EAT: Easy Beef Stew in the Crock

We all know how much I love my crockpot. When I was married, 75% of our meals came from the crock and they were so delicious. If you're looking for some crock inspiration, check out Crockpot365. She's amazing.

Anyway, my roomie made a yummy vegetable soup the other day so she inspired me to bust out the crock and make a beef stew. My recipe is below, but please know you can substitute pretty much anything and still come out with a delicious meal. I'll go into more of that at the end.

-What I Used-

lb Stew Meat (frozen)

Tablespoon Organic Olive Oil

1 C Frozen Corn

2 Stalks of Celery

Pinch of Chopped Garlic

1/2 C Chopped & Cleaned Whole Mushrooms

1 Russet Potato w/Skin

1/2 C Baby Carrots

2 C Low Sodium Beef Broth

Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute to Taste

Salt & Pepper to Taste

-How I Did It-

((Be sure to wash all of your veggies before using!))

1. Since I didn't have cooking spray, I coated the bottom of my crock with a little bit of the olive oil.

2. I placed the frozen meat chunks in my crock.

3. I poured 2 cups of the beef broth over the meat chunks, which then made them easier to break up as well. 

4. I poured 1 cup of frozen corn and 1/2 cup of baby carrots into the crock.

5. I chopped up 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 cup of mushrooms, and 1 russet potato wedged, and tossed them into the crock.

6. If it's getting a little crammed, stir everything up and make sure the beef broth gets on all of your items in the crock.

7. Put a pinch of the garlic in, seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste.
8. Cover. Set on High 4-5 hours or Low 7-8 hours.

9. Be sure to check how it's doing (if you're home) and stir things up a bit if you can. If not, no biggie.

10. Serve while hot and enjoy!

-Tips-

*If you're going to work or like to leave your crock cooking low and slow, work with frozen meat and veggies. It takes longer to thaw out, thus taking longer to cook. If you're in a hurry, you can use thawed items as well.

*You can use any veggies you or your family enjoy. Some recipes call for onions, peas, french cut green beans, and red skinned potatoes. You can also vary the amount of each veggie to your liking. Want less corn and more carrot? Go for it!

*You can use any seasoning or seasoning blend you like. A lot of recipes call for some stew seasoning packet, bay leaf, or thyme. I didn't have any of those handy, so I tossed in the TJ's seasoning mix which had some of those already in it.

*I am cooking for little old me, so I have a smaller crockpot. If you're needing to cook for more than two people, I'd suggest doubling the recipe and using a larger crockpot.
*Sometimes a splash of red wine when making beef stews in the crock is an added delight.

*Some folks add Worcestershire Sauce to their beef stews.

*If you find your base (broth) is too thin for your liking, you can remove the contents of the crock when through cooking and add a tad bit of cornstarch until you get your desired consistency.