Crock Pot Beef Stew

Sunday, April 28, 2013

 Crock Pot Beef Stew

What you're going to need

7 Quart Crock pot
1.5 lbs of stew meat (pictured is 3 lbs which will not fit with everything else, freeze the extra for next time you have stew)
1 Lg. White Onion, cut in anyway you like
6 Roma tomatos, sliced
5 Lg. Red potatos, cut in half, then cut halves into quarters
2 Cups of sliced mushrooms
6 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 bag of baby carrots
1-1 1/2 Tbsp Beef base (you could also use 8 oz beef broth or 1 beef boulion cube)
1 cup Worcestershire 

Cook on
Low, 8-10 hours
High, 6-8 hours

What to do:

Chop up all your veggies, with the exception of the carrots and toss everything into your crock pot. Now wasn't that easy? I really dont think that it matters, but I always add my worcestershire sauce last, to help settle and coat all the veggies. 

So your looking at this stew and you're not a fan of the veggies I used? No problem, this stew adapts well to any veggie! What ever your personal preference is, will work! 

 Is your crock pot over flowing?!? No need to fret the veggies will cook down and there will be plenty of room. This is another reason I do not add any water or broth, when the veggies cook down they create the broth for you. If you cant get your lid to fit over it though, your going to have to take some of it out to avoid your stew from cooking over and all over your counters. 

The most difficult part of this stew is mixing everything up

It should looks something like this

To be on the safe side you may want to put a layer of paper towels under the crock pot in case of over flow. 

I typically like to use organic beef base, the Wal-mart I shop at doesn't carry it though so I settled. Anytime you can go organic, the better it is for you. I know that's not always an option though, with it being more expensive in a lot of cases and also your location. So don't feel bad if your stew isn't 100% organic, it is still going to be better than a trip through the drive through. 

Lets take a quick moment to talk about the nutritional facts on this stew. 

*The whole pot of stew has 1,478 calories

* There are roughly 8 serving

* 185 calories per serving 

After 3 hours on low the veggies have already cooked down quite a bit. Is the wonderful aroma filling your house yet?

5 hours on low, and you can finally see and taste your broth. This is where I decide if it needs anything else, I love tomatos so more often than not I add more if I have them. A good way to preview how its going to taste is trying a piece of one the veggies. Not enough flavor, add a little more Worcestershire or to much add half a cup of water. If your cooking on high, your stew should be about done. 

10 hours on low and your stew is now ready to enjoy

Costco carries the most delicious roasted garlic bread that goes perfectly with this stew. For a 2 inch slice there are 150 calories though, so be careful. For the stew and bread you have a well rounded meal with only 335 calories!