Homemade Stew

Being health-aware, and gluten free, you won't find TV dinners in my freezer, but instead you'll find homemade soups, stews, and casseroles in single serving containers. My supply of lasagna, and chicken noodle has dwindled, and thus I decided a batch of stew was in order. I learned a few things in the process. The most important lesson I learned is that you can't rush the simmer process. Of course you could make this in a crockpot, but I choose to do it over the stove top.

I attempted to make the stew before work one day when another employee didn't show up when scheduled; I had a pot of stew on the burner, and my boss texts me to see if I can come in. We got it all worked out, but basically I was shorted 30 minutes in the time I thought I had to make my stew. I had to turn the burner up a little higher than recommended to hurry the potatoes and vegetables along, but in the end I made a great 6 serving batch of stew for reheat.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 package, about 1 LB stew meat, cleaned and cut into bite size cubes
2 Tbsp gluten free flour (potato or cornstarch will do)
1-2 dash salt
1-2 dash ground black pepper
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 small bay leaves
4 OZ tomato paste
2 handfuls gluten free pasta, the shape is up to you
3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
3 medium carrots, cut into bite size chunks
2 stalks celery, thickly sliced (This I only added for my husband- I hate celery)


Directions

1. Heat up some oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Place the meat in a ziplock, sprinkle with flour, and toss to coat.
3. Transfer the meat to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and brown meat on all sides.
4. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the meat, mix in onion, bay leaf, and 1/2 cup tomato paste.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes- meat should be tender.
6. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Continue cooking over low heat for another 45 minutes, until vegetables are almost tender.
7. Add in gluten free pasta and cook on low for another 10 minutes.
8. Remove bay leaf before serving or storing in Tupperware.