Garden Skillet Supper
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GARDEN TIME! Veggies are in full swing, making this a Southerner’s favorite part of summer. Yes folks, all of the heat and humidity are finally worth it when we get to bring in buckets of big juicy tomatoes, squash, and bell peppers. My stomach growls just thinking about it!
I only have a small garden but it still seems to yield more than I could ever use, so I love throwing together recipes like this that help me get as many of those delicious fresh flavors in one bite as possible! This is a simple go to dish, one like our grandmothers would just throw together and not even consider a recipe, but today I’m going to show you how to make a fresh, flavorful, and filling garden skillet with just enough seasonings to enhance all of the flavors without covering any of them up.
I’m also working on a garden fresh newsletter to be sent out in the next day or so, so be sure you subscribe by email if you want to get that! Click here to subscribe.
I know I normally go into a long winded story or chat a little bit more, but look at that skillet up there? I’m HUNGRY so lets eat!
You’ll need: tomatoes, squash, bell pepper, onion, lean ground beef, dried parsley (or fresh) and some kosher salt.
You’ll also need a wee bit of pepper and a scant amount of sugar if you want to make it exactly like I do.
They refused to pose in this picture but hey, we all have our stubborn days, right?
This is an easy recipe to alter based on what you have. Zucchini would be an excellent substitute for squash and if you only have one bell pepper or tomato that will work, too. You can also use ground turkey in place of beef but I have an aversion to ground turkey so don’t look to see me doing that here. But hey, whatever cranks your tractor!
And yes, Kosher salt is awesome. If you have never used it much before, grab some next time you are in the grocery store. This is one of those ingredients that really does make a pow difference and won’t cost you much at all. IF you don’t have kosher salt, table salt will work as well. I don’t ever want you to have to make a special trip to the store when you can make do with what you have on hand!
Let’s get started!
To begin with, place your tomatoes on a baking sheet and put in the oven on “Broil” while you get your beef going, about five minutes or so.
Chop up your onion and place that in the skillet with your ground beef.
Chop the beef up really well and stir over medium heat until nicely browned.
I’m using a mix and chop thingimawhosit from Pampered Chef. I don’t sell pampered chef, I don’t have friends or family who sell it, but I will hunt one of these suckers down to the corners of the earth if I ever need to! This is an awesome tool and I think I’ve bought about eight now. I keep introducing folks to it and giving them away. I love that it can handle the heat so you can continually cook with it without having to keep taking it out and setting it aside. It chops up things really well, too and is dishwasher safe. Am I a salesman or what?But hey, when I find something that is really and truly useful I want you to know about it!
You can buy them from a Pampered Chef person or on Ebay Amazon even has them, too (click here) !
Now take your tomatoes out of the oven and the skin should be split.
Set them aside for a minute to cool and then carefully pull a piece of skin until it comes off.
Repeat until they are entirely peeled.
Cut them into wedges and add to your skillet.
NOTE: I’m using lean ground beef so I didn’t have to drain mine before adding the tomatoes.
If you aren’t using lean beef and have grease in your skillet at this step, drain the beef before adding tomatoes.
Chop them up with your thingiemawhosit or a wooden spoon or whatever you grab first from the drawer and continue cooking over medium heat.
Keep in mind these tomatoes are hot and have juice so there may be hot juice involved.
Add your parsley, salt, and pepper (and just a teaspoon of sugar if you really wanna bring out the sweetness of these tomatoes!)
Continue cooking and dicing up the tomatoes for about five minutes, until they are good and juicy and make a sauce of sorts.
While you’re doing this, chop up all of your bell peppers (throwing away the seeds) and squash.
Add in the rest of your veggies.
Cook and stir until squash is lightly translucent and veggies are just tender, but not overcooked or soft.
I know “overcooked” is kind of the Southern way to some folks but that is a holdover from the old days when we really did have to cook the mess out of something in order to make sure it was safe to eat. So when your meemaw cooks you vegetables until they cry uncle, she is just repeating what her meemaw did as a way to make sure the food was safe.
This skillet is BURSTING with flavor!
Serve over hot cooked macaroni noodles or rice.
Enjoy!
And if you have time, drop me a “Hidy” in the comments below because I LOVE hearing from you!
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 large garden tomatoes
- 1-2 yellow squash, sliced
- 1-2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place tomatoes on foil lined baking sheet and put in over under broiler for five to eight minutes, while you get the ground beef going below...
- In large skillet over medium high heat, place ground beef and onion. Chop and stir with wooden spoon until beef is fully browned and onion is tender and translucent, about ten minutes. If not using lean ground beef, drain grease.
- Remove tomatoes from oven while ground beef is cooking and set aside to cool slightly. Once cooled, carefully peel skin off and slice into large wedges.
- Add tomatoes to ground beef and onions in skillet and continue cooking over medium high heat while you stir and chop them up, being careful not to squirt hot juice on yourself.
- Add salt, parsley, black pepper, and sugar (if using sugar). Stir well and cook for about ten minutes.
- Add in squash and bell pepper and stir well. Cook until squash is lightly translucent and bell pepper is just tender, about ten more minutes.
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To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are!
~Unknown
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Aug 2 2012. Filed under Main Course, Quick&Easy.
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Thanks so much ! We have yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers and swiss chard in abundance, so this dish over rice would be a hit at the shelter. With some fruits on the side for dessert, yum ! Thank you Christy
Christy I received an email with some of your favorite bible verses and I think I accidentally deleted it! Could you please resend it?
Thanks…Theresa
I REALLY tried to hold my tongue, but I just can’t help myself. For anyone who really wants a Mix ‘N Chop, got to http://www.pamperedchef.com, and find a consultant near you! I checked out the Amazon site, and she is doubling and tripling the actual prices! And there’s no warranty, if you don’t go through a consultant. Pampered Chef really stands behind their products, so support your local consultant, and get the full value of the products with the warranties!
Made it for dinner, awesome!!!
I make something very similar to this, but I melt a little provolone on top and serve it on hamburger buns. I call it a Sloppy Garden Joe. Delicious!
Oh that sounds wonderful Babs!! Thanks for sharing!!
Mmmm..I’m making this for dinner tonight over brown rice. This is quite healthy for you as well and I am spicing it up with fresh banna peppers, green chilies and tex mex spices. Thanks Christy!!!
That sounds Yummy Charles!! I hope you enjoy!!
Had all the ingredients for this meal except for tomatoes so I used diced canned. It was absolutely awesome! Fresh veggies and simple! I’ll definately make this one again!! Thanks Christy..keep them coming!!
This looks delish. I will try this tonight. Thanks for the shout out for the Mix and Chop. I am a Pampered Chef independent consultant and am thrilled that you love our products! My website is http://www.pamperedchef.biz/preacherswife if I can be of any help to anyone needing products
This sounds so yummy! I will be trying it soon. I love my pampered chef mix and chop,I use it all the time! I just love pampered chef products in general.
I have one of those thingamawhosits. I love it.
I always put my hot macaroni right into the skillet. Something that my father [who never cooked a day, or a meal, in his life] always said my mother should try. Well, long story short, I tried it, I liked it.
Christy, made this for supper and my girls (daughter & granddaughter ) actually liked it !! I used spagetti sauce instead of the salsa and left out the parsley. The girls are wimps and dont like salsa !! Thanks for a great recipe !
I am so glad to hear that it was a hit Donna!! Great idea using the spaghetti sauce!
I am obsessed with this for some reason !!! Guess I need to make it
I really think you should make it Dwayne, then you could have some for me!!
I made this tonight and it was a hit! I also changed out the green bell peppers for red, yellow and orange bell peppers
Oh, I bet that was pretty!!
I make something similar to this but use chicken strips and add provolone cheese or mozzarella. I didn’t know anyone else did this. I call it Sandy Surprise cause I use whatever is fresh in the garden. I like hot banana peppers chopped up in it.
Christy, I grew up in Northern Alabama, and am in Afghanistan, reading your recipes, trying to wipe the drool off my chin without getting the mouse wet! A good friend from high school shares your blogs on Facebook, and the first time I visited your site, I killed about 4 hours, just reminiscing. It brings a smile to my face, and makes me think of mother. How I miss going to see her. She would never let you leave without eating something! I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her, and your recipes make me long for my Alabama roots! This Garden Skillet is the kind of cooking I usually enjoyed at her house. Thank you,
I made this dish with a side of buttered potatoes and I added 1 onion and 1 can of corn and it was a big hit with hubby
Looks & sounds delish! I’m making Shrimp Jambalaya this evening. I add a can of cut okra to my dish…my mouth’s craving it.
Enjoy! ;D)
I am going to make this and put it over spaghetti squash, hoping to leave the starch out!
Great idea Christen!!
This looks delish!! Only hubby doesn’t want meat in his dishes. So I make his spaghetti sauce (love spaghetti) with all the above ingredients except the meat. I’ll add mushrooms and cut up eggplant too. Have made all of this and served over spaghetti squash which is even better to me. That way I can save the carbs to have my garlic bread! I love your recipes using what we have on hand.
Cristy you are nuts but you can come to my poll anytime. I love this site.
New to your site and I am loving your recipes, your words of wisdom, your faith and your attitude. Thank you for sharing. I live in Alabama, too and am so grateful for my Southern heritage.
Welcome to Southern Plate Rebecca!!! And thank you so much for your kind words! I look forward to getting to know you and hope you enjoy the recipes!
Now I wish I could go back in time to ask my Pa Dutch relatives or you sure we ain’t Southerners? Just another coincidence of good eating I guess. Was raised on food like this. AND no. no ground turkey for me ty.
made this for supper with ground turkey…added to the recipe garden jalepenos, zuchini and yellow squash as well green and yellow peppers, …it was delish!!! what a great recipe! even my picky 9 year old loved it! served it over brown rice. mmmmmmm
I am so glad to hear it was a hit Angi!!
I made this for dinner a couple of weeks ago…DELISH!!!!! Next time I will add some garlic and maybe some hot sauce but other than that, the family loved it!!!!!
Thank you for the recipe. I substituted chicken for the beef and added mushrooms and served over brown rice prepared with chicken broth. It was really great.
I also love the hamburger smasher. I bought mine in Myrtle beach, S.C. at the Lodge where they sell cast iron cookware and I think you can order online from them as well.
Isn’t it the best tool ever Retta?!
Hidy Christy! I will be trying this soon! It looks yummy! Thanks (:
Yes it is and like you, i have bought them for other people!
I could serve this over spaghetti squash and never depart from my Paleo eating!