Hearty, tomato based stew, made with beef, potatoes, carrots, and herbs and spices! Brown your meat, and toss everything in the slow cooker for a hearty, flavorful, meal with only a few minutes work!
Life is busy. No doubt about that. Throw in things like family responsibilities, holiday gatherings, work, homework, sports, music lessons, and more! Basically, who has time? I was talking to someone the other day, and they mentioned that it was less about not having time, and more about not having time during those dinner hours. They usually have more time in those hours right after the kids are in school, but the dinner time hours are packed.
I think we all feel this way from time to time, so thank heavens for slow cookers, right?
My absolute favorite thing to make in a slow cooker is a stew. I admit, it is not as easy as throwing frozen chicken breast, salsa, and cream cheese in and turning it on, as there is some chopping involved, and to get the most flavorful, moist, and tender beef, you have to brown it before you cook. But the extra effort is well worth it. So So So So good!
Want to know what else I love about this stew? It is packed with veggies. And I could totally add in more, like some french green beans, such a good addition. It just kind of depends on what I have on hand. But no matter what I have in my fridge, this slow cooker is packed with flavor!
And did I mention I use red potatoes so I don’t have to peel!? Yeah, it is one of my tricks. When I am in a hurry I wash and chop red potatoes instead of Russet! Try it. They taste awesome, cook perfectly in the slow cooker, and are easy peasy!
Another thing I love to do is pull some frozen rolls out of the freezer when I start the slow cooker. That way, the rolls can thaw and rise while the soup cooks. Then about 20 minutes before we are ready to eat, I just pop them in the oven. Then we have a fantastic, veggie packed, flavorful, stew and piping hot fresh rolls. And all that in under 15 minutes of actual work? Amazing right!
I highly recommend it.
Let’s get to the recipe:
Italian Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 3 large Red potatoes 2 cups chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 ribs of celery chopped
- 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 2- 14 ounce cans beef broth
- 1- 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 Tbs Rosemary Garlic Spice Mix Tones is what I used
- 1/2 Tbs Thyme
- 1/2 Tbs Parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup flour optional
Instructions
- Brown meat in a fry pan using olive oil, then put in 6.5 quart crock pot.
- Chop potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery, and add to pot
- Pour in Worcestershire, beef broth, and petite diced tomatoes and herbs and spices
- Cook on medium heat for 6-8 hours
- Remove 1/2 cup of the liquid, and whisk it with flour (gluten free if desired), and stir into the stew, slowly. (Optional, this helps thicken it, but does not enhance flavor)
- Let simmer 30 more minutes
- Enjoy with crusty bread, top with fresh parsley and basil if desired.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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