This recipe came from: https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/cowboy-stew/
Variations from the Recipe as Written: I used 5 pieces of bacon (instead of just 4) because bacon! I used 28oz of kielbasa (other than 24oz) because of package sizes. And I used the fire-roasted variety of both the diced green chiles and diced tomatoes to add depth of flavor.
General Thoughts: The prep on this one was fairly simple and straightforward... I had to chop the bacon and slice the sausage, but that was easy and quick. The biggest time-suck was peeling and cubing the potatoes; however, as it only called for two, and I saved a bit of time by using pre-diced onions, it went fast. Other than that, most of the other ingredients were canned, so other than having to brown the bacon and sausage, it was a fairly easy lift, overall.
I often feel like I need to double recipes to make them go far enough, but that definitely wasn't the case with this one. As you can see from the pic below, a single batch of this recipe filled a large soup pot, feeding my family of four to fullness (with maybe four more servings leftover, even).
It came as no surprise that this recipe was incredibly hearty! It is very protein-dense, which, when combined with the potatoes, baked beans, and veggies, produced a thick "stick-to-your-ribs" quality that is too often missing from recipes that claim to be stew. But, don't misunderstand, I am not trying to imply that the soup was "heavy," which I feared it might be after looking at its component parts. On the contrary, the sheer variety of ingredients kept every bite different and interesting, with the vegetables, in particular, given this recipe the proper "room" so as not to be a stomach bomb. The recipe mentioned that I could add water if the soup turned out too thick, but I had no need; I may want to add a little to my leftovers if the potatoes keep soaking up the liquid but, on the stove, there seemed to be the perfect amount of broth for a stew.
*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it
It came as no surprise that this recipe was incredibly hearty! It is very protein-dense, which, when combined with the potatoes, baked beans, and veggies, produced a thick "stick-to-your-ribs" quality that is too often missing from recipes that claim to be stew. But, don't misunderstand, I am not trying to imply that the soup was "heavy," which I feared it might be after looking at its component parts. On the contrary, the sheer variety of ingredients kept every bite different and interesting, with the vegetables, in particular, given this recipe the proper "room" so as not to be a stomach bomb. The recipe mentioned that I could add water if the soup turned out too thick, but I had no need; I may want to add a little to my leftovers if the potatoes keep soaking up the liquid but, on the stove, there seemed to be the perfect amount of broth for a stew.
The textures and flavors, both, were quite complex in this one, which was part of its appeal to me. The depth of textures (e.g., the tender meats, the crunchy corn, the soft beans and potatoes, the rich broth, etc.) made each bite a delightful adventure. And, the flavors layered very nicely, as each bite started with the deep, savory tastes of the meat but soon presented the more subtle flavors of the onion, chiles, sweet corn, and spices. Finally, each bite finished with the distinct sweet, smokey tang of the baked beans, which left me practically seeing the campfire crackling in front of my eyes!
This one would definitely be PERFECT on a cool Fall or Winter evening!!
Potential Improvements? Frankly, I would be hard-pressed to make this one any better. But, it is worth noting that if you fear you may be overwhelmed by its meatiness, you could easily reduce the amount of ground beef by 1/3 (using 1 pound instead of 1.5 pounds) without hurting this recipe much at all.
Polling the Fam: I loved this one and would rank it (for me, personally) as one of the top-3 soups I've made in this project, overall. Becky thought it was very solid, super hearty, and said she definitely liked it. Hunter said he would give it a nearly perfect score, with so many great textures and flavors, and went back for thirds! Fox, with his typical stoicism, said he thought it was okay and that he'd eat it again if I made it.
Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)
This one would definitely be PERFECT on a cool Fall or Winter evening!!
Potential Improvements? Frankly, I would be hard-pressed to make this one any better. But, it is worth noting that if you fear you may be overwhelmed by its meatiness, you could easily reduce the amount of ground beef by 1/3 (using 1 pound instead of 1.5 pounds) without hurting this recipe much at all.
Polling the Fam: I loved this one and would rank it (for me, personally) as one of the top-3 soups I've made in this project, overall. Becky thought it was very solid, super hearty, and said she definitely liked it. Hunter said he would give it a nearly perfect score, with so many great textures and flavors, and went back for thirds! Fox, with his typical stoicism, said he thought it was okay and that he'd eat it again if I made it.
Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)
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