Back in the day, when Carrie and I were still newlyweds, we lived in our college town of Portales, N.M. Somehow, I was roped into playing on a Friday Night Beer Drinking League softball team. At the end of the season, we had a team party, and one of the guys on the team brought his girlfriend and she brought this very simple and very tasty green chile stew. I liked it so much that I asked her for the recipe and she was nice enough to share it. It was so simple that she didn’t even have to write it down. Some 25 years later we still make it. This is a quick and easy to make meal and is my kid’s favorite green chile stew. This recipe feeds eight.
Ingredients for Kid’s Favorite Green Chile Stew
- 3 lbs of ground beef (80-20)
- 24 oz. of green chiles fresh or canned
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cans of pinto beans
- 1 can of refried beans
- beef broth (amount varies up to 16 oz.)
- 1 tbsp of ground cumin
Procedure
- Dice the onions
- Thoroughly brown the ground beef, onions and cumin.
- Add two cans of pinto beans including the liquid. Add the green chiles.
- Stir and then add broth. I generally use 8 oz. or less. Return to a boil.
- Thicken the stew by stirring in the refried beans. I usually use the entire can.
- Serve in a bowl with tortillas on the side. You may also add condiments such as:
- Diced Onions
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Jack Cheese or Queso Fresco
- Sliced Avocadoes
- Sour Cream
- Salsa
- Corn Chips (this meal makes a perfect frito pie)
This quick and easy to make green chile stew is especially wonderful on a cold night and is even better after a day or two in the fridge, which is exactly what we did the last time we made it. I hope you will try this recipe. I know you and your kids will love it. If you do try it please let me know how it turned out.
When you say “canned green chilies” do you mean those little cans of diced green chilies or something more specialized?
Depending on where you are, you can find small cans or larger ones that are whole, you can dice them yourself. Either are fine. You might also want to look for frozen green chiles. I think they are better. They come in what looks like a plastic sour cream container. I saw fresh green chiles at Walmart the other day for 50 cents per pound.