It's been a weird week for weather here... mild temperatures most of the week, occasional rain, then cooler stuff this weekend. In other words, pretty normal for north Texas in winter. But regardless of what it's doing outside, in the kitchen it's still comfort food season.
This dish is pretty straightforward - meat, "aromatics" (a fancy word that usually means onion and garlic), seasonings, beef broth, and homemade dumplings. The only tricky part to this dish is letting the dumplings cook by covering the skillet or Dutch oven and not opening it for 15 minutes. No peeking!
The original version of this dish calls for all ground beef, but there was a suggestion to use 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground pork. So, that's the version listed in the recipe card. If you're not into pork you can easily switch it back to all ground beef.
Adapted from Lyndy's Kitchen
A simple one-pan dish that comes together quickly. It has a hearty taste and the dumplings make it very filling for those cold evenings when you're wanting something warm in your tummy.
Adapted from Lyndy's Kitchen
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef and pork over medium-high heat, breaking the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Drain any excess grease.
Add the onion to the meat mixture and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the tomato paste and stir in for one minute. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the mixture and mix thoroughly to coat the meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the beef broth, stirring constantly to avoid clumps. When smooth, add the thyme and paprika. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. Add the frozen vegetables if desired at the end of simmering.
While the sauce is simmering, in a bowl combine the 2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt, and softened butter, mixing with a fork until the butter is distributed through the flour. Add the milk and mix until just combined into a sticky dough.
Using a tablespoon, scoop heaping spoonfuls of the dough on top of the meat sauce. There should be 1-2 dumplings per serving. Cover and reduce heat to Low. Allow the dumplings to cook/steam for 15 minutes, being careful not to open the cover during this time. Check for doneness by piercing with a toothpick; if done the toothpick will come out clean. Serve immediately.
Servings 4
Serving Size approx 1 1/2 cups (12 oz)
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.