Serves: 15
Total Calories: 165

QUART-SIZE* JAR INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup green split peas
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup dried minced onion
1/2 cup beef bouillon granules
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 cup alphabet macaroni

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
12 cups (3 quarts) water
2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes

GIFT TAG for _Dewing's Hearty Vegetable Beef Stew ..........Click the Edit tab and select this entry to open the tag.

1. Coat a large pot or Dutch oven with cooking spray, and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes, or until no pink remains. Remove any excess fat, and set aside.

2. Add the water, tomatoes, and all of the jar ingredients except the macaroni to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the peas and lentils are soft and the barley and rice are tender.

3. Stir in the macaroni. Simmer another 10 minutes, or until the macaroni is cooked. Serve immediately.

4. Refrigerate any leftover stew in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CREATING THE JAR
1. Wash and thoroughly dry a 1-quart wide-mouth canning jar.

2. Place the macaroni in a plastic sandwich bag.

3. Layer the ingredients in the jar as shown below, pressing each layer firmly with a flat-bottomed object, such as a tart tamper or the bottom of a narrow glass, after each addition. Make the layers as level as possible.

TOP of the jar
1/2 cup green split peas
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup dried minced onion
3/4 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup beef bouillon granules
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 cup alphabet macaroni
BOTTOM of the jar

*For pint jar, use half of the ingredient amounts.

4. Secure the lid, and decorate as desired (see The Basics: 06-Creating the Jars DECORATING THE JAR). Attach the instructions for making the stew found in the Gift Jar Tags chapter.

From "The Mason Jar Soup to Nuts Cookbook." Copyright 2004 by Lonnette Parks. Used with permission of the publisher, Square One Publishers. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 15
Total Calories: 165
Calories from Fat: 19

More Recipes from the The Mason Jar Soup to Nuts Cookbook Cookbook:
Barley Rice Stew
Beefy Bean Soup
Beefy Chili Soup
Beefy Mac Soup
Dewing's Hearty Vegetable Beef Stew
Gobble-Up Turkey Noodle Soup
Hearty Potato-Bean Soup
Multi-Bean Soup
Potato Soup
Very Veggie Tortellini Soup