Rustic Beef Stew

Good & Gather

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

Several shakes of black pepper

1 lb. beef stew meat

2 Tbsp. oil

1 (32-oz.) carton beef broth

1 onion, cut into ½-inch wedges

1 (8 oz.) pkg. sliced mushrooms

2 cups baby carrots (about 8 oz.)

1 lb. bite-sized potatoes

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes

½ tsp. dried thyme

Mix flour, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add beef and toss to coat.

Heat oil in large skillet on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add beef and flour mixture; cook until mostly browned, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of the broth and scrape up any bits clinging to the bottom of pan.

Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. 

I promise you actually can stuff it all into the CrockPot.

Cover. Cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 8 hours until meat is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pretty simplicity.

My Rating: 3/5 "I'm always worried that beef stew with potatoes will turn out mealy and weird, but this one kept a nice consistency. I was a little disappointed with how bland it was, though - more seasoning would have gone a long way. But hooray for veggies!"