Crockpot: Beef & Potato Stew

The Husband is deploying soon and truthfully, I am absolutely not prepared for this. He went to Korea for a year and I was okay, but I swear, ever since I turned 30... my emotions have heightened. Too many feelings are happening. Ask my friends Ana and Noel.

Anyways, one of his requested meals was beef stew. I've tried a couple recipes in the past, but I think this is by far my favorite. Maybe it's from the added french onion soup or instead of making a slurry, the recipe calls for instant potatoes. This one was a huge hit for us and I can't wait to make it again when he comes back home.

Beef & Potato Stew
recipe from the chic site

1 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1- 10.5 oz can condensed French Onion soup
1 cup water
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 pounds stew beef
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half or quarters
1 medium onion, large dice cut
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
additional salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup potato flakes (instant mashed potato), as need to thicken stew

1. Add chicken broth, onion soup, water, tomato paste, and soy sauce into bowl of slow cooker. Whisk to break up and distribute tomato paste.

2. In a large bowl, season beef with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

3. Add seasoned beef, potatoes, onion, and carrots to slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on high for 6-7 hours until the beef is tender.

4. Stir in 1/4 cup potato flakes to thicken soup. Add additional potato flakes 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired thickness. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I've been trying to make this beef stew since Sunday, but this recipe calls for it to cook on low for 8-10 hours! Yes, I know, I can put it on high and cut the time, but I figured I'd be a good girl and let it cook all day. Except, I got tired of looking at the ingredients cluttering up my counter top last night and thank God I already chopped all my veggies and all that was left was to open some cans. I even browned the meat and what a mess that was! I have to say though, cooking this recipe at the hour I did and having the smell wafting through your house ALL night is possibly one of the dumbest things I've ever done! I couldn't go to bed til almost 5AM and the smell was just tormenting me.

I have come to the conclusion that I may or may not be a stew-type person. I've made stew a couple times in the past and even then, it's just not my thing. Just like pot roast. I can eat a bowl, but I get over it quickly, but thank God for my husband who loooooves it and will eat the leftovers :) As delicious as it smelled, my first bowl was kinda lacking flavor even though I added a bunch of black pepper (I have an addiction), but I added an extra 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and it's fine now. The stew itself is good, but could be better imo. I think next time I'm either going to add more seasoning, maybe some thyme and I wonder if red wine would give it a little more depth? Overall it's still a good recipe. I ate it for brunch and for dinner and that usually never happens. I don't like to eat the same exact thing (unless it's Pho) in one day.



Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Original recipe from Movita Beaucoup

1-2 lbs of stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 medium sized onions, chopped into large pieces
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup of baby carrots, chopped
about 10 mini-potatoes, cut in half or quartered
1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3 cups sodium reduced beef broth, divided
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then lightly brown the meat in batches. Transfer browned beef to a plate and set aside.

Dump the tomatoes into the slow cooker (juice and all). Crush them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the vegetables and then add the beef and any accumulated drippings. Pour 2 1/2 cups of the beef broth over the beef and vegetables. Give the mixture a quick stir. Add the bay leaves.

Cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, add the peas, salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth, creating a smooth paste. Stir into the stew. Replace the slow cooker cover and cook until thickened (about 15-20 minutes).

Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Hearty Italian Beef Stew

Sorry for the dark photo! I apparently never take out my real camera and instead whip out my iphone4s because it's just so much easier and what can I say... I am so lazy. SO LAZY!

Winter is still amongst us, but the snow has come and gone (i miss fort drum snow!), but there is still a slight chill in the air. Nothing better than a hot steamy bowl of soup on a cold cold day. Soups and stews are not specialty, but there's no harm in just testing out recipes here and there.

This Italian beef stew turned out good, but not great. The meat and vegetables were tender and delicious, but I mistakenly added an extra can of tomato paste and on top, seasoned with a little too much salt. If you make this soup, don't make the same mistake I did! I'm sure the stew itself is delicious!

Hearty Italian Beef Stew

• 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided
• 2 lb beef round roast
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin wedges
• 2 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces (split in half if they
• 8 oz red potatoes, skin-on, quartered
• 1 14.5 oz can reduced-fat/sodium chicken broth
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 4 clove garlic, minced
• 1 sprig rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 sprigs each thyme, and oregano (or 1/2-1 tsp each dried)
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
• 1 cup basil leaves, chopped

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large pan over high heat until very hot.
2. Cut roast into 2-inch chunks and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add half of the meat to the pan, searing for 1-2 minutes, until nicely browned, before flipping or stirring.
4. Sear for another 2 minutes and use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to the crock.
5. Repeat for remaining meat.
6. Add onion, potatoes, carrots to the crock pot.
7. Add the chicken broth, wine, and tomato paste (I dropped it in by the spoonful and let it distribute while cooking).
8. Top with garlic and herbs.
9. Cook on low for ~8 hours.
10. At the end of the cooking time, remove 1/4 cup cooking liquid and whisk in cornstarch until smooth.
11. Stir slurry into the crockpot, cover, and let cook for ~20 minutes.
12. Stir in the spinach and basil and serve.

Recipe from Better Homes & Garden