Thursdays Are For Cooking

 

If you have a Crockpot, you know it will take care of cooking the main dish for you so that you can go run errands. Well, I have two: the original Crockpot that I got at a sale when Montgomery Wards (who?) was closing its doors, which holds enough for 10 to 12 servings of something, and the more recent, and much larger version which is big enough for a full-sized beef roast.

So, on that note, this revived recipe from Betty Crocker’s kitchens should fill the bill for a good hearty meal. The recipe says it should serve 12, so you might need a bigger pot. Otherwise, enjoy it. It’s a perfect dish for a chilly winter day.

Slow-Cooker Country French Beef Stew

• Prep 25 MIN
• Total 7 HR  55 MIN
• Servings: 12

Go hearty and rustic on a chilly day with this country stew of veggies and chunks of beef in a red wine broth. Ladle it over noodles straight from the slow cooker.

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated March 4, 2010

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lb), trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

3 cups ready-to-serve baby-cut carrots

1 cup red Zinfandel wine or nonalcoholic red wine

¾ cup Progresso™ beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)

3 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms (3 cups)

½ cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)

Additional Notes:

Hot cooked egg noodles, if desired

Chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves, if desired

Steps

• 1 Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Place bacon in cooker. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat in skillet. Cook beef in bacon fat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Stir onion into beef. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into cooker.
• 2 Stir carrots, wine, broth, flour, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and canned diced tomatoes into mixture in cooker.
• 3 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.
• 4 Stir in mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 20 to 30 minutes longer or until sun-dried tomatoes are tender. Serve beef mixture over noodles; sprinkle with parsley.

Expert Tips

• Use beef broth instead of the wine if you prefer.
• To save time, use beef stew meat instead of cutting the beef roast into pieces.
• If you can’t find the julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, cut your whole ones with a kitchen scissors.

 

Category: Cooking, Economy