Simple Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I have been wanting to make a hot stew ever since we moved up north and into the cold.  Since I have been feeling a little under the weather lately, it felt like the weekend to give it a try.

This was the first stew I have ever made entirely on my own, and I came up with it by inspiration from a few different recipes, then added a few ingredients of my own.  I have heard it from my mother ever since I moved out for college, and now I too agree that stews are super simple.  You can even make it by throwing everything into a crock pot and walking away.

I promised a friend of mine that I would take her some of my stew, so I ended up making a double batch of what is listed below.  I also wanted to have extra to throw in the freezer and save for a cold, rainy day.

With larger portion sizes, I was unable to fit everything into my standard sized slow cooker.  I used a large cooking pot and the stove top instead, and the only thing that changed was the cooking time.

Below you will find directions for both, and each version is so simple!

Ingredients

1 lb. beef stew meat in chunks

1 can stewed tomatoes (preferably, Italian style)

half an onion, in wedges or chopped

3 stalks celery in chunks

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup green peas (frozen)

1 cup yellow corn (frozen)

1 potato in chunks (you can leave the skin)

3 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water (to mix with flour)

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (stove top) or about 4 hours (crock pot)

servings: about 6

Directions

1. Prep vegetables.  In a large pot combine beef, tomatoes, celery, onion, corn, peas, and potato chunks.

2. Add 3 cups of water, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.

3. Cook by stove top on Med-Lo until everything is tender, for about 2 hours.  You could use a crock pot instead and cook on High for about 4 hours.

4. Once tender, mix 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold water in a small mixing bowl. Add mixture to the stew and stir well.  Let thicken and simmer for about 30 minutes.

5. Add more salt or pepper, if needed.

Breakdown

Chop and prep your vegetables.

In a large pot combine beef, tomatoes, celery, onion, corn, peas, and potato chunks.  If using a slow cooker, put ingredients directly there instead.

Add 3 cups of water, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.

Since I doubled the recipe, I added twice the water and threw in an extra few bay leaves.

Cook for by stove top on Med-Lo until everything is tender.  It took about 2 hours for my double batch.

If you are using a slow cooker, cook on High for about 4 hours.

Once tender, mix 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup cold water in a small mixing bowl.

Add mixture to the stew and stir well.

Let thicken and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add more salt or pepper, if needed.

Serve alone – or like my family did growing up – atop bow-tie or rotini pasta!  This stew also goes great with cornbread.

Enjoy!