Shortcut Cubed Steak Stew

Growing up, my Dad would make cubed steak the same way, every time. Until today, I've never eaten cubed steak except sauteed in a pan with onions, and a gravy of ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. I've made it for Johnny a few times, and while he likes the overall flavor, he's not a big fan of cubed steak in general.

I'm still a fan of its price, though. So, a dilemma was born. Being the Googler that I am, I got to work fixing this little problem. Apparently, cubed steak goes well with mushrooms and Campbell's "cream of" soups. I loathe mushrooms and Campbell's is the world's biggest supporter of whey, making sure it graces practically all of their products, especially the "cream of" soups. Eliminating those two ingredients unfortunately eliminated about 99.98% of recipes I read. Until, I stumbled across a little something called "Shortcut Cubed Steak Stew."

Think: beef stew. Just cubed steak instead of chunked up hunks of quality beef. I took that idea and ran with it.

4 beef cubed steak, cut in bite sized pieces
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp shortening

1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 medium potatoes, chopped
28 oz. can of tomato puree/crushed tomatoes
1 bouillon cube
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, and sage, to taste
1 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp Gravy Master
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen green peas/mixed veggies
1/2 green pepper, chopped

2 1/2 cup Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk

Combine the flour, salt, pepper. Coat the cubed steak pieces with the flour mixture. In a large skillet, melt the shortening over medium heat. Gently shake off the excess coating before dropping in the skillet. Cook the steak for at least three minutes on each side, or until it is golden brown. Add the onion, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, and salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are al dente.

Add the peas, and the green pepper. Mix up a bowl of Bisquick with milk to make drop biscuits. Dallop little spoonfuls around the top of the pot, put the lid on and set the timer for 10 minutes. The soup should continue simmering away, cooking the potatoes the rest of the way and steaming the dumplings. After 10 minutes, this is what you'll see:


We couldn't wait to dig in!!! Two huge bowls were served up and we ate and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. It was like a rustic, minestrone type flavor.

 
There's also a huge container of leftovers that would probably serve another three bowls. Delicious!!! And all from a $4 package of cubed steaks, canned tomatoes, potatoes and some frozen veggies we had on hand!