Coyotebeard

We’re declaring this week “Slow Cooker Week,” in honor of our brand new Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook. We’ll be sharing slow cooker tips, recipes from the book, and behind-the-scenes photographs of our “Slow Cooker Wall.” Today’s recipe: Bachelor Beef Stew.

Bachelor Beef Stew from Slow Cooker Revolution Serves 6   Cooking Time: 9 to 11 hours on Low or 5 to 7 hours on High Why this recipe works: You won’t even need to dirty a knife to make this super-streamlined but surprisingly flavorful beef stew. To start, we chose whole steak tips over our traditional choice—cubes of chuck—alleviating the need to cut any raw meat (we shredded it into bite-sized pieces once it was cooked and tender). As for the aromatics and accompanying vegetables, we further simplified things by choosing frozen onions, baby carrots, and frozen roasted potatoes (which we microwaved and added to the stew at the end of the cooking time). A little tomato paste and soy sauce add meaty flavor and richness to this stew.

    2    cups frozen chopped onions (or 2 onions, minced)

    3    tablespoons tomato paste

    2    tablespoons vegetable oil

    1 1/2    teaspoons garlic powder (or 6 garlic cloves, minced)

    2    teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

    1    cup low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra as needed

    1    cup beef broth

    8    ounces baby carrots

    1/4    cup soy sauce

    2    tablespoons Minute tapioca

    2    bay leaves

    3    pounds beef steak tips

    Salt and pepper

    1    pound frozen roasted potatoes, steak fries, or French fries

    1    cup frozen peas

1. Microwave onions, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic powder, and thyme in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.

2. Stir chicken broth, beef broth, carrots, soy sauce, tapioca, and bay leaves into slow cooker. Season beef with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.

3. Transfer beef to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces. Let stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves.