Saturday Share - Let's Make Chuck Wagon Skillet Dinner

I love the convenience and ease of casseroles and one-pot dinners where all that’s needed to make a balanced meal is a good salad and some good bread.

I thought I’d begin sharing some of my favorite one-pot meals which I often cook in a large skillet or Dutch oven.

Today’s recipe is flexible in that you can swap out ingredients and/or add extra ingredients you particularly like. 

There really aren’t any specific measurements in this recipe because I normally cook that way unless I’m trying some new recipe. At the end of this post, I’ll include some options for you to consider.

I like to call this Chuck Wagon Skillet Dinner because I imagine it’s something a trail drive cook might cook in an old cast iron Dutch oven with a heavy-gauge wire handle he’d suspend over an open fire.

My Mom had that type of Dutch oven and cooked in it for more than 60 years. She made everything from spaghetti to beans, soups, and stews of every kind. My brother has her Dutch oven. When I visit him at the farm, I sometimes think we should take it out of the cabinet and see if we could cook over an open flame.

Chuck Wagon Skillet Dinner

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium bell pepper, diced
• 2-3 cups diced potatoes (*1)
• 1 can pinto beans, drained (*2)
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn (*3)
• 1 cup Pace’s Picante (*4)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1-2 cups beef broth based on whether you like it very “soupy” (*5)
• Slurry mixture of 2 tablespoons AP flour and 1/4 cup cold water (*6)

Directions

1. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef. Before it’s completely done, add the onion and the bell pepper. Continue cooking over medium heat until the veggies are soft.

2. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring to keep the mixture from sticking. After a few minutes, add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to distribute the seasonings.

3. Add the picante and broth. Stir to mix. Than add the corn and drained pinto beans. Stir again.
4. Simmer over low heat at least 30 minutes.

5. Mix 2 tablespoons of AP flour in 1/4 cup cold water. Stir it until flour and water are blended well. Turn the heat up on your skillet and pour the slurry into the mixture. Stir to mix well and heat until the slurry has magically thickened the “gravy.”

6. Serve with one of these “breads”: heated tortillla chips, heated corn or flour tortillas, cornbread, or a crusty artisan bread like French, Italian, or sourdough.

OPTIONS

(*1) Potatoes ingredient can be changed to rice. If leftover rice, add after thickening the gravy and simmer for 5 extra minutes to heat the rice through. If using raw rice, add after all the other ingredients and add 1/2 to 1 cup more broth then simmer for 40 minutes. 

(*2) Instead of pinto beans, you can add any kind of canned beans or a mixture of varieties. Just be sure to rinse and drain the beans.

(*3) Fresh corn can be used instead of whole kernel corn. I don’t use canned corn because I find it too sweet, but if the taste of canned corn doesn’t bother you, go for it.

(*4) Instead of Pace’s Picante, you can use any picante or salsa you like. Or, you can use 1 -2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes or 1 cup canned diced tomatoes (if you use canned tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar to counteract the citric acid in canned tomatoes). 

(*5) The amount of broth really depends on your personal taste. If you like a lot of gravy, use more and adjust the amount of slurry you add to thicken. If you like less, then adjust accordingly.

(*6) The slurry mixture used to thicken the stew can also be cornstarch and water.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

The “triangle dinner bell” in the image to the right is made of wrought iron. It’s what people on ranches and farms used to “ring” to call everyone to dinner.

I have one like it that my Dad made. He was a master of many skills including a bit of blacksmithing  when needed. The one he made hung on the porch at my parents’ home, and it made the loudest, clangingest noise you ever heard!

Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves

Source: https://slingwords.blogspot.com/2025/11/saturday-share-chuck-wagon-skillet-dinner.html