Mom’s Basic Vegetable Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• 2 onions, roughly chopped, divided
• 4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Greek seasoning (such as Cavender’s) (optional)
• 1 pinch dried rosemary
• 1 pinch ground thyme
• 1 pinch dried basil
• 1 pinch Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (32 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

Pour in enough olive oil into a large stockpot to coat the bottom; add 1 onion, carrots, garlic, red pepper flakes, Greek seasoning, rosemary, thyme, basil, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir onion mixture over medium heat until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Pour diced tomatoes over onion mixture; add ground beef, breaking apart with a wooden spoon and stir. Bring liquid to a boil and cook until ground beef is cooked through and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir potatoes, remaining onion, and celery into tomato mixture and cook until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove stockpot from heat and let sit, 20 to 30 minutes.