Cowboy-Style Beef and Vegetable Ragout

Mixed reviews at my house.  Hubby and I enjoyed it but my daughter did not.  I served it over garlic mashed potatoes.  Would love to try the cauliflower polenta next time.  I'd also add some fresh herbs, probably basil, for just a bit more flavor.  Smoked paprika could be good too.

I was a little hesitant to try this, since some of the reviews said it was bland. I would agree that it is not highly spiced, but I found it pleasantly warm-tasting (if you know what I mean). It's the kind of comfort meal that will stick to your bones. I wasn't able to make the polenta, as my store only has the pre-prepared polenta. I used a "loaf" of that and just pan friend it before eating. 

Thanks for your tips. Green Giant does riced cauliflower in the freezer section. Can even get a bag mixed with sweet tater😁👍🏻

I added red pepper flakes to give it more flavor and then it was great. Whole Foods sells cauliflower rice if you want to skip that step on the accompanying cauliflower polenta recipe.

Incredibly bland and soupy, this ragout's lack of complexity or flavor was a shock...I generally have wonderful results whenever I use recipes from Cooking Light. This one went straight down the drain; I never got as far as the cauliflower polenta, but will try it with my favorite beef stew recipe from this site.

While this recipe was fairly easy, it just wasn't a winner overall with my family. The whole onions turned off the kids (I usually have to dice them very small to hide them in dishes), and the tomatoes nearly made them gag. My husband and I enjoyed it, but I probably won't put it in the monthly rotation. It reminds me of something you'd scoop out of a cast iron dutch oven on the ranch in the 1920s--and if I'm spending my time and energy preparing it, I want something that reminds me of something you'd find at a swanky restaurant tomorrow. I'd just as soon open a can of cowboy stew than go to all that trouble.I did enjoy the cauliflower polenta, although I could definitely taste the cauliflower. If you're looking for a lighter polenta that tastes like polenta, this ain't it! But if you want cauliflower that looks like polenta, you're getting closer.Recipe notes:Even if you have to chop everything, you can probably do it in 45 minutes. Don't try to whisk dry corn starch right into the pot--whisk it into a small amount of liquid first and pour the whole thing into the pot to thicken it.Have a lot of dishes on hand--between the corn starch bowl, the "set aside the meat" bowl, the pot for polenta, the food processor for the cauliflower, and the skillet for the ragout, my sink is filled to overflowing, bless God! (This is a big deal to me, the dishwasher.)If you, like me, are stuck with grocery stores like Spaghetti-Onlyland and Nothing-Special-Store and can't find dry polenta, you can use the prepared kind--just use less stock. (Oh, and remember the part in the recipe that said, "Pre-riced cauliflower"? Bahahaha! That gave me a good chuckle. Pre-riced cauliflower. Hah. I'm willing to bet no grocery manager within a 50 mile radius even knows what that is! I can hear him now, "Welp, we got rice on aisle 7. And we got cauliflower in produce. But I ain't never heard-a no rice cauliflower." Teehee.) 

We made this recpie this week and have really enjoyed it.  The beef ragout has great flavor to it when you follow the recipe.  I was very impressed witht the spicy, sweetness that the sauce had.  Made a great topper for the polenta which we loved.  We will definitely be making this one again.

FABULOUS. We made this last night for dinner. Our 11 month old loved it too. Super easy and flavorful.

For how little effort this took, my family thought it was very tasty. I also made the cauliflower polenta to go with it. Mashed potatoes could also be good, but the cauliflower polenta was very good as well. Might add more veggies to it next time, but a great base for family dinners!