Please be kind – this was my first attempt at making beef stew and doing something nice for myself while my husband is out of town. I've been having a hard time taking care of myself recently and being able to enjoy food, and since the weather is supposed to be dreary the next few days, I thought that beef stew might be something comforting and nourishing, with the added bonus of making the house smell amazing!
I used a packet of McCormick's hearty beef stew seasoning mix (which took the pressure off of figuring out how to season everything perfectly) and followed the slow cooker directions on the back. Since I'm not a huge meat eater, I only used 1 lb of beef chuck roast and focused more on using an abundance of vegetables that sounded enticing – carrots, parsnips, brussels sprouts (these were a questionable choice and a gamble, I know), cabbage, mushrooms, butternut squash (mostly because I've had some sitting in my crisper for way too long and I've been avoiding it), mushrooms, and pearl onions. I know potatoes are a stew staple, but I've been eating them a lot recently and I am potatoed out! I added the beef, carrots, and parsnips at the start of cooking this on low for 8 hours, then I added the brussels sprouts and cabbage after 4 hours, then the mushrooms, squash, and pearl onions after 6 hours, and finally a 6 oz can of tomato paste at the very end.
This was challenging and anxiety-inducing (because I'm a perfectionist and this process was all new to me (side bar: trimming the beef STRESSED ME OUT because I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to raw meat) and I was nervous about consuming something that wasn't just a meal shake or plain Greek yogurt or the aforementioned potatoes and I also felt really guilty for spending some extra money to make this), but I'm really proud of myself for following through and giving this my best shot. It actually turned out really well – the beef was so tender, and while I think the carrots and parsnips were a bit on the soft side, all the other vegetables were cooked to perfection and I was even pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the butternut squash!
The house smelled INCREDIBLE all day, and I'm pretty jazzed that I get to look forward to eating this again tomorrow!
by zephyr_soul
10 Comments
That looks so yummy, I’d totally be down to eat it! Good job!
Very healthy. I’d be happy to come home from work to sit down to this comfort meal.🙄
It looks fabulous!! Be kinder to yourself; you got this. And even if you totally screw up, trust me, that happens to everyone sometimes! Congratulations!
This looks perfect
Well, you hit one out of the park there!!
I don’t like stew, but I would eat this. They say people eat with their eyes and this looks amazing. I’m proud of you for working through the anxiety to create this.
Looks delicious. Adding a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes to any stew brings it to a new level.
You’ve inspired me to try parsnips and cabbage in a stew!
Rock on, that looks like some damn nice stew.
Hey are you single can I come over