BBQ Meatball Stew

This is a stew recipe I just made up a few days ago.  My husband and I were both very pleased with how it turned out.  He doesn't usually care for soups or stews, but to my surprise, he loved this one.  It's rather unlike any other stew I've had.  The carrots add a lot of sweetness, and that combined with the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce give the entire stew a very BBQ-like flavor, even though there isn't any BBQ sauce in it.  Don't fear the plain, unseasoned meatballs.  I left them plain (other than the seasoned flour) to speed up the prep, but the stew has very vibrant flavor and the little meatballs are perfect in it.  They're very tender, too.  Like most stews, this one is better after a day or two in the fridge, so look forward to the leftovers!

  

Quick Note:  This recipe is for the Instant Pot, but it could be easily adapted for a normal pressure cooker.  If you don't have one of those, you can either cook it on the stove or use a slow cooker.  To cook it on the stove, proceed with browning the meatballs in a large skillet, but cook the onions in a large pot and add the remaining ingredients as described in the recipe, bring the stew to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes.  If you're using a slow cooker, cook the onions and garlic in a large skillet first, then brown the meatballs.  Place all the ingredients in your slow cooker as described in the recipe and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until veggies and meatballs are cooked through.

  

  

BBQ Meatball Stew

  

4 Tbsp flour

2 tsp montreal steak seasoning

1 lb ground beef

3 Tbsp bacon grease, divided (or olive oil if you don't have bacon grease)

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 C beef or chicken broth

2 T soy sauce

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 lb baby carrots, chopped

1 russet potato, chopped

15 oz can stewed or diced tomatoes, pureed with blender or immersion blender

  

In a cereal bowl, mix together the flour and steak seasoning.  Form the ground beef into 3/4 inch meatballs and roll them in the flour mixture, then set on a plate.  Melt half of the bacon grease in a large, nonstick skillet, then add the meatballs.  Dump any remaining flour mixture in with the meatballs.  Brown the meatballs on all sides (they will cook through completely later), then remove them to a plate.  

  

Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function and add the remaining bacon grease.  Add chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently,  until it begins to turn translucent and brown slightly.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.  Pour in the broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, and pepper, then add the carrots and potato.  Place the meatballs on top and gently push them down so they're submerged in liquid as much as possible.  Pour the blended tomatoes on top.

  

Seal Instant Pot and set the manual setting to 30 minutes.  When the time is up, do a quick release, then gently stir the stew and serve.

  

Yield: 6 main dish servings