18.
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Farm Journal's Country Cookbook, printed in 1972. With me being in Thailand, ready made meatballs are not a problem so the ingredients and instructions will reflect meatballs from scratch, Thai store bought, and US store bought. I made this on 31 May 2023 using Thai store bought meatballs.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Casserole (3 quart)
  • Oven

Ingredients
  

For Meatballs from Scratch

  • 750 grams ground beef, (1½ lb)
  • teaspoons salt
  • teaspoon pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon minced onion
  • ½ cup soft breadcrumbs

For Thai store bought Meatballs

  • 750 grams beef meatballs, (1½ lb)

For US store bought Meatballs

  • 750 grams frozen beef meatballs, thawed, Walmart or Kroger brands would be perfect, (1½ lb)

Remaining Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained, (565 g / 20 oz)
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 4 small carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced

Instructions
 

For Meatballs from Scratch

  • In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef, salt, pepper, egg, onion, and breadcrumbs.
  • Mix together then form into balls about 3 cm (1 inch) in diameter.
  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan, when hot, add meatballs, working in batches if needed, and brown the meatballs. Removed browned meatballs to a 3 quart casserole.

For Thai store bought Meatballs

  • These are refrigerated and not cooked when bought, follow these steps for preparing these meatballs.
  • Heat a saucepan of water to boiling, when boiling add the meatballs and cook until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Drain meatballs.
  • To give the meatballs a little color, heat the oil in a large non stick pan, when hot, add the meatballs, and brown them. Removed browned meatballs to a 3 quart casserole.

For US store bought Meatballs

  • Kroger and Walmart Great Value Brands would be perfect for this. These come fully cooked and frozen. Just thaw and heat through in a hot pan with a little oil then drain and place in a 3 quart casserole.

Rest of the Instructions

  • While you are browning or cooking the meatballs, go ahead and prep the vegetables. I was out of celery so I just omitted that.
  • Once all the meatballs are browned and removed, drain off all but 3 tablespoons of fat, if using the store bought meatballs, just melt in some butter to make the 3 tablespoons of fat. Stir in the flour.
  • Add the rest of the Remaining Ingredients, bring mixture to a boil then lower heat to just a simmer and cook 10 minutes, adding additional water as needed. While mixture is simmering, preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F), place a sheet of foil or a foil lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any spills.
  • Carefully pour the mixture into the casserole with the meatballs. Carefully mix the meatballs into the mixture.
  • Cover and place on the middle rack in the oven, bake for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Carefully remove the cover and give the stew a stir.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Fair cost per serving based on the use of beef.
Updated on 31 May 2023.
Tofu & Beef Meatball Soup

Tofu & Beef Meatball Soup

China Sichuan Food, Elaine, China. (For her original recipe.)
This recipe was inspired from a friend in Sichuan, China and this version uses store bought beef meatballs. These are not meatballs you can buy in Walmart or Kroger, you need to get these from an Asian market, different consistency.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 quarts water, (8 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 spring onions, white parts sliced, green parts cut ½ inch long
  • 500 grams beef meatballs, In Thailand I use MR Meatballs brand, frozen - thawed, from Makro, these are not pre-cooked,, (1 lb)
  • 1 slice fresh ginger
  • 800 grams firm tofu, cut into cubes, (28 oz)
  • 20 grams nori seaweed, or less as desired, (¾ oz)
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the the water, light soy sauce, and spring onion to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer.
  • Add the meatballs and ginger. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes to cook the meatballs through.
  • Add the tofu and nori, simmer for another 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the sesame oil, taste and season with salt and or additional sesame oil as desired.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Tofu & Meatball Soup

Tofu & Meatball Soup

China Sichuan Food, Elaine, China.
This comes from a friend in Sichuan, China and it sounds very good! I look forward to preparing this.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Food Processor / Blender , with S blade

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for the Pork Balls

  • 300 grams ground pork, (11 oz)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 2 spring onions, chopped, white part only
  • 3 slices fresh ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Ingredients for the Soup

  • 6 cups water, (I will verify the amount when I prepare this)
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 spring onion, sliced, green part - from the pork ball ingredients
  • 1 slice fresh ginger
  • ½ box firm tofu, cut into cubes, (I will verify amount when I prepare this)
  • 20 grams nori , sliced, (dried seaweed), (¾ oz)
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the first 8 ingredients for the Pork Balls to a food processor, mix for 15 seconds.
  • Now add the egg and cornstarch and mix for about 30 seconds, goal is a very smooth and fluffy mixture.
  • Add the the water, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, spring onion (green part) to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil then turn off the heat but leave on same burner.
  • Now to make the pork balls, use one hand and grab a handful of pork mixture, form a circle with your index finger and thumb, squeeze your hand to force the mixture from the circle, then use a spoon and scoop off a meat ball and place the meat ball in the hot water.
  • Repeat until all the mixture is used and in the pot, average about 20-24 pork balls. Turn on the heat, add the 1 slice of ginger, and bring to a simmer, skim off any foam that forms on top. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
  • Add the tofu and nori, simmer for another 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the sesame oil, taste and season with salt and additional sesame oil as desired.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Creamy Ham & Potato Soup

Creamy Ham & Potato Soup

Lee
This recipe was inspired from a recipe on the Just a Pinch Recipe Club that was a ham and bean soup. My wife suggested potatoes instead of the beans, and it worked perfectly! I made this on 27 Jun 2022 and it was devoured by the 5 of us.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 800 grams potatoes, peeled and cubed, (1¾ lb)
  • water, as needed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 500 grams sliced sandwich ham, cubed, (1 lb)
  • 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each)
  • 500 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (1 lb)
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Add the potatoes and onion to a large pot.
  • Add water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Set on medium high heat. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, stirring occasionally.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, take the sliced ham and set the entire stack on a cutting board, then cut into ½ strips. Once you have the stack cut into strips, just turn the cutting board 90 degrees then then cut the strips crosswise into ½ inch cubes, there, the stack of ham is now diced. Using sliced ham allows more ham to be distributed throughout the soup.
  • When the potatoes are tender, reduce heat to low. Scoop out some of the water so the water is just at the top of the potatoes, reserve the water to add if needed if you want a thinner consistency. Now add the soup, ham, and cheese, stir together.
  • Simmer until the cheese is melted and the soup and cheese is mixed in well. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Stir in some of the reserved potato water if you want thinner soup.
  • Ladle into bowls, serve, and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Creamy Ham & Beans

Creamy Ham & Beans

Just a Pinch Recipe Club, Joey Wolf, United States.
This recipe comes from the Just a Pinch Recipe Club and sounds delicious! Original recipe was for stove top cooked beans, and I will also include instructions to make using stove top pressure cooker.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Passive Time 6 hours
Total Time 10 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker , if preparing the beans with that.
  • Stock Pot , if preparing the beans with that.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 quarts water
  • 500 grams dry Great Northern beans, (1 lb)
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil, required only if using a pressure cooker
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 500 grams ham, cubed, (1 lb)
  • 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each)
  • 500 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (1 lb)

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the dry beans, removing any bad beans or debris, place in a large bowl and cover with water and set aside to soak for at least 6 hours or even overnight. This step applies to Stock Pot or Pressure Cooker methods.

To use a Stock Pot

  • Add the 2 quarts of water to a large stock pot and place on high heat. Drain and rinse the soaked beans and add to the water. Stir occasionally. Cook the beans until softened to where you can mash with a fork. Adding additional water as needed.
  • Add the ham and onion, reduce heat to a low boil, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the ham and onion are cooked.
  • Reduce the heat to medium or medium low, add the soup and cheese, and stir together. Stir often until the cheese is melted and mixed into the beans.
  • Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy.

To use a Pressure Cooker

  • I use my 9 liter (9½ quart) stove top pressure cooker with a pressure of 80 kPa (12 psi), so this will work equally well with electric pressure cookers. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
  • Drain and rinse the beans, add to you pressure cooker. Add the 2 quarts of water AND the 2 tablespoons cooking oil. The oil prevents the beans from foaming, DO NOT skip the oil.
  • Place the lid on the cooker and lock in place, add the weight, place on high heat. When the weight (jiggler) starts to move and vent pressure, reduce heat to low to just keep the jiggler moving. Start your timer for 8 minutes.
  • When 8 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and carefully move the pressure cooker to an unused burner. Allow the cooker to do a natural pressure release, meaning just let it set there until you have indications of zero pressure inside, normally a lid lock will drop to indicate this, can take 15-20 minutes.
  • When you have indications of zero pressure, remove the weight from the lid and carefully open the cooker. Now you have cooked beans and bean broth.
  • Drain the beans, and keep the broth. Return just the beans back to the pressure cooker pot (now we are going to use the cooker as just a pot, no lid needed now). Add the bean broth to just cover the beans by ½ to 1 inch. Place on medium heat.
  • Add the ham and onion, simmer until the onion is good and tender, stirring occasionally. Add more broth as needed for the consistency you desire.
  • Add the soup and cheese and stir together. Stir often until the cheese and soup are fully mixed into the beans.
  • Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Thai Chicken & Potato Soup

Thai Chicken & Potato Soup

Rrayada Thayer, Thailand.
My wife and niece make this soup often, and it is delicious! I was intrigued when I first saw this made as I have rarely seen Thais use potatoes. This is a basic non spicy soup made with fresh and common ingredients. This is normally served with rice on the side but can certainly be enjoyed as is.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish, Soup
Cuisine Thai
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 quarts water
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 kilo chicken wing sticks, (drumettes), (2 lb)
  • 1 cube chicken stock
  • 4 potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
  • 3 onions, peeled, cut into wedges
  • 4-5 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon MSG, optional
  • 2 tablespoons thin soy sauce, (light soy sauce)
  • 2-3 bunches Chinese celery
  • 2-3 spring onions
  • hot cooked rice, for serving, optional

Instructions
 

  • Prep the wings. These were cut from full wings.
  • Prep the potatoes and onion.
  • Prep the tomatoes, and more onions were prepped as well.
  • Chinese celery is quite thin, the stalks and leaves are used. The celery has the roots in this photo on right, two bunches were used. The coriander underneath was used in another recipe.
  • Cut the celery and spring onion (white and green parts) into 2 inch pieces.
  • Add the water and garlic to a large pot, bring to a boil.
  • After a few minutes, add the stock cube and the wing sticks. Let the pot come to boil, and occasionally skim any foam off the top. Cook until the wings are just cooked through.
  • Now add the potatoes and let the pot come to a boil again, cook until the potatoes are just fork tender.
  • Then add the onions and tomatoes, reduce heat to medium low and cook until the onion is tender.
  • Once the onion is tender, add the salt, MSG (if using), and soy sauce, stir and taste, adding salt as desired. Then turn off the heat, leaving pot on the same burner, and add the celery and spring onion.
  • Once the celery and spring onion is wilted, give the soup a stir.
  • Ladle into serving bowls, enjoy. Serve as is or with rice on the side.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Chicken & Mushroom Soup

Spend with Pennies, Holly, Canada.
This recipe comes from a friend, and it is delicious! I made this on 21 Apr 2022 and tailored it to our liking here.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 250 grams mushrooms, brown or white button, sliced, (8 oz)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt, and as needed
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon ground sage
  • teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 cups chicken broth, I used OXO cubes
  • 3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • ¾ cup dry Jasmine rice

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, melt the butter, when hot, add the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Stir oftern and cook until the onion softens. (I used Shiitake mushrooms - stems removed, and did not have celery on hand so just skipped that.)
  • Stir in the garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, sage, and pepper. Cook for just a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.
  • Add the chicken breasts, rice, and broth. Stir together and heat to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Then remove the chicken to a cutting board and chop, and set aside. Let to soup continue to simmer.
  • When the rice is tender, about 10-15 minutes after you took the chicken out, return the chicken to the chicken to the pot and simmer for another 5-10 minutes to heat the chicken through. Taste and add salt as desired.
  • Ladle into bowls, serve, and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Use Shiitake mushrooms with stems removed, and sliced in place of button mushrooms. 2. Use Straw mushrooms sliced in half in place of button mushrooms.
Shrimp & Corn Soup

Shrimp & Corn Soup

Just a Pinch Recipe Club, Iris Bonanno, United States.
This is excellent soup, common ingredients and it goes together quickly. I made this on 10 Feb 2022 and the family absolutely loved this. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed, (1½ lb)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 stalks import celery, diced
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained, (410 g/15 oz each)
  • 1 can creamed corn, (565 g/20 oz)
  • 113 grams cream cheese, cubed, (4 oz)
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, Shortcut
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Prep the vegetables.
  • Prep the shrimp.
  • Heat the butter and oil in the a large saucepan, when hot, add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté until tender.
  • To the pan, add the shrimp, stir into the vegetables.
  • Cook the shrimp until just pink.
  • Add the corn, cream, milk, and Cajun seasoning. Stir together.
  • Cook on low heat until the cream cheese is melted and mixed in.
  • Ladle into serving bowls, sprinkle with parley as desired. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Fair cost per serving based on the cost of the shrimp, really depends where you can source good fresh shrimp.
Shortcut: Cajun Seasoning Mix.
Updated on 10 February 2022.
Chicken Alphabet Soup

Chicken Alphabet Soup

Lee
I put this together based on a beef alphabet soup, and it turned out excellent. I made this on 10 Jan 2022, and did in fact pressure cook the chicken to cook that and make the broth, plus I pressure cooked the beans. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cooked, cubed, (2 lb)
  • 2 quarts chicken broth, (8 cups), Shortcut
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • teaspoons Italian seasoning, Shortcut
  • 3-4 cans Great Northern Beans, drained, (15 oz / 425 g each), Shortcut
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained, (20 oz / 425 g)
  • 2 cups dry alphabet pasta
  • salt and black pepper, as needed, to taste

Instructions
 

  • For the chicken and the broth, I did cook the chicken in my pressure cooker and that produced the broth as well, I also let it cool to room temp in the broth for juicy chicken.
    For the beans, I also cooked them in the pressure cooker, 500 grams (1 lb) and all went into the soup. Drain the beans but reserve the bean broth.
  • To a large pot, add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. I used two bunches of Chinese celery which is quite thin compared to western celery.
  • Add the broth, undrained tomatoes, and the drained beans, stir together, if more liquid is needed, add some bean broth or water and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. While the soup is simmering, cube the chicken.
  • Stir in the dry pasta and cubed, cooked chicken, cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • When the pasta is cooked, the soup consistency is much like a stew. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
  • Ladle into bowls, serve, and enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Chicken Broth, Italian Seasoning, Great Northern Beans (Pressure Cooker).
Variants: 1. Use orzo in place of alphabet pasta. 2. Use beans cooked from dry, use 500 g / 1 lb cooked (retain the bean broth) to replace the canned. 3. Use a pressure cooker to cook the chicken which make the broth needed as well.
Jiffy Tamale Chili

Jiffy Tamale Chili

Adapted from a recipe in the Casserole Cook Book, page 74.
This recipe is from a cookbook titled Casserole Cook Book by Better Homes & Gardens, printed in 1961. This recipe sounds very good, on my to make and taste list. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup onion, diced
  • ¼ cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 can chili, with beans, (16 oz / 454 g / 2 cups), Shortcuts
  • 1 can tamales, (16 oz / 454 g)
  • ½ cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter in a large non stick pan, add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender but not browned.
  • Add the chili and mix in.
  • Remove the wrappers from the tamales, arrange on top of the chili like a wagon wheel. Cover for 10-15 minutes to heat through.
  • Sprinkle with the cheese.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

High cost per serving based on the canned tamales. For the chili, here is three shortcuts or feel free to use your own.
Shortcuts: Basic Chili IBasic Chili IIPinto Bean Chili.  
Variant: 1. If using homemade chili, use 2 cups in place of the 1 can.