Fire up the slow cooker for a tasty — easy — weeknight dinner.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 cups diced onion
1 cup fresh peppers, seeded and diced (For mild soup, use bell peppers; for a spicier soup, use 1 poblano pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper and 1 green chile.)
2½ tablespoons taco seasoning
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning (can substitute 3 cloves of garlic, minced)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
1 cup cubed butternut squash (frozen or fresh)
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans of dark beans such
as black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can of light beans such
as pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in a large saucepan.
Sauté the beef, onion and peppers until the beef is browned and the vegetables are tender.
Add taco seasoning, adobo seasoning, oregano and salt.
Stir until the seasonings coat the meat and vegetables and are fragrant.
Put the beef mixture, corn, squash, tomatoes and water into the slow cooker and stir well. *
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
Add canned beans just before serving.
Stir until warmed through.
Taste, season and serve!
* If you prefer to use dried beans, you can add them along with the other ingredients to slow cooker in this step. Use 1 cup dried dark beans and ½ cup dried white beans, rinsed and drained.
WHAT’S ADOBO SEASONING?
This Mexican spice blend typically contains garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and cayenne red pepper and sometimes paprika or chili powder. You can
buy it at most grocery stores, at penzeys.com or mix your own. “It really is magic,” Till said. “It makes guacamole and chicken heavenly.” In a pinch, however, you can simply substitute fresh
garlic or garlic powder.
Our slow cooker pick is the classic Crock-Pot Oval Manual Slow Cooker. It hasn’t failed us yet!
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Aleksandra Till is a mother of three and the founder-owner of Homegrown Foods, a meal planning, prep and delivery service, serving the Twin Cities. Learn more at eatgoodathome.com
