2 lbs. Ground Beef

1 cup bread crumbs (I didn’t have bread crumbs but have holidays cookies purchased at Aldi. They are similar to gingerbread cookies. I ground some with my mortar and pestle and used a cup).

2 Eggs

Salt to taste

1-29 oz. can of Tomato Puree

1 cup Chopped Green Onion (I used Egyptian Onion, a perennial onion)

1 Cup Shredded Carrot

1 Cup leftover Baked Squash (It is optional but helps in thickening the stew. It is a combination of leftover baked zucchini, acorn, and spaghetti squash)

1 Chopped chili pepper or more if desired

1 Quart Homemade Bone Broth

3 tbsp. Olive oil

2 tbsp. Ground dry Sage (fresh sage can be chopped and used instead or any herbs on hand)

 

Direction:

 

In a big bowl, add the ground beef, ground cookies, eggs, and salt. With hands mix together.

Scoop a 1/3 hand full of meat and roll into a ball. Put the ball in a plate. Repeat the process and roll all into balls.

Wash hands and the mixing bowl.

In a pan (6-quart at least), add oil, onion, carrot, chili, leftover squash, tomato puree, bone broth, and salt.

Put the pan on the stove and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the ground sage and stir.

Gently, add the meat balls one at a time in the pan. Add the balls in a different spot each time with the intention to cover the surface of the stew.

Gently stir the stew. Cover the pan with the lid and let it simmer or boil slowly for 45 minutes.

Taste and salt more if needed.

Transfer the stew to bowls.

It can be used on plain rice or pasta. It can be used to make messy meat ball sandwich.

It is a big batch of meat ball stew, you can freeze some in quart jars for later used and keep the rest in the fridge for the week.

It is a stew I prefer to cook on a weekend instead of a weekday. The vegetables were chopped or shredded and frozen I didn’t have to prep them. The only thing that took time to prep was the meat balls. I thawed the ground beef in the fridge for few days prior to the cooking day.