Beef Stew with Pasta

This started out as a pot pie from scratch.  Then I was scheduled to work seven days in a row.  I considered buying a tube of biscuits for the crust.  Then I could barely get out of bed when I did have a day off, and it turned into opening cans, a packet of gravy powder, and pouring it over pasta.  Wow, good choice.

With beef prices scary, canned beef is an increasingly affordable option.  This happens to be chuck that I canned myself, but I have bought roast beef in a can that was very good.  It's less than a pound, usually 12 oz including the gravy, and has plenty of flavor.  If you happen to have leftover shredded or cubed beef, it is excellent for this stew.

1 Tb oil
*1/2 C diced onion
*4 C vegetables of choice (I used one can of mixed veggies and 2 C frozen green beans)
*1 12 oz can beef or 1-1/2 C leftover cooked beef
1 packet beef gravy mix
*4-6 oz linguine or other flat pasta

1.  Start heating water for the pasta in a large pot.  In a separate pot, heat the oil over medium.

2.  Add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the vegetables and meat and bring to a simmer.  I do not recommend using potatoes unless they were pre-cooked.  The simmer time will only be about ten minutes.

3.  While the pasta is cooking, combine gravy packet and 1 cup of water.  You can do less for a thicker gravy.  I used the water from the canned vegetables to start and made up the rest.  Stir into the vegetables and bring to a boil for two minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.  It takes 2-3 minutes.

4.  When pasta is ready, drain and plate.  Ladle a heaping amount of stew onto each portion and serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π