Beef and Bean Ragout

I don't know what's been up with me this week. I'm just zoned out. I've wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch, play on pinterest, and refresh the browser until I have seen every kitty on the internet.

I think it's because I have a few days of vacation coming up... and my current project at work feels like herding cats... and no matter how many times I reload Google maps, they haven't built any hotels in northeastern central Montana and unless they do by September, I'll be working 22-hour days that week.

Two more day.

Just two more days. 

At least I didn't have to cook much this week. Between the pasta and the beef and bean ragout in this post, the two of us ate great all week.

All I had to do for this was combine ingredients in the crock pot and go to another long day of kitty wrangling.

And even the ingredients were virtually no prep. Can of this...bag of that...dash of spices, and ta-da! Dinner! 

Ingredients (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooker magazine)

1 pound stew mean, cut into 1-inch cubes

one 16-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

one 15-ounce can tomato sauce with onions and garlic

one 14.5 ounce can italian-style stewed tomatoes

1/2 of a 28-ounce package frozen diced hash brown potatoes with onions and peppers (about 4 cups)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (or one extended work day) or high-heat setting for 4-5 hours.

You could also combine the ingredients in a 1-gallon freezer bag, and freeze until ready to prepare. You don't even need to defrost - just put frozen mixture right in the crock pot. Man, I love my crock pot.

We served this over brown rice and I added corn to my portion. I really liked the corn, but I wouldn't add it to the crock pot. I cooked it as a side dish then decided I was too lazy to get another dish, so I just put it on top. 

Enjoy!