Witches Brew Soup / Stew

Having made this recipe now, I realize it's designed for Halloween, but I really don't care. 

This was delicious. At least the version I made. I completely missed the Italian Sausage and didn't have that to add. Which, I guess is ultimately ok because I'm not a huge fan of Italian sausage. 

What really made this recipe was the onion soup mix. It never occurred to me to add that to soup! I'll do that more often now. Such a great flavor. But, be careful! It can be a bit salty. I highly recommend not salting your soup until you've tasted it after you add the soup mix. 

I also missed that this was a slow cooker recipe. I didn't start it until 5pm tonight and, well, no time for slow cooking. I'm not sure it needs a slow cooker though. I let it simmer for 45 minutes and it was just fine. 

I'm going to add this to my favorites list! It was that good. And on a cold, wet, rainy day it was darn near perfect. 

Witches Brew Soup / Stew

Recipe from My Incredible Recipes

Serves 6

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 3-ounce package of shallots, diced
• 2 1 ounce packets of onion soup mix, divided
• 1 8-ounce package of large white mushrooms
• 4 large carrots peeled
• 1 c celery chopped
• ½ 1.5 pounds bag of baby gemstone potatoes, halved
• 5 c beef broth
• 1 14-ounce can Italian- style petite diced tomatoes
• 3 T red wine vinegar
  

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the Italian sausage and lean ground beef with the diced shallots and one packet of onion mix until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.

As the meat cooks, slice the mushrooms in half and poke eyes into each rounded side with a chopstick or toothpick.

Cut two triangular wedges out of one side of each carrot and discard. Slice each carrot, forming “pumpkin” shapes.

Once the meat has finished cooking, transfer it to a large slow cooker, leaving behind any extra grease in the pan.

Mix the mushrooms, carrots, celery, and potatoes in the large skillet with the extra grease and heat over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes to begin searing the vegetables. Be sure to stir frequently.

Transfer the vegetables into the large slow cooker with the meat and sprinkle the second packet of onion soup mix all over the vegetables.

Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, and red wine vinegar and stir until well combined.

Cover with a lid and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours or until the vegetables are softened enough to pierce easily with a fork.

Enjoy your Witches Brew Stew hot.