Beef and Lentil Chili

The entire family loves this one!
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 pounds ground beef (or small pieces of stew meat)
  • 3 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes (or 5 1/2 C diced fresh tomatoes)
  • 1 1/2 T chili powder
  • 1 1/2 T ground cumin
  • 1 T salt
  • 1/2 t pepper
  • dash of cayenne
  • 9 C water
  • 1 1/2 pounds dry lentils (about 3 3/4 C), rinsed

Optional, for serving:

  • shredded cheese
  • sour cream
  • chopped fresh cilantro
  • hot sauce
  • tortilla chips

In a large stock pot, saute onion and bell pepper in coconut oil over medium-high heat until half-cooked. Add garlic. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add ground beef or stew meat. Cook, drain, and return to pan.  Add tomatoes, spices, and water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer covered, on medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes.  Add lentils and stir.  Cover and simmer for an additional 60 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Continue simmering until you reach the desired thickness.  Serve hot, with optional ingredients of your choice.  Enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker recipe:

If you use beef stew meat, you can make this chili start-to-finish in your slow cooker.  If you choose to use ground beef instead, brown it in a pan on the stove, drain the grease, and then add it and other ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker.  (It will barely fit.)  Cook on low for about 6 hours.

From tammysrecipes.com

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Santa Fe Soup

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds ground beef
  • large sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 16 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 16 oz. can black beans, undrained
  • 10 oz. can Ro-Tel tomatoes
  • 16 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans organic corn, drained (or 12 oz. frozen)
  • 1/4 C dry ranch dressing mix, optional
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • 2 T organic soy sauce, optional
  • 2 t chili powder
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 1/8 t pepper, optional

Brown ground beef, adding onion and garlic halfway through.  Drain.  Combine all ingredients in large stock pot.  Simmer until heated through.  Serve with shredded cheese, organic corn chips, and sour cream.

Optional:  Add 2 C water and simmer for 2 hours or put it all in a crock pot for the day.

Thank you, Julia!  This recipe is delicious!  Hope you don’t mind my little adaptations.  🙂

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Italian Meatloaf

  • 3 pounds ground beef
  • 1 1/2 C bread crumbs
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 T Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 t dried oregano
  • 1/2 t pepper
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce, divided
  • 4 oz. shredded cheese

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, eggs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, pepper, and half of the tomato sauce.  Make a loaf in the center of a 9 x 13″ glass baking pan and bake for 1 1/4 hours at 350 degrees.  Pour the remaining sauce over meat.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake 30 more minutes.

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Meat Pie

  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 3 pounds ground beef
  • 18 oz. tomato paste
  • 1 T dried oregano leaves
  • 1 1/2 t salt
  • black pepper
  • 12 oz. shredded cheese, optional
  • 2 pie crusts

Prepare the pie crusts and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add red pepper and saute till soft. Add ground beef and cook well.  Drain and rinse.  Return to pot and add tomato paste, oregano, and salt.  Sprinkle on pepper and mix. Layer half of the meat mixture into the half-baked pie crusts, then cheese, then the rest of the meat mixture. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.

Makes 16 servings

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Lasagna

  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 pounds ground beef
  • 4 (16 oz.) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 t. oregano leaves
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t pepper
  • 1 pound lasagna noodles
  • 1 pound shredded cheese
  • 1 C Parmesan cheese

Saute onion in coconut oil over medium heat until half-cooked. Add garlic, cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add ground beef and cook till no longer pink.  Drain and rinse.  Return to pot, adding tomato sauce, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Cook one pound lasagna noodles according to instructions.  Place a little sauce in the bottom of two 9 x 13″ glass baking pans.  Layer pans with half of the noodles, half of the meat sauce, half of the shredded cheese, and half of the Parmesan cheese.  Repeat.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

This is my own recipe, inspired by my boys who requested no ricotta or cottage cheese.

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Stuffed Pepper Pot

  • 6 large green (or red) peppers
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 4 C cooked rice
  • 32 oz. spaghetti sauce, plus extra to spread on top
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • sliced cheese

Cut thin slice from stem end of pepper.  Remove seeds with teaspoon; discard.  Cook ground beef in skillet over medium heat, adding the onion half way through, and cooking meat till brown.  Drain and rinse.  Add rice, spaghetti sauce and pepper.  Stuff peppers with mixture and place in 13 x 9 inch pan, putting extra mixture around the base of the peppers.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, topping with extra cheese for the last 10 minutes. Serve heated sauce on the side.

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Tomato Basil Casserole

  • 20 oz. rotini (or pasta of choice)
  • 2 pound ground beef
  • 14 oz. chopped spinach (I chop fresh spinach in the processor)
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 t salt
  • 1/2 t pepper
  • 1/4 t ground nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C Parmesan cheese
  • tomato and basil sauce (below)
  • 16 oz. shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  (Chill in cold water for use later.)

Shred cheese in processor.

Meanwhile, heat the following ingredients in a separate pan, bringing the sauce to a boil and then gently cooking.

tomato and basil sauce:

  • 30 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 29 oz. tomato puree
  • 4 t dried basil (4 T fresh)
  • 1 t garlic salt
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1/2 t onion powder

Also start cooking ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, stirring occasionally.  Drain grease.  Add spinach, onion and garlic; continue cooking 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and blend well.  Stir in egg and Parmesan cheese.

Pour 1 C of sauce into bottom of a large roasting pan (with lid).  Layer half the pasta, half the meat mixture, half the sauce, and half of the cheese. Repeat with the other half.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Spaghetti Sauce

  • 1-2 pounds ground beef or venison
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 T flour
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (29 oz.) can tomato puree
  • 1 C water
  • 1 t dried basil (1 T fresh)
  • 1/2 t dried oregano (1 1/2 t fresh)
  • 2 t sea salt
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Brown ground beef with the onions until done.  Drain excess grease, and then sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir.  Add the cans of tomatoes and the tomato puree, and then the cup of water.  Stir well.  Add the spices and let simmer.  Finally add the minced garlic.  Let simmer a little longer, then adjust seasonings to suit your taste.

This is Chris Read’s recipe.  She cooks a chopped green pepper with the beef, and adds a jar of mushrooms with the spices.  She has added a bag of frozen vegetables in place of one of the pounds of meat, and found it to be a pleasant “twist”.  Thanks Chris!  We use this often.

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Veggie Beef Soup

  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/4 large onion, chopped
  • 32 oz. beef broth
  • 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 16 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables

Brown ground beef in a little olive oil, adding onion half way through; rinse.  Put beef, broth, tomatoes, beans and seasonings in a pan.  Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes.  Add frozen vegetables and simmer till done, about 10 more minutes.  (Or add fresh vegetables and simmer for less time.)  Serves 6.

Recipe by Mom Hudson, January, 2009

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Santa Fe Stew Ole

  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 pounds beef stew meat or ground beef

Saute onion in oil over medium-high heat in large pot. Add stew meat and cook till brown.  Add the following:

  • 1 (10 oz) can Ro-tel diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
  • 3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 1/4 C flour
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 t chili powder
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 1 t salt

Mix and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with organic tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

(slightly adapted from Favorite All Time Recipes)

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