Easy Beef Stew
Beef stew is one of my favorite cold weather comfort foods and having it slow cooked all day makes it so easy to have this ready for busy families. Now, I have to admit a few things about this recipe: it’s not from scratch. Believe me when I tell you it’s not from lack of trying! I have tried numerous recipes and my family simply tells me it’s not right. Something is missing. While with a few of the tries, I will agree; there were a few that I was like: this is GOOD. They did not agree. What’s a girl to do? Stick with what they like (and keep trying) – they tell me the best beef stew I make is using the seasoning packet from McCormick. It is good, I will admit that, but I want to create a homemade seasoning mix for stews. I’m not giving up.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. beef stew cubes cut larger pieces into 1 inch cubes (trim all visible fat)
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 1 package McCormick® Beef Stew Seasoning Mix the original mix – not the slow cooker one
- 3 cups water
- ½ bag of baby carrots larger ones cut in half
- 1 medium onion chopped (or use 1 cup of frozen pearl onions)
- 4 medium potatoes cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- 2 stalks of celery sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
Instructions
- Place flour in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Add beef cubes, close bag and shake to coat with flour.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven on mediumhigh heat.
- Add half of the beef and brown on all sides. Remove beef and place into crockpot. Repeat with remaining beef, adding remaining 1 tablespoon oil. When the last batch of beef is just about browned, add the minced garlic and let cook for a minute, careful not to burn it.
- After all beef has been browned and is in the crockpot, add the vegetables.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup, add the water and Seasoning Mix. Stir to combine. Pour over vegetables. Give it all a stir and cover. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours or until beef tender and cooked through; and the vegetables are fork tender but not mushy.
- *Note: If the sauce isn’t thick enough to your liking, then the last 20 minutes of cooking time, turn the crockpot to high. Make a mixture of 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, then slowly pour while whisking or stirring into the beef stew.
Nutritional Disclaimer
“Blogghetti” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Enjoy!
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Mmmm, beef stew, it’s so great on a cold winters day isn’t it? And your recipe sounds great and of course easy.
Yes, for sure it is Heidi! Thanks for stopping by!!
Your Beef Stew would be perfect on this cold winter day. Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I just made this. DELICIOUS!! I made one minor alteration, I used 1.5 cups water and 1.5 cups red wine 🙂
Thank you for the recipe!
I love the addition of the wine!