Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I've had this crock-pot for a couple years now (inherited from my mom), and I've never really cooked with it. Usually, I just make a large meal on Sunday so we can eat it during the week because our busy schedules don't really allow the pleasure of cooking on a weekday. If I can learn to use the crock-pot, we can start to have some variety in our meals.

So, this is my first attempt at a whole meal in the crock-pot. I thought I would start easy with a simple recipe like beef stew.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3 potatoes, diced

4 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions:

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt and pepper, and pour over meat. Stir to coat the meat with the mixture. Once mixed thoroughly, add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

Servings: about 6

Modifications:

1. I added a cup of red wine to the crock-pot for a little more depth.

2. I used a bag of the pre-cut carrots.

3. I used 4 potatoes instead of 3.

4. I bought the beef already cubed.

Review:

For my first attempt at the crock-pot on a weekday, I would say this was very good. It's a very hearty meal, and would be a perfect dinner for the winter months. The next time I make this, I will probably add some red pepper flakes or something to give it a little kick. Other than the spice factor, the recipe was very good, and very easy. I prepared the whole thing in the morning before work and it only took about 10 minutes.