‘Tis the season to stock the freezer with soups, stews, and other Autumn yummies. I will be making this some time this week. (I will quadruple this recipe and freeze 3/4’s of it.)
Makes 6-8 servings
1.5lbs stew beef, cut into bite size pieces
1.5c. carrots
3 stalks celery
1c. chopped onion (as a time saver, I use frozen chopped onion)
1 med. green bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces
1 can diced tomatoes with its juice (14.5oz)
1c. traditional pasta sauce
1T. beef bouillon (I use the ‘Better Than Bouillon’ Beef Paste)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2c. pearl barley
To prepare to freeze: Combine all the ingredients in a gallon freezer bag, EXCEPT for the pearl barley. Place the pearl barley in a quart size freezer bag. Place both bags into another gallon freezer bag and freeze.
To prepare to eat: Place all ingredients, plus 4 cups of water in a crockpot and cook on low 8 hours. If you are using a frozen meal, you can transfer it straight from the freezer to the crockpot and add the 4 cups of water. You do not need to thaw!