. . .
Storm’s a comin’ to these here parts. Rain, and lots of it. Wind gusts of 80 kilometres per hour. (That’s like a million miles per hour for you Americans.) I’m betting Rosie Beaucoup will be on high alert. Some people rely on Environment Canada or the Canadian Hurricane Centre for weather updates. Not 2.0 and I – we’ve got Rosie Beaucoup. Since Hurricane Juan hit us in 2003, Rosie has become a storm tracker. A woman obsessed. She issues her own warnings, storm watches and weather related news. “Have you got water boiled and in thermoses? Have you got flashlights and an emergency radio?” Oh yes, Rosie Beaucoup, you bet we do.
For a while, I was worried that Rosie would trade in one or all of her children for Chris St. Clair. He works for The Weather Network here in Canada. Apparently, Rosie thinks he’s more dependable than her own kids, and generally more agreeable. She’ll often refer to him just as Chris, like he’s already joined our family or something, and we’re all on a first-name basis. “Chris says that the asteroid probably won’t hit us.” Pfffft. Like Chris knows anything about asteroids.
Anyhoo, you know what tastes good on a stormy day? Stew. Stew will warm your bones on a cold fall day. Stew will melt some of your stress away, and make you think things are going to be just fine – no matter what Rosie has told you the weather is going to do to you. I made this particular bone-warmer on the weekend – you know, on Slow Cooker Sunday. And then we ate the leftovers until Wednesday. It is a delightfully hearty and tasty stew, and it makes one huge honkin’ pot of awesomeness. (I wonder if Chris knows how to make stew?)
So this storm that’s a comin’? It will hit tomorrow, on Remembrance Day. Appropriate for the mood of the day, I suppose, but still, I hate to think of the Veterans being pelted with wind and rain. They’ve done enough. If I could bring each of those Veterans a big bowl of stew I would. Instead, I will stand with them in the wind and the rain. It’s the least we can do, wouldn’t you say?
. . .
Note: I have a BIG slow cooker (it holds 6 or 7 quarts), if you have a wee one, you may need to adjust the quantities.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew – inspired by many - print, make and warm your body from the inside out
- 2 lbs of stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium sized onions, chopped into large pieces
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- about 20 mini-potatoes, cut large ones in half, leave smallest ones as is (I like to use a mix of yellow, red and blue, no need to peel)
- 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes (I use 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 (no need to defrost first), 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.
I love slow cooker beef stews, my husband made one a couple of weeks back and it’s perfect for fall and colder weather! Great recipe!
Wow that soup looks like it comes from a magazine! It’s freezing where I am, despite it being San Diego (or maybe i’m just a thin-skinned ninny), and this looks like the perfect lunch. Wish I could have it now instead of 8-10 hours later, but the long wait probably makes it that much better!
It really is worth the wait. Plus, you can take it in your lunch box through the week and make your co-workers very, very jealous.
This stew looks great – so many wonderful ingredients!
Mmmm stew! This looks so good. My mama is my weather woman. Every freakin time she calls she talks about the weather. I mean really, aren’t we passed the small talk about weather? I’ve known her for 36 years! I love your little serving pots. Those are super cute.
Those little serving pots belonged to my Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Cecil. My dear, sweet cousin Michele passed them on to me when my Uncle passed away several years ago. I adore them, and they have little lids too!
drop by and say hi, thx anyway for the recipe and i love it!
I love stew like some people love religion and by that I mean with a scary devotion. And yes I would kill to defend my stew, ask anyone, it’s just who I am.
I think if one isn’t willing to kill for stew, they probably don’t have great priorities. That’s just common sense.
BE CAREFUL IN NOVA SCOTIA. Guelph’s been getting lots of rain lately too, but I just slap on my rainboots and hope that I don’t get too wet.
Mmm, I’ve actually been really craving beef stew for a while now. Must be because of all the cold weather, haha. I bought some pork a few days ago and was excited until I realized that pork is not beef.
Bah! This made me laugh! Also, I will be VERY CAREFUL IN NOVA SCOTIA. Because I trust you implicitly.
Looks tasty! Can’t wait to try this. I have to ask, where did you get thoose beautiul bowls? I need bowls like that! lol! Love them.
I inherited the bowls – and love them so, so much. Guess you’ll have to find a knock off!
Thanks for stopping by…
oh how I luv you!! these recipes are heaven sent and I for one can’t wait til the winter months in PA to make this delish recipe…along with the chocolate pudding(cake) and yummy cookies…oh it will be SWEET! Thank you so much for your blog I don’t know what i did without it.
Thank you so, so much! You just made my day…
Yum, thanks for sharing. I love beef stew, but I don’t usually
add the spices. I’ll bet this is delicious!
Making this now except that I’m using elk meat! Already smells delicious…can’t wait for supper. I’m serving bannock with it
Is it necessary to brown the meat first? Can I just dump it all in the slow cooker and let it cook all day?
I’ve always browned it first – so I can’t recommend anything else personally, as I haven’t tried it. Browning the meat generally adds to flavouring and helps seal in moisture. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you skipped that step. If you try it without browning first, please let me know how it goes!
Here are some additional tips: http://www.kitchensavvy.com/journal/2006/01/browning_meat_f.html
Thank you! I’ll definitely let you know. My mornings are always so hectic so just trying to avoid one more step.
What kind of Italian seasoning do you use? I rarely cook but would love to try this recipe! Looks awesome!!
It’s actually called Italian seasoning – you can find it in the spice section at many grocery stores. If you have any trouble finding it, let me know, and I’ll check out the ingredient list – you could probably make your own!
I added corn instead of peas.. delish!
Corn would be awesome! I often throw what ever veggies I’ve got in there – I love the sweetness corn adds to soups and stews!
Made this and it was very yummy but I had some trouble with the carrots and potatoes being under cooked. I remedied this by boiling it all on the stove for 30 minutes.
Put the potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot. They will cook better.
Pingback: Tasty Tuesday: CrockPot Specials | That Next Chapter…
This looks so very delicious. I love those bowls too, where did you get them? do they have a brand name on the bottom?
I inherited them from a late Uncle – they are probably 40 or 50 years old! No brand on the bottom – just someone’s initials!
So I just put this all in my crockpot to leave overnight. I’ve never made any stew before.. But felt like the broth wasn’t enough… All of my vegetables and meat were sticking out at the top. Is this how it should look? I was scared to add any extra. Thanks!
Amanda – without seeing your situation, it’s hard to answer! You probably saw my note up above that I have a very large slow cooker – it holds a lot – and I recommended adjusting ingredients if your slow cooker isn’t holding everything. That said, I think some of my ingredients end up sticking up and out a bit, and then as they cook they shrink a little. I hope it turns out for you!
Do you have to use a slow cooker? Or could you use the simmer on the stove with a large stock pot? I dont have a slow cooker, but really, really want to make this!!
Jennifer, I haven’t tried it on the stove, so I really can’t make a personal recommendation. That said, I can’t think of any reason it wouldn’t work on the stove! You’d have to keep an eye on the cook time, as I’m sure it would be different from the slow cooker method. If you try it, please let me know how it works out!!
I made this last night. Just tasted it and it is perfect, except for the stew meat. It seems dry to me. I think it may have been that I didn’t sear it well enough when browning. I did notice this morning that I had meat at the top of the pot, not covered in broth. Maybe that caused it to dry out? I think I had more like three lbs instead of two anyway. I will be more careful next time!
Hi Cathy – thanks so much for the report! I guess I’ll stick to 2 lbs. of stew meat on your recommendation! My slow cooker is a big sucker, so it’s easier to keep the meat covered in broth. I do give it a good sear before I put it in, and that is supposed to keep the moisture in, but I’m no food scientist!! I also like to stir the stew on occasion, and I think that helps to make sure no meat gets stuck on top for the whole cooking time…
Thanks again for stopping by to give some feedback!
I made this tonight. It was the best beef stew I’ve ever had, even my 3 year old loved it. Thank you.
Yippie!! I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know – you’ve totally made my day!
yumm! These bowls are really cute too
Can you cook this in less than 8 hours? Like if I put it on high how many hours should I do?
I haven’t tested it on high, so I can’t answer that for you – I’d hate to guess on something like that! I don’t recommend anything I haven’t tried personally.
Yumm yumm yumm!! Thanks for posting
Tried this today, but I didn’t use a slow cooker. I don’t have one! :0 It was great though! I cooked my beef and then dumped everything in and let it simmer on the stove for about an hour and a half. Served with corn muffins, yum! The only thing I did differently was add a TBS of my homemade onion soup mix along with the Italian seasoning. Perfect stew to start off the fall season! Thanks!
It’s already been cold here in the Rockies of Colorado. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe out very soon! Thanks for posting it! I think I will also include a splash of cooking sherry or brandy as well. Yum!
I can’t wait to try this! About how many servings does it yield?
My slow cooker is huge, and there are only two of us here, so I’d say that it easily serves 6-8! (When we make it, we get to eat it for a few meals…)
That looks fabulous! Oh my gosh! I love beef stew and that sounds soooo good. My hubby won’t eat the veggies but he may just have to deal. Or, maybe I can wait until he is gone on business again so then it will be winter. I can just imagine this with a side of cornbread.
I need to change it a tad to make it gluten free. Will it work out the same to use corn starch in place of flour? Fingers crossed!!! This looks delish!
I’m sure cornstarch would be absolutely fine – it’s meant to thicken the broth, and many people use cornstarch for that purpose!
Making this now! My husband could eat stew every day of the year and he saw the picture and made his puppy dog eyes – how could I say no? I own the exact bowls that were once owned by my Mom. Thanks for sharing.
It’s chilly and rainy here in NY today. My husband is out bow hunting and I thought this would be the perfect meal to warm him up when he gets home. The picture looks so delicious, I cannot wait! I just wish my husband didn’t loathe peas so much. I don’t dare put them in.
You know, I hate peas too! But somehow I don’t mind them in stews… I hope you like the stew – and that it warms you and your hubby from the inside out!
Hi! Just made this and it is delicious. Thanks for such a great recipe!!
You’re welcome!!
Pingback: Menu Plan Monday – October 8 | Welcome To Parenthood
Your stew looks delicious!! I have it in the slow cooker right now…. I hope cooking it on high for a shorter time will work though, as I started it kinda late. The only thing I did differently is add a pack of Lipton onion mushroom soup mix. (I still added all your recomended seasonings too) and I am going to add corn instead of peas.
I think corn would be great in the stew – it adds such a nice sweetness to things. I hope it all came together!
I made the the stew and I am not a very good cook or really cook that often but this was Delish !! I used a arm roast instead of stew meat and red potatoes… So good!! Thank you!!
You are very welcome! I’m so glad you liked it!
This was absolutely delicious! It took a bit more time than I typically like to put into a crockpot meal but it was totally worth it! My family gave this a 10!
Yay! I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping back to let me know…
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! I have searched (Failed many times) to find a great beef stew recipe in the crock pot. My veggies and meat began to stick out occasionally, but I just stirred it a couple of times. Also, the potatoes and carrots were still slightly crunchy but not under cooked. I will cook the full 10 hours instead of the 9 I did. But it did help the veggies not get mushy when were ate it today for lunch! Thanks for the recipe!
I will be trying this on a day i have off. Thanks.
Pingback: Weekly Menu / Freezer Cooking Plan ~ 10/29
Hey where did you get those adorable bowls?! lol jk. can’t wait to try this recipe it looks amazing! =)
Making tis stew for the second time in six weeks! It is delicious! Don’t like peas so used frozen green beans instead. Worked fine.o
I made it and it was delicious!!! Made it again later on in the week! Yummmy classic recipe
I tried this recipe because I’ve not found anything close to my mother-in-law beef stew. This is one I could at least adapt. I made it the way you said, with one exceptions. My mother-in-law always thicken her beef stew with browned flour. So I used that as the thickening. It was pretty close and my husband loved it.
I made your stew tonight, and it is amazing, however i made it in a pressure cooker in about 30 minutes and way yummmmm.
Yummy. I made it for my kids. And like most stews. The second day was even better. I added some sliced mushrooms and they were delicious in your stew. So easy to make. Thank you
we made this during hurricane sandy (thankful we kept power throughout) and it was just simply classic. Exactly what beef stew should be. Timeless & thrilled we found it.
The stew looks great – and the bowls look to be Hull or McCoy (most likely Hull)…
Do you just use regular Italian seasoning flakes or an actual Italian seasoning mixture seasoning?
I use Italian seasoning from the spice aisle at the grocery store – so easy!
Pingback: Beef Stew « designbytess
wonderful recipe and AMAZING stew! I linked the post I did on this back to you. Have a great Sunday!
Just finished eating! Made mini focaccia to go with! Delicious!! Thanks so much
You are so welcome!
This was delicious. I used Trader Joe’s 21 Salute in place of Italian seasoning and cooked on high for 6 hours and it was great. Thanks!
You’re welcome!!
I just seen two bowls like this at a thrift store we have here in town. I passed them up because I already have too many little thing like this in my kitchen but after reading how many people want thease i should have picked them up and passed them on…
People are crazy for ‘em!!
I must have done something horribly wrong. The meat is way overdone, the potatoes are hard as rocks, and the liquid is not thick at all. Ideas?
Aw, no!! It’s really hard for me to guess at what might have happened, but here are some random thoughts: maybe your potato pieces were bigger than mine (took longer to cook), and maybe your beef cubes were smaller (making them cook faster)? Did you brown the beef? That helps keep the moisture in. Did you use all-purpose flour for thickening? Any substitutions or changes will give us different results (uh, I know this because I do it all of the time)!
Hi there! My kids were running around earlier so I was trying hurry up with this recipe earlier and didn’t realize the oil was only to be used for browning your meat first (if you chose to do so). I added it to the slow cooker with everything. Will this make the beef stew taste like oil? If so, how bad? Will it ruin the beef stew?
Hi Brittany – I think a tablespoon of olive oil will be absolutely fine in the stew – it’s not very much, and let’s face it: olive oil is awesome! Now, I’ve never tried it, so I hope you’ll let us know how it turned out…
you couldn’t even taste the olive oil! I am eating this while I’m writing this and I have to say this beef stew is so delicious! such an excellent recipe
! Being from south Louisiana, I ate it over some rice.. haha down here, rice with everything. My mom has always had the best beef stew, but I have to say this tops that in my opinion. I’ll definitely have to share your recipe! yum yum!!
Yippie! Thanks for letting me know how you made out…
I make this using left over roast.My family knows to expect stew after I cook a roast. Beats the heck out of roast beef sandwiches!!!
Easy, good recipe. I did find the tomato taste a little overwhelming. Any suggestions ?
I suppose you could reduce the tomatoes – but they do lend to the sauce and thickening. I never recommend anything I haven’t tried myself, and this is the only way I make my stew! So, I can’t make any personal recommendations. If you try anything, let me know – I love to hear about adjustments and successes!
Reblogged this on recipes and All things yummy and commented:
Looks SO yummy!
It’s a blizzard where we live today. We love this stew, so I have it in the crockpot. Whole family loves it. Pray the electricity stays on!!
I like the snow…. took me a min, but i like it
made this tonight, best beef stew I have ever had HANDS DOWN. Thank you!! Very hardy yummmmu
I’ve made a very similar recipe to this by putting all the ingredients in a dutch oven pot, and baking for 5 hours at 300 degrees. No need to brown the meat first this way. Thx!
I made this yesterday and it is wonderful! I don’t love tomatoes so I used a 14oz can of crushed I had in the cabinet and added an extra cup of beef broth to make up for some of the lost liquid. I also took out the bay leaves after 4 hours because I didn’t like how they were making it smell. I love how thick and hearty it turned out, and since I’m only one person with nearly 5 quarts of stew, I’m going to try my first canning ever with this stew! (my parents can so I’ve seen it done and helped a little as a kid, but I’ve never done it myself)
I’m going to try this out to tomorrow and if its as good as it looks and sounds, then I was hoping to make it as a freezer dish for a friend of mine and her family while she commences cancer treatment. D you happen to know if it freezes well? Thanks!
Carmen, I haven’t frozen this particular stew, but I’ve frozen almost every other soup and stew I’ve ever made! I really can’t imagine you’d have any trouble freezing this meal – and what a lovely thing to do for a friend in need. Best wishes for your friend…
Pingback: Pinterest Roundup: Comfort Food Straight From the Crockpot | Daily Savings From All You Magazine
I saw this on Pinterest the other day and made it today. DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I’ll make cornbread tomw to go with it.
Wonderful!! I’m so glad you like it!
Just made this stew (my first time using a crockpot haha) and loved is so so much! Thanks for posting the recipe!
I’m currently living in China and it can be super hard to find American recipes of which I can find all the ingredients. I could EASILY get everything for this recipe (of course I never really know what kind of beef or what part of the cow I’m getting… dang my poor language skills!). This is definitely the best stew I’ve ever eaten… or made for that matter!!! LOVED IT!!! I added some mushrooms, because really, everything is better with some mushrooms… okay, maybe not everything, but a great many things are made better by mushrooms!
Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it, Abby!
Tried it and liked it !!
Could you replace the peas with okra?? I can’t wait to try this.
I haven’t tried it with okra, so I can’t give a personal recommendation! I think most veggies do well in stew, but I don’t like to give advice on a recipe adjustment I haven’t tried.
Pingback: Tonight’s dinner « gabandkirby
Pingback: Meal Plan Monday - 1/21/13
Slightly disappointed. For everything that goes into this stew there isn’t much FLAVOR. It was a waste of food
Sorry you feel this way. It would seem that other people have enjoyed this stew more than you – and it’s a favourite of mine. Good luck in your quest to find a stew more to your liking. Thanks for stopping by.
Just made the stew (and had guest over for super)…it was absolutely delicious!!! A hit with everyone…
Cooked it on high for 6hrs and was just perfect…thank you
So glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by to say so!
A new favorite in Austin Texas!!
This was a great recipe. My family went nuts over it! Thank you!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/19620664/1960s-hull-french-onion-soup-bowls-in
Finally! (And sold!)
Love this recipe! It was so good! I used an arm roast instead of stew meat.
Oooh! Roast would be amazing!
Made this with herb dumplings….OMG!!!!! It makes my mouth water just thinking about it again.
I adore dumplings – brilliant idea! I might have to throw some in the next time I make this…
Made this for my whole family tonight. Everyone loved it! It made so much and we still have a good amount of leftovers!
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it! Thanks so much for stopping by to say so…
Hi I’m thinking about making this, but I have a question. I only have 1 pound of meat and I was wondering if the cooking time would be less than if I use 2 pounds of meat like the recipe said? Thanks.
I believe the cooking time would be about the same, as you want the meat to cook well, and it also takes a fair amount of time to cook the carrots and potatoes. Hope that helps!
This is cooking at home right now. Stopped by on my lunch break to check on it and it smelled amazing! I will admit I added a splash of red wine that we had lying around, but this is still a great recipe!
Amanda: red wine makes everything awesome. Brilliant idea!
Just got this in the crock pot. Smells yummy already. Browned beef and deglazed with red wine. Love that smell! Can’t wait to eat it!
I hope you enjoy it!
Pingback: Menu Plan Monday – March 11 | Welcome To Parenthood
Pingback: March Menu | TwentyFourSeven-Mom
I made this today for dinner. It is by far the best beef stew I’ve had/made yet! It was a little cooler in Buffalo today, so I decided to make one final cold weather dinner, even though it is May. I used 1/4 cup of corn starch instead of the 1/2 cup of flour which made this gluten free for me!
This is so nice to hear – and I’m thrilled that you could enjoy a gluten-free version. Thanks so much for stopping by to leave a comment!