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Zombie Finger Stew
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Trying to get something nutritious into your kids before they go Trick-Or-Treating and embark on a week-long sugar high is challenging, at best. Luckily, Zombie Finger Stew comes to the rescue – delighting the kids with the gory zombie fingers and satisfying mom’s need to provide a veggie-dense meal they’ll actually eat.

I love everything about Halloween. Everything from the decorations to the costumes is something I look forward to every year. But planning a gory, bloody, or gross menu that thrills the kids always gets my creative juices flowing. And why will a child eat something gross or gory but turn their little noses up when a green vegetable is presented to them? Definitely one of life’s mysteries.

Zombie Finger Stew

Franks and beans are the ultimate comfort food. We remember eating them as children, on camping trips, backyard barbecues, and school lunches. It’s a taste that follows us into adulthood. It’s an easy, budget-friendly meal.

This ‘stew’ is a hit with everyone who eats it. It’s a take on franks and beans but made more nutritious with hidden veggies. Using canned beans makes this recipe even easier; it can be made ahead of time or in your slow cooker.

Ingredients Needed

  • Hot dogs – I used Hebrew National beef dogs, but you can use whatever type/brand your family enjoys.
  • Ground sausage – I used bulk breakfast sausage. Italian sausage, kielbasa, or even chorizo works well. If it’s very fatty, drain most of the fat before sauteeing the vegetables.
  • Onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. I like to mince them as finely as possible to ‘hide’ them in the stew. I’ve found that they have nothing to pick out if you can’t see the vegetables.
  • Canned tomatoes – I used petite diced tomatoes.
  • Sweet paprika, chili powder, and cumin – all for flavor!
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, and yellow mustard – make the sauce taste like you cooked it all day!
  • Brown sugar
  • Canned baked beans – I used Bush’s original baked beans.

Steps To Make This Recipe

The simple knife slices and carved fingernails will become more pronounced as they simmer in the beans.
  1. Cut the hot dogs in half, carve out the fingernails, and make slices for the knuckles.
  2. Brown the sausage in an ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven.
  3. Add the vegetables and saute until soft.
  4. Dump the rest of the ingredients into the pot and stir well.
  5. Bake for 45 minutes.
  6. Ladle into serving bowls.
  7. Serve hot.

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead Of Time

Yes! You can make Zombie Finger Stew up to 2 days ahead of time. After adding all of the ingredients to the sauteed vegetables and sausage, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Add another 5-10 minutes of cooking time when ready to bake.

Can I Make This In A Slow Cooker?

You can. Brown the sausage and saute the vegetables. Spoon them into a crockpot. Dump the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker, stir, cover, and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until thickened.

What Do I Do With Leftovers, And Can I Freeze Them?

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To freeze, spoon the leftovers into a freezer-safe container and store in your freezer for 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave at half power, stirring often, until hot. The time will depend on your microwave.

You can spoon the Zombie Finger Stew into a saucepan and reheat over medium heat, stirring often, until hot.

Tips And Substitutions

  • Not a fan of sausage? Ground beef, bacon, or diced ham can be used. You can also leave it out altogether. Saute the veggies in 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead.
  • Don’t be afraid to brown the meat until it has crispy, golden brown bits. This adds a ton of flavor.
  • Drain as much fat as you can off the cooked sausage. You don’t want a greasy stew.
  • You can add more vegetables, such as shredded carrots, diced jalapenos, or cubed potatoes. You can also add chopped pineapple or shredded apples for a hint of sweetness and additional vitamins.
  • Saute the vegetables until they are very soft. This will allow them to almost ‘melt’ into the stew, so your picky eaters won’t notice them as much.
  • You can substitute a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce for the diced tomatoes.
  • Add additional beans. A can of white beans, black beans, or chickpeas would be delicious. You may need to add more ketchup, mustard, or barbecue sauce for more sauce.
  • Fully submerge the zombie finger hot dogs in the mixture. As they cook, the knuckles open, and the fingernail becomes more pronounced.
  • This recipe is very adaptable to your family’s personal tastes. Omit the sugar or use honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup. Don’t have molasses? You can use additional brown sugar, dark corn syrup, or maple syrup.
  • If the mixture is too thick, add some broth, water, tomato juice, or apple juice.

Equipment Needed

Aren’t these the cutest spoons?

More Halloween Dinner Ideas:

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Zombie Finger Stew

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  • Author: Millie Brinkley
  • Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

Trying to get something nutritious into your kids before they go Trick-Or-Treating and embark on a week-long sugar high is challenging, at best. Luckily, Zombie Finger Stew comes to the rescue – delighting the kids with the gory zombie fingers and satisfying mom’s need to provide a veggie-dense meal they’ll actually eat.

Ingredients

Scale

For the zombie fingers:

  • 6 hot dogs, cut in half crosswise

For the stew:

  • Ground sausage
  • 1 medium sweet onion, minced
  • 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, minced
  • 1 celery stalk, very finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
  • 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • ¼ cup barbecue sauce
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (use more or less to taste)
  • 2 (22 ounce) cans baked beans

Instructions

Make the zombie fingers.

Cut each hot dog in half crosswise.

Next, make the fingernails and knuckles.

For the fingernails, use a sharp knife to slice two small sides of the fingernail, then a straight slice at the top of the nail. 

Make a curved slice at the bottom. You should have a fingernail shape.

Take the knife and slice a very thin ‘fingernail’ off the top.

Now, the knuckles.

Use the knife to make 3 small slits slightly below the fingernail and another three just above the bottom of the finger. Set aside.

Make the stew.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Use a spoon to break up the pieces into small pieces.

Stir in the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent – about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, paprika, chili powder, cumin, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard, and brown sugar.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients are fully combined.

Add the canned baked beans and mix well.

Gently fold in the zombie’s fingers.

Cover and bake the ‘stew’ for 45 minutes until the beans have thickened, the sauce has darkened in color, and the fingers have taken on some of the sauce color.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and place two fingers on top of each bowl.

Serve hot.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Main Dish – Beef
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: zombie finger stew, franks and beans, beans and weenies, Halloween dinners, kid-friendly recipes, hot dogs, baked beans, Halloween

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mbrinkley3717
6 months ago

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