Beef Stew

I haven’t had the best of luck with my Crockpot since purchasing it, but it’s such a useful kitchen accessory I didn't want to ditch it completely. With the weather getting colder and colder I wanted to try my hand at making some hearty beef stew and boy am I glad that I did! It turned out quite tasty and I’m already looking forward to eating it this week for my lunches. It’s filled with a lot of veggies and the addition of red wine adds great depth of flavor. It's a great Sunday Crockpot meal that keeps very well throughout the week. It pairs very nicely with some homemade cornbread muffins. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

Beef Stew
1.5-2 lbs of stewing beef cut into 1 inch cubes

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, largely chopped

1 Heart of Celery, chopped (about 4-5 stalks)

5 Carrots, chopped

1-2 Cups Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces

1 14 oz Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chile's
2 14 oz Cans Beef Stock
2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
¼ Teaspoon Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
1 Cup Peas
1-2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup French Cut Green Beans

Start by heating the olive oil in a pan. Next season the beef with salt and pepper and brown it on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Fill your Crockpot shell with all ingredients from onion to bay leaves.  Stir in beef to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. About 30 minutes before the stew is done stir in the peas and green beans. Take 1 cup of the juices and whisk in corn starch.  Pour the mixture into the Crockpot and then complete cooking.