Frozen Hamburger Stew

You're gonna get busy, that's a fact soon, as the summer months begin their slow creep forwards inundating our days with pleasurable activities to share with our families.  Some of us will be relying heavily upon frozen dinner entries to fill our meals.  Why not make one yourself that is exempt from preservatives and freezes well?

This is a great stew that can be taken out of the freezer, water added, and nuked or heated slowly on the stove top for a delicious, quick, and easy meal.  This will make 5 batches of stew that can be frozen over the summer months and reheated when needed.  Best part is, it can be made in your slow cooker therefore not overheating your house.


                                                               2 lbs. ground beef     
                                                               2 medium onions chopped
                                                               4 cans (14 1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained
                                                               8 medium carrots, thinly sliced
                                                               4 celery ribs, thinly sliced
                                                               2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
                                                               2 cups water
                                                               1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
                                                               1-2 tab. salt
                                                               1 tab. pepper

Additional ingredient for each batch:
1 cup water

In a dutch oven fry meat and drain.  Place in slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients except rice.  Set cooker on low setting and cook for 5-6 hours.  Add rice, allow slow cooker to cook one hour longer.

Freeze in 3 cup portions.  When a batch is needed, take out and thaw in refrigerator and add the 1 cup of water when reheating.  

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