One of my favorite cold-weather meals is Beef Stew. I have a favorite recipe for both my crockpot and my Instant Pot - today I'm sharing the crockpot recipe, and tomorrow will be the Instant Pot recipe. Both are super easy to make. If you're craving a delicious beef stew, give this one a try!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of Wondra Quick Mixing Flour
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 2 1/2 pounds of beef stew meat (preferably from a chuck roast), in 1-1.5" cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, separated
- 3 cups yellow onions, diced
- 2 tablespoons of Spice World Minced Garlic (or 6 cloves garlic, minced)
- 2 cups of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)
- 2 32-ounce containers of Progresso Beef Broth
- 4 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base
- 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 6 tablespoons of tomato paste (suggestion: get a tube of Pomi Double Concentrated Tomato Paste to not waste a can each time you need just a small amount)
- A 16-ounce bag of fresh baby carrots (or 1 pound of carrots peeled and chopped into pieces)
- 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized wedges
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary if you don't have sprigs)
- 2 cups of frozen peas
- 4 drops of Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce
Directions:
- Place the black pepper, garlic salt, and celery salt into a gallon-sized bag. Add in the meat and toss. Add in the Wondra Flour and toss.
- Heat the olive oil and saute the meat in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Brown the meat for 45 seconds on each side. Add additional olive oil if needed. Place the browned stew meat into your slow cooker.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add in the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Add the onions and garlic into your slow cooker along with any bits remaining in the bottom of the pan. Use a little wine if you need help getting them loosened.
- Add in all remaining ingredients except for the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Cook on low for 7 1/2 - 8 hours or on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours until the vegetables are softened and the potatoes are fork tender.
- Optional: if the stew isn't thick enough, mix 1/4 cup of Additional Wondra Flour in with 1/4 cup of cold water, stirring to incorporate. Pour this into the stew slowly and stir continually. Repeat if you feel it still isn't thick enough.
- Turn off the heat and remove the rosemary sprigs and the bay leaves. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter that remains.
- Optional: if you prefer a darker-colored stew, stir in 3 additional drops of Kitchen Bouquet.
Many of my articles to date have dealt specifically with Lake County, Florida, but I'm expanding and covering recipes I enjoy. If you enjoy cooking in your slow cooker, here are a few great slow cooker recipes for you - Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast, Crockpot Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Crockpot Merlot Beef, Crockpot Herbed Chicken Stew, and Slow Cooker Cuban Ropa Vieja.
If you're interested in following along, here's what you need to do - download the Newsbreak app, create a User Account, and follow me at Lake County Florida - Here's What's Happening! If this sounds like a good recipe to you and you think others may enjoy it as well, please share it with them. Enjoy!