Warm & Cozy Recipes: Family Favorite Crock Pot Beef Stew

Between a respiratory issue that just wouldn’t quit and the holidays, I took a little “blog break” in December and am finally back and ready to share.

I made a bunch of new recipes over the holidays and have a beef stew recipe that I’ve been dying to share for two reasons; first, it’s delicious, and second, it’s super fast. My youngest son, who is arguably the pickiest eater on Earth, asked that it be added to the weekly rotation!

Because it’s a crockpot recipe, this stew comes together pretty quickly and simmers all day long, filling your house with some pretty amazing smells. It’s nice, especially on these cold days, to slow down a little bit and not feel pressed to beat the early sunset home to make dinner when you already have after school activities and homework waiting for you.

I love my crockpot so much, it’s like my handy, reliable little sidekick that I absolutely cannot live without. I own the 8-Quart Oval Crock-Pot, and I love it for several reasons:

• it’s ovular, which means it can hold a nice roast or tenderloin without having to cut it down
• it has a glass lid, as opposed to plastic
• it’s manual, so I can only get myself in so much trouble with the three temperature settings

Searing the beef stew meat first helps lock in the flavor of the salt and pepper, and cuts cook time down tremendously. It normally takes about 15 total minutes to sear all sides of the beef; just remember you aren’t trying to cook it all the way through or it will toughen up in the crockpot. I like to add some fresh parsley as a topper, adding a nice flavor to this already delicious recipe.

I haven’t yet tried using the crockpot in the pop-up camper, but I feel confident that this would cook well while we’re out adventuring, and I can totally envision being psyched to hike back to our home away from home and have this stew waiting for us. It instantly warms and fills you up!

I hope you enjoy this family favorite crockpot beef stew! Do you have a favorite beef stew recipe? Have you made it at camp? Which crockpot do you use and why?

-Rebekah

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