Dinner in a Dish — The Sunday Stew That Holds Everything Together

End of January. Drove Tuesday-Wednesday, Des Moines.

Book two releases February 18. Preorders strong. Sarah has scheduled three radio interviews for February. No TV this time — I asked.

Gayle stable.

Sunday: beef stew.

After two days on the road and a week of publicity logistics swirling in my head — radio interviews to prep for, preorders to watch, Gayle to check on — Sunday needed to be simple and settling. I didn’t want to think. I wanted something that went into one dish, filled the kitchen with a good smell, and reminded everyone at the table that home is still home, no matter what the calendar looks like.

Dinner in a Dish

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and chopped onion together, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until no pink remains, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Combine filling. Stir in the diced tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, corn, peas, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until evenly combined.
4. Add rice. Fold in the cooked rice and stir until everything is well mixed and the sauce coats the rice and vegetables.
5. Transfer and top. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top in an even layer.
6. Bake. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the edges are lightly browned.
7. Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before scooping and serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 720mg