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Waist-Friendly Slow Cooker Beef Stew

When Will came home from school today, my house smelled incredible. 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!

Yield: 6 servings

Waist-Friendly Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Waist-Friendly Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Enjoy.

50 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes - The Magical Slow CookerThe Magical Slow Cooker

Thursday 1st of January 2015

[…] Waistline Friendly Beef Stew - Sarah’s Cucina […]

Ella

Thursday 14th of March 2013

Finally! A beef stew recipe that is easy and meant for the slow cooker. Nothing more irritating than a recipe with a long list of ingredients and then you have to partially cook on stove top before moving it to the slow cooker. Yours is easy and simple - and delish!

Joanne

Thursday 6th of January 2011

I am a HUGE slow cooker fan. There is nothing better than coming home from a long day of classes and finding that dinner is already cooked!

I love making pulled pork in the slow cooker. I use pork tenderloin so it's super lean and it still comes out moist and delicious every time!

Kate

Thursday 6th of January 2011

I think I lived out of my crockpot when I was in law school. Now I use it les often, but anytime I do I'm re-reminded of how fabulous a tool it is.

Faith Kramer

Thursday 6th of January 2011

Very good timing. I was just thinking I needed a recipe like that since I'm back on weight watchers and my husband wants beef stew!

Sarah Caron

Thursday 6th of January 2011

Faith, ha! My husband knew that I was going to be focusing on eating healthy and the first thing he asked was "But couldn't we make room for beef stew? Please." So I did. Hope you enjoy it!

Beverly, thank you so much for the recipe! I am going to try that next week. I've made something similar in the oven, but can't wait to try your version in the slow cooker. Mmmm.

Chris, definitely comfort food, and considering that it's New England winter now (it's 13 degrees out right now. brrr), this is the perfect time for it.

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