When you plan your meals ahead of time, the evening goes much smoother. It becomes simpler to just finish up whatever you need to (work, laundry, whatever) and then move into a speedy dinner prep. Unfortunately, I fell back into bad habits recently and wasn’t planning dinners. Heck, I wasn’t even thinking about dinner … until it was time to make it. We consumed a lot of pasta. It was really chaotic, and I hate chaos.

But I am working on it (we’re on day five of planning success!). Honestly, the stress of having dinner roll around without a plan is something I don’t need. No one needs it. And it’s just too easy to skirt the issue with a little bit of planning.

The slow cooker really comes in handy. It’s just so simple. You toss the ingredients in early in the morning and then when dinnertime rolls around, you have a hot, ready to go dinner. If you are struggling with dinners, you should totally get your slow cooker out and give it a shot. Having this stew bubbling away the other afternoon provided such sweet peace of mind so that I could focus on what I needed to without stressing over what I would toss together for dinner.

Oh, and this Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew is a great dish to re-start your slow cooking adventures with.

This stew has a faint French onion-ness to the broth, but not so much that onion haters will balk (and the onion pieces are big so they can pick ‘em out anyway). And the roasted garlic adds dimension to the broth. The slow cooking blends the flavors as it renders the stew meat completely fall-apart tender. The vegetables – carrots, broccoli stems, potatoes and sweet potatoes – give the stew bulk so that it fills you up.

Did you catch that it has broccoli stems. Stems! The part that no one loves to eat. I keep stems in my freezer for using in recipes like this. And honestly, after slow cooking the stems for so long, the kids and I really enjoyed them in this stew. It was an unexpected but welcome element.

Eat this with a slice of buttered bread. Just divine.

Slow Cooker Beef and Veggie Stew
serves 6

1 1/4 lb stew beef, cut into 1″ chunks
1 small onion, quartered
1 Yukon gold potato, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2″ thick pieces
6 cloves roasted garlic, sliced and crushed
1/2 cup diced broccoli stems
4 cups beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
salt and pepper, to taste
flour (for thickening)

Combine all of the ingredients except the flour in the bowl of the slow cooker. Stir gently. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

Remove a ladle of broth from the stew to a container with a cover and add flour (2 tbsp to start). Cover and shake vigorously until combined. Stir into the stew. Repeat until you reach desired thickness.

Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

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If I had to choose just two things to make in the slow cooker ever, it would be brisket and pulled pork. I’m a huge fan of these BBQ favorites and though I don’t have a smoker at home to make authentic versions, slow cooker variations are pretty good themselves. Especially now that I have fallen in love with liquid smoke.

Let me tell you, getting me to use liquid smoke has taken years of psyching myself up. Chalk it up to a bad experience as a child (Note: you should never use a whole bottle at once. Just don’t.) But I am totally in love with it now and not afraid to use it. Liquid smoke adds a lovely smokiness to dishes without the smoker.

Now, about this brisket. It’s got a nice sweet-smokiness to it, courtesy of the whisk-and-go sauce on it. It’s just six ingredients (plus water) whisked together. But since it’s homemade, you can totally control the flavor — if you want it sweeter or more molasses-y, go ahead! Just taste and add until you have the sauce you want. Super simple.

As for the brisket, you just season it with salt all over and then it’s ready for the slow cooker. Put it in, pour on the sauce and cook.

This sweet-smoky beef brisket is great on sandwiches (add a little cheddar!), nachos and wraps. But it’s also fab with BBQ classics like sweet potato fries and macaroni and cheese. Don’t forget the cornbread too.

Smoky Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
serves 8

3 lb beef brisket
kosher salt
6 oz can tomato paste, plus 1 can water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbsp liquid smoke
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse and pat dry the brisket. Salt well all over with kosher salt. Place into the slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, water, molasses, liquid smoke, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the brisket.

Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4-5 hours until fall-apart tender. Or cook on low for 8-10 hours until fall-apart tender.

Pull the brisket out and break apart with two forks into shreds. Return to the slow cooker and stir with the sauce. Serve. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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When Will came home from school today, my house smelled incredible. The the lingering scent of slow-cooking beef mixed with red wine, garlic and more was mouthwatering and hit me as soon as we stepped through the door. I couldn’t wait until dinnertime.

The stew, which the kids both ate a lot of, was hearty and well cooked. After hours of cooking, the potatoes with silky soft and the meat was fork tender — just as it should be. When I asked Shawn what he thought, he said, “Very good.” That’s a sentiment that I haven’t heard about a stew in a long, long, long time.

I’ve really fallen for this slow cooking lately. The whole idea of tossing ingredients in a pot and letting it take care of itself is so incredibly helpful at the conclusion of a busy day when the last thing I want to do is create a fabulous meal. Are you a slow cooking fan? What’s your favorite slow cooker recipe? Share! I am dying to try more!

Sarah’s Waist-Friendly Slow Cooker Beef Stew
serves 6

1 1/2 lb beef stew meat
4 cups beef broth or stock
1 cup red wine (something you’d be happy to drink!)
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lb Idaho potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a slow cooker and stir well. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 5-6 hours or on low and cook for 10-12 hours. The stew is done when the vegetables are tender and the meat is falling apart. Remove the sprigs of thyme (for easier removal, tie them together with kitchen string before cooking). Season with salt and pepper.

Now, you can serve it just like this, or you can thicken it as you desire … your choice. I use a little cornstarch mixed with a little of the broth to thicken it ever so slightly.

Enjoy.

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