Cowboy Stew

The polar vortex is officially in Oklahoma.

Yesterday the entire state was one gigantic skating rink.

Today, the ice is a little bit better, but it’s about 18 degrees right now with wind chills hovering right around zero.

This is NOT my favorite type of weather. It’s going to be a long, cold next few weeks.

This weather is perfect for stew. I made a big batch of stew in my Dutch oven over the weekend to help me get through the week. This stew has all of my favorite ingredients–and was the ultimate definition of stew. I just threw it whatever my heart desired.

This filling dinner consists of turkey kielbasa, ground turkey, bacon, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and Ranch-style beans. See? All of my favorite things.

You can season it up however you like, but I stuck with a simple salt, pepper and chili powder blend. I wanted a little bit of heat but not too much. The onion and garlic also deliver some potent flavors, along with the Ranch-style beans and sausage, so I stuck with a minimalist approach to seasoning.

If you’re in the grips of a deep-freeze right now, I recommend making this stew. It’s a great way to warm you up from the inside out.

Enjoy!

Cowboy Stew

• Servings: 8-10
• Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A hearty stew packed full of meat, potatoes, beans and corn.

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon, diced
• 1 lb. turkey kielbasa, sliced
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• salt & pepper
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup frozen or canned corn
• 2 cans of Ranch-Style beans (14.5 oz)
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can regular diced tomatoes
• 1-2 cups water

Directions

1. Fry bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven. Once crispy, remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
2. Fry sausage slices in bacon drippings until browned on both sides. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
3. Add ground turkey to the bacon drippings along with onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and chili powder. Cook until turkey is browned, about 4 minutes.
4. Stir in potatoes, corn, beans, tomatoes and water. Add bacon and sausage back to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour.