Poor Man’s Beef & Carrot Stew Slow Cooker

Poor Man’s Beef & Carrot Stew Slow Cooker. This is a simple, hearty slow cooker stew made with tender beef chunks and sweet whole carrots cooked in a rich, savory sauce. Just four basic ingredients, almost no prep, and a warm, filling dinner that the whole family will love.

This is my go-to trick for getting through a crazy busy week without stress. You only need four things to make this beef and carrot stew, and putting it together takes almost no time at all. You just lay the beef down, cover it up with whole carrots, add two more things from your pantry, turn the slow cooker on, and leave. I started making this on evenings when I knew traffic would make me late and I had no energy to stand at the stove watching a pot.

It does not cost much, it feels warm and filling, and for some reason it is always the first thing to disappear at the dinner table. The carrots sit on top of the beef the whole time they cook, and they get soft and a little sweet while the beef underneath turns tender and soaks up all that good flavor. The whole thing comes together into a thick, rich stew that tastes like you put in way more work than you actually did.

Scoop this stew into big, wide bowls and pour lots of that good broth over the top. It is really great when you spoon it over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or plain buttered rice because everything soaks up that tasty sauce. Keep some crusty bread or soft dinner rolls nearby for dipping. If you want to add something green to the meal, throw together a quick salad or cook some green beans while the stew is finishing up in the slow cooker.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into big chunks
• 1 pound whole carrots, unpeeled, with the ends trimmed
• 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 small pack of dry onion soup seasoning mix

Poor Man’s Beef & Carrot Stew Slow Cooker

Poor Man’s Beef & Carrot Stew: Directions

1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray or wipe it with a little oil so cleaning up later is easier.
2. Put all the beef chunks into the slow cooker and spread them out into one even layer across the bottom. This part is important because the carrots sit on top and push down on the beef. This helps keep the meat juicy and lets it soak up the tasty flavors below.
3. Open the dry onion soup mix packet and sprinkle it all over the top of the beef, trying to coat as much of the meat as you can.
4. Spoon the condensed cream of mushroom soup right over the beef and onion mix. Use the back of your spoon to spread it around a little. You do not need it to be perfect because it will all melt down and blend together as it cooks.
5. Lay the whole unpeeled carrots on top of the soup and beef mixture, placing them side by side in one layer so they cover the beef completely and kind of bury it underneath.
6. Put the lid on and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. The stew is ready when the beef is very soft and a fork goes through the carrots easily.
7. When it is done cooking, taste the sauce and add a little salt and black pepper if you think it needs it. The onion soup mix already has a lot of salt in it, so you might not need to add much at all.
8. If you want the stew a little thicker, use a spoon to gently break the carrots into big pieces and stir them lightly into the sauce. Try not to stir too hard or the beef will start to fall apart too much.
9. Serve the beef and carrots while they are still hot and make sure to spoon plenty of that warm, savory gravy over each bowl.

Bacon Wrapped Brisket Slow Cooker