Reviews & Comments

Just made this for dinner tonight. Went according to the recipe but used a beef boullion cube crushed and mixed with a small of water. I used about 2 pounds of stew beef. We like the white beans so the next time I will use two cans. It was a wonderful meal with enough leftover for the two us for another meals. Has anyone tried to freeze the leftover portion since I am only cooking for two?

I doubled this recipe following the advice of other reviewers, using a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, only one jar of gravy but two beef boullion cubes mixed into the liquid. I found beef base in the soup section of the grocery store. The Italian seasoning was a bit potent, I will use just oregano and basil next time. It also had the consistency of soup rather than stew so I will drain the diced tomatoes when I make it again. We did enjoy it but I'm sure it will be better with the additional changes. I prepped a lot of the ingredients the night before which made for a quick fix the next morning before work.

I found this recipe to be pretty bland. I will try to jazz it up a bit this evening for our meal #2, but I wouldn't do it again unless there were major changes.

Beef base comes in a jar. It has a paste-like consistency. It also comes in chicken and vegetable flavors. I get mine at Penzey's Spices. You may be able to order online or find in local grocery stores. I usually have the chicken one on hand as it adds wonderful flavor to just about everything: chicken dishes, gravy, mashed potatoes, cooked veggies, homemade soups. You can keep it in the fridge and a jar of it lasts for a long time!