Crockpot Beef Stew (Recipe 140 of 150)

Just 10 more recipes to hit my goal. I'll be half way there by the end of this week! 

It's stew and soup season to me and that means I try to make a stew or a soup (or both) in a week. It is a leftover I'll eat for sure - at least once. 

I have made stew a thousand times over the years and I've never made it quite like this one. And truthfully, this one is going to be a favorite from now on. 

See, I like my stews to have a thick sauce and not a loose, thin sauce. This recipe guarantees a thick sauce. It was perfect. 

Now, I kinda didn't have all the ingredients. Well, one main ingredient...the can of crushed tomatoes. I used that can earlier when I made Ropa Vieja and didn't get to the store to get another can. But I have this "tomato bouillon" and I figured that would suffice for the tomato flavor and it did. You gotta be careful with bouillon though because it can get salty. So watch your seasoning and maybe season later in the cooking process. 

Crockpot Beef Stew

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Serves 6

BEEF STEW

• 1 T Vegetable oil
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into bite size pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4-5 medium red potatoes, chopped (about 1 pound)
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 stalks celery, sliced thick (1/4”-1/2”)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf

BEEF GRAVY BROTH

• 1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 10.5 oz. can beef consommé **
• 1 15 oz. can low sodium beef broth
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp beef bouillon
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme

Chop meat into bite size pieces. While meat is still on the cutting board, toss it with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the beef to the very hot skillet and let cook undisturbed for approximately 2 minutes, or until nicely seared on one side, then continue to cook while stirring until beef is browned all over but not cooked through. Remove beef to 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef.

Add all of the vegetables and garlic to the slow cooker and toss with the beef.

Add all the the Beef Gravy Broth ingredients to the now empty skillet (wipe out excess grease but leave brown bits). The flour will be lumpy at first but will dissolve as you cook and continue to whisk. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until thickened to the consistency of gravy. Add to slow cooker and toss to combine. Add bay leaf. The Gravy will be very thick but will thin to the perfect consistency as moisture is released from the vegetables as they cook.

Cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours or on LOW for 8-10 hours or until vegetables and beef are very tender. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.