Western Skillet Stew

This was a definite kid-pleaser at our house! I found this Pace brand recipe many years ago, but hadn't made it in a long time. I had some ground beef so I put it on the menu. Elisa kept saying, "Mmmmmmm! Mmmmmm!" And Sabrina not only tried it, but loved it. Well, she loved the meatballs. She ate 5 of them. I didn't tell her there was salsa in it. Haha! Snuck in some veggies. Strangely, she didn't even pick out the green onions in the nummy little meatballs. I used fresh salsa from the deli instead of picante sauce. It's a fun twist on chili. I might try these meatballs in a different dish some time too.
Western Skillet Stew
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. finely crushed tortilla chips
1 c. picante sauce
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
1 T. vegetable oil
1 (28-oz.) can whole tomatoes, chopped
1 (16-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed
1 c. beef broth
1 lg. green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder

Combine meat, crushed tortilla chips, 1/3 cup of Picante sauce, onions, egg, garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin and salt. Mix well. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. Brown meatballs in oil until brown on all sides. Remove and reserve. Drain drippings from pan.

Add tomatoes, beans, broth, pepper and chili powder to skillet along with remaining 2/3 cup Picante sauce and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Return meatballs. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with additional picante sauce.