Comfort Food Recipes: Hearty Beef Stew
Nothing makes me happier sometimes than knowing I’ve already got supper in the oven early in the morning, and it’ll be ready to serve when I get home. Especially when it’s a slow cooked, deeply flavoured, tender beef stew, that’s full of carrots, mushrooms and potatoes. I’ve been making this Beef Stew for years. It’s definitely one of our family favourite comfort food recipes, and such a satisfying dish in the winter time. Plus, it’s a great way to get the kids to eat a fairly good portion of proteins and veggies in one delicious dish! I like to serve it up in big steaming bowls with a basket of fresh dinner rolls or crusty bread on the side, essential for dipping in the incredible sauce.
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What I like best about this stew, is that it can turn a cheaper cut of meat into a tender, mouth-watering bite that has loads of flavour (and no browning is necessary!). The added bonus is that the prep work is dead simple and involves nothing more than chopping up some fresh vegetables and throwing them in the roasting pan. The stew is mixed together in the morning and then left to cook on low all day long (the house smells oh so good!). Walking in the door at the end of the day, knowing you have one of your favourite comfort food recipes with that incredible smell to greet you, instantly wipes away the craziness of the day. Sometimes if I have it, I’ve been throwing in some fresh kale leaves just before serving. It wilts down into the stew and gets coated in the delicious sauce, and it’s a great way for the family to get the health benefits of kale!
This has become a must on our winter weeknight meal rotation. I know that we will have a hearty, healthy dinner, before we move on to our evening activities. What other meal, could be prepped at breakfast and reward us at the end of the day with such deliciousness? Add this to your comfort food recipes arsenal and your family will thank you.
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- 2 pounds beef stew
- 4 large potatoes,
- 4 large carrots,
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms
- 28 oz, can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth
- ¼ cup tapioca
- 1 pkg onion and garlic soup mix
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1-2 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
- 1½ cups kale leaves (optional)
- Heat oven to 250.
- Wash the potatoes and cut into halves and then quarters (so the potatoes are in larger chunks). Peel the carrots, and cut into larger chunks. Wash the mushrooms and cut the tips off of stems. Peel and chop the onion. Place all of the vegetables in a large roasting pan.
- Add the stew beef to the vegetables in the pan.
- Add the tapioca, soup mix, salt and pepper to the vegetables and stir gently to combine.
- Pour the tomatoes and beef broth on top of the vegetables. Mix gently. Tuck the bay leaf into the stew.
- Cover and cook for at least 5-6 hours. Remove the bay leaf and gently stir in the thyme.
- Wash and remove only the tender leaves from the kale stems, if using. Gently stir the kale into the stew and cover for 5 or 10 minutes just before serving.
- Serve warm with rolls or crusty bread.
This so reminds me of the delicious beef stew that my mom would make for us growing up. Love the addition of cremini mushrooms for their heartiness along with the beef.