I pretty much do the same as all of you empty the fridge. However, I was at an all day quilting class where we had a potluck and someone brought a stew from the fix it and forget it cookbook that had tapioca as thickening. That was really really good.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,beef_stew_v8_tapioca,FF.html
Here are some recipes I found.