Vegetarian “Beef” Stew with Foodie Link Up

This time of year many of us are dreaming of white flurries falling from the sky, shopping for presents, and lots of baking and decorating for the Christmas season.

On those chilly and busy evenings, it is so nice to come home to a warm bowl of soup that is a snap to put together! Since my family is mostly vegetarian at home, this recipe is a vegetarian “beef” stew. However, if you would prefer to have meat you could easily use regular ground beef or beef tips in this recipe.

Vegetable “Beef” Stew

• 1 lb. LightLife Smart Grounds ® Original (You can substitute Morning Star Griller Crumbles as well).
• 1 bag frozen organic broccoli
• 1 bag frozen organic mixed vegetables
• ½ lbs egg noodles
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Brown the LightLife Smart Grounds® in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil.

Add browned Smart Grounds ® to a large soup pot and add broccoli, mixed vegetables, egg noodles, vegetable broth, water, and bullion cubes.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until egg noodles are cooked through. You may need to add extra water to thin out the stew.

Serve with shredded or shaved parmesan cheese on top!

If you decide to make this recipe with meat, replace the Smart Grounds ® with ground beef or beef tips, depending on your preference. You can also replace the vegetable broth with beef broth and the vegetable bullion cubes with beef bullion cubes.

Another option would be to use a vegan/vegetarian beef seasoning along with the vegetable bullion cubes to give it a more “beef” flavor! Just add 1-2 tbsp. to the soup along with the rest of the ingredients.

This soup was so good, my whole family including my 16 month old really enjoyed it! My husband is a reluctant vegetarian at home, and I even got a “good” from him! I honestly just thought of it one evening before my husband had to go to work and I needed a quick and easy supper idea! Soups and stews are a great way to use up ingredients in your pantry or fridge that you aren’t sure what to do with! Just throw it in a soup or stew and it will most likely turn out good!

Have a great Christmas!

Blessings,

Heather Greutman is a Christian wife, mother, homeschool graduate, blogger, and Occupational Therapy Assistant, striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman with all her “words fitly spoken like apples of Gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11. She writes at Golden Reflections Blog about Christian Montessori inspired homeschool with an Occupational Therapy twist! You can also find her on Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, & Google+.

Today is the Tasty Treats Link Up, so please share your recipes below.

 Tasty Treats Link Up

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