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#110 – Beef Stew

There’s something so comforting about a big pot of beef stew. Whether you cook it in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, this delicious one pot meal is crammed full of vegetables and long roasted tender pieces of beef. Served along side with some crusty bread, beef stew makes the perfect easy dinner recipe to enjoy with the family.

A delicious classic beef stew prepared in the slow cooker | 365 Days of Easy Recipes

A delicious classic beef stew prepared in the slow cooker | 365 Days of Easy Recipes

I love how you can take a more affordable cut of meat and make it so tender with long, slow cooking. Add in your choice selection of vegetables like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, corn, anything really. Well, maybe not anything, I don’t think broccoli would work but you never know.

Beef Stew was another recipe my mom would make to bring along on camping trips. She sure knew how to keep our tummies full and satisfied. We’d be curled up in front of the campfire eating a nice steaming bowl of delicious beef stew and then we would get marshmallows for dessert.

This past weekend, our family went for a visit to my girlfriend’s house. She lives on the outskirts of Sudbury – which to some is REALLY far out but honestly, it takes the same amount of time for me to get home from the downtown center as it does for her. Coming home to her little piece of paradise must be so incredible, especially when the weather is as beautiful as it was that day. We put a pot of beef stew together and sat by the fire waiting for dinner to cook. The evening was incredible!

sunset

As the sun faded behind the mountain, painting the sky with the most gorgeous colours, the nighttime creatures came out to play and we could hear them singing. I climbed to the top of a small hill on their property so I could get a better view of the setting sun. I stood at the top of the hill, closed my eyes and just listened to the cricket’s song. All my cares and worries drifted away.

marshmellows

After I climbed back down, we feasted on hot beef stew and my girlfriend even had a bag of marshmallows ready to be toasted. I looked at my daughter bundled in her blanket by the fire, while daddy toasted her the perfect marshmallow. I smiled thinking of my own childhood and I hoped my daughter would be reminded of this evening whenever she reached for a bowl of beef stew too. It’s these little moments in time – simple moments, surrounded by friends and family – that make life so special.

A delicious classic beef stew prepared in the slow cooker | 365 Days of Easy Recipes

A delicious classic beef stew prepared in the slow cooker | 365 Days of Easy Recipes

A delicious classic beef stew prepared in the slow cooker | 365 Days of Easy Recipes

5 from 1 vote
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs stewing beef
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 4 large potatoes , peeled & cubed
  • 5 carrots , peeled & chopped
  • 5 celery stalks , chopped
  • 1 large onion , chopped
  • 1 tbsp worcheshire sauce
  • 1 tbsp A-1 sauce (or some other steak sauce)
  • ½ cup red wine (optional but good)
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. In a small dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. Coat the beef with the flour mixture. Heat a frying pan or large pot over medium heat. Add the oil to the pot and brown the meat.
  2. If you’re cooking your stew in the slow cooker, transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker. Otherwise add all the remaining ingredients into the pot with the beef except the cornstarch and water.
  3. If you are cooking on the stovetop, bring all ingredients to a simmer and cook for approximately 1 hour. If you are cooking in the slow cooker, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
  4. Mix the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl and stir into the stew to thicken the gravy.

Diana L.

8 Comments

  1. Beef stew is the best, I love how chunky yours is! It looks so filling and delicious. Your mom is braver than I am! Although a big pot of beef stew probably fed you all the whole time you were camping.

    • Thanks Cristina! Yes, beef stew is perfect after a long day outdoors because it’s so hearty & filling. Love it.
      Thanks for stopping by!

  2. That sounds like the perfect evening. There are few things more satisfying than a meal consumed by a campfire, especially for kids.

  3. Nothing beats a good Beef Stew after a day out in the woods! Have you ever cooked one over the fire!? I’m not sure if it’s from working up a hunger or cooking outdoors but it almost tastes even better!

    • I have not cooked over the fire but there’s always a first time for everything. I’ll have to give it a try!
      Adding your suggestion to my food Bucket List. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

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