Perfect Winter Beef Stew

By Addie

"Tasty" barely begins to describe this stew. With savory beef, rich bacon, veggies and hearty potatoes, "perfect" is a much closer word.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
• 2 lb. stewing beef, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 lb. potatoes (about 5), peeled, cut into large chunks
• 1 can (19 fl oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10 fl oz) less-sodium beef broth

Preparation

Step 1

POUR dressing over beef in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat beef with dressing. Refrigerate 30 min. to marinate.

MEANWHILE, cook bacon in Dutch oven or large deep skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings.

ADD mushrooms and onions to Dutch oven; cook on medium-high heat 10 min. or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove meat from marinade; discard bag and marinade. Add to Dutch oven with bacon, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and broth; stir.

BRING to boil, stirring constantly; cover. Simmer on low heat 1 hour 30 min. or until beef is done and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally and uncovering after 1 hour 15 min.

For more flavour, add 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves to Dutch oven with the meat and vegetables.


How to Prepare Stew in Slow Cooker:
Marinate beef and cook bacon, onions and mushrooms as directed. Remove beef from marinade; discard marinade. Add beef, onions, mushrooms and remaining ingredients to slow cooker; cook 10 to 12 hours on LOW (or 5 to 6 hours on HIGH). Stir in 2 Tablespoons flour mixed with 2 Tablespoons water. Cook 15 min. or until sauce is thickened.
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REVIEWS: (660)

This stew is absolutely delicious! Family loves it!! I have made it many times over...a winter staple in our home

So easy, husband loved it!

I have been looking for a great stew! A little bit of work first, but it is worth it! I add celery and lots of carrots. For the can of tomatoes i used the garlic and herb one - great for adding extra spices. I also thickened it with BISTO. Whole family loves it!

Tasty and very much like comfort food. I added a teaspn. of dry oregano to give that extra punch and a bit of barley grits to the onions for get a thicker gravy

Awesome stew, a new favourite. Also added a bay leaf, worchestershire sauce & peas. Very flavorful. Delicious!!

This is one of the tastiest and easist stews I have ever made. No browning of the meat kind of threw me off at the start but that ended up being one of the things great about this recipe. I added a bay leaf and some winter savoury for just a little bit more flavour. And the great thing was the leftovers!

Excellent stew - bacon adds a great flavor surprise.

Hubby said...just like mom used to make!

Amazingly easy and delicious - I also added a 1/2 cup of red wine .....mmmmmm good! Yukon gold potatoes were used instead of white ones - they go pink from the wine!

It was pretty good, although I made a few changes myself by making it with venison and cooking it in the slow cooker.