Everyday Food Slow-Cooker Beef and Tomato Stew

During the winter months my slow-cooker gets used at least once a week. I love the fact that I can place ingredients in it in the morning and not have to do anything until dinner is served. Since my youngest is now a very high needs three-year-old the time that my slow-cooker saves me is invaluable. Plus, my husband leaves for work at 6 in the morning, so my days start early and we eat dinner at four, which leaves me little time for dinner preparations many nights. To save my sanity I try to have at least one meal plan a week which takes less than a half an hour to prep and my slow-cooker definitely fits the bill. The January/February 2012 issue of Everyday Food Magazine had a recipe for Slow-Cooker Beef and Tomato Stew, which looked easy and promised only 20 minutes of prep.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 20 minutes of prep and 6 hours in the slow-cooker and makes 6 servings. There is only one butcher in my immediate area and getting the grocery store butcher to cut meat can be hit or miss, therefore I had to trim my own beef chuck. Additionally, I made my own chicken broth, since I prefer the taste to store bought. I did find that the stew still had a little too much liquid when it was done, it actually tasted better the next day after I skimmed off the fat from the top. My family normally doesn't care for brown rice, but I decided to try it with this recipe and it worked very well and none of us noticed the difference. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

On a busy weeknight it's great to have dinner already done in the slow cooker. This recipe was very easy to prep and made enough for multiple meals. There is something very comforting about beef stew and this recipe was no exception. My two boys particularly liked this recipe and ate all the beef out of their servings. Overall, an easy slow-cooker recipe, perfect for the colder winter months.

For the recipe go to Slow-Cooker Beef and Tomato Stew.