Our Favorite Frugal Meal: Bean Stew & Corn Bread

This simple meal has become almost a weekly feature in our menu, we call it Bean Stew (I know, aren’t we creative?!).

This recipe is delicious and so inexpensive, especially if you make your own chicken broth and beans from scratch. You can adjust the flavors to make it hotter if you like hot foods by adding more chili powder and a can of tomatoes with jalapenos.My husband likes to put some Tabasco sauce on his!

Here is the recipe:

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 cup of chicken broth (homemade is best, or a 14 1/2 ounce can)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 16 oz can of kidney beans

1 15 oz can of pinto beans

1 14 1/2 oz of diced tomatoes

1 4 oz can of diced green chilies

1 10 oz package of frozen corn

3 cups of water

2 tsp chili powder or more to taste

1 tsp cumin

Combine onions and carrots into a pot and cook until onions are translucent and carrots are slightly tender. Add chicken broth and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or so. Add water, beans, chilies, tomatoes and chili powder and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add corn, let simmer until vegetables are tender.

Crock-pot adaptation: Combine all ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

For the cornbread, I make the recipe on the back of the canister but I do have a little trick! Before adding the leavening, I let the cornmeal sit in the liquid for about 20 minutes. Then I add the leavening and bake it. This makes a moist cornbread, because the dry cornmeal is able to absorb the liquid before cooking. I have a friend who adds a can of cream corn which is also delicious!

Tagged as: Recipes