365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes & More: Favorite Beef Stew

365 Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes & More: Favorite Beef Stew

How can you go wrong with a recipe titled: Favorite Beef Stew? This stew is pictured in this cookbook and it looks mouth watering, savory and delicious! This is one recipe I am happy to say does not disappoint!

Favorite Beef Stew

3 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

¾ tsp. dried thyme

¾ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. black pepper

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 can (about 14 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (about 14 oz.) reduced-sodium beef broth

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cold water

Layer all of these ingredients in the slow cooker with carrots, celery and potatoes on the bottom followed by onion, garlic, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Follow with thyme, basil, pepper beef and tomatoes and finish by pouring the juice and broth on top. Cook for 8 to 9 hours on low setting.

Remove all beef and vegetables and discard the bay leaf. In a small bowl combine flour and water and mix thoroughly. Add mixture to slow cooker and cook 15 minutes covered. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables and serve.

What I love about this recipe is that you don’t have to brown the stew meat before tossing it in the slow cooker. The meat comes out tender and flavorful and falls apart on your fork- it is perfect. What I also love about this recipe is that I am more than likely going to have all of the ingredients for this in my cupboard and can throw it together on a moments notice. I do have to reiterate that the recipe calls for reduced-sodium beef broth. I had trouble finding this in the store and went ahead with normal beef broth. It was a bit too salty for me but my husband who puts salt on everything I make, thought it was perfect.

What I didn’t love about this recipe was that it wanted you to thicken the stew at the end which I thought was a bit unnecessary. I accidentally put the flour in at the beginning of the cooking process and felt the stew was plenty thick and looked possibly even a little thicker than the stew pictured in the book. If you’re missing onion or don’t have beef broth, a can of French onion soup is a great alternative. If you don’t have a recipe for a great, easy slow cooker beef stew, consider this a new staple in your winter menu!