Crock Pot Beef Stew

Sorry - no picture today!

I'm sure everybody has a recipe for beef stew that they just love, but I thought I'd share this one anyway. It's tried & true, works everytime, makes for great leftovers, and fills your home with the yummiest of smells on a cold, wintery day.

Enjoy! :)

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Place in large crock pot:
1 lg onion, halved & thinly sliced
1 lb baby carrots
2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 lb beef stew-meat chunks (we actually use about 3 pounds for our family)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix together in 4-cup glass measuring cup:
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tsp salt (don't use salt if you only have regular (not low-sodium) beef broth)
3 tsp Worchestershire sauce
Pepper to taste

Pour beef broth mixture into crock pot over beef & vegetables. Stir to combine.

Cover & cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. Stir stew once or twice as it cooks, if possible.

About 1 hour before serving, transfer 2 ladle-fulls of broth to a small mixing bowl.
Add:
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons tomato paste
Whisk until smooth. Stir mixture into stew until well-incorporated.

Add to crock pot:
2 16oz pkg of frozen veggies like: peas, green beans, or corn. Stir frozen vegetables into stew. Cover & cook for remaining 1 hour.

Makes 6-8 servings.

We like to serve this with hearty wheat bread or rolls for dipping.