Crock-Pot Beef Stew

Be aware that this is the EXACT recipe that is printed in the booklet that comes with a new crockpot. It's easy enough, but they call for too much flour, it's a little pasty-tasting to me. Luckily, I made a test batch before I cooked for guests or I would have been embarrassed. Cut the flour amount down to about 1/2 and add more pepper. I've found that browning the beef first seals it and makes it taste better.

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cut down on flour and brown the meat first

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This was the first recipe I tried from Recipezaar and it was wonderful. I read all the comments and did brown the meat first - that was a great suggestion. Also, it was easy, most of the ingredients I actually had on hand, and I will definitely make it again!

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i put carrots in instead of celery and served with french bread. it was the best beef stew that i ever had. Great!!!!!!

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Very tasty! I must admit that I did the modifications listed in many of the comments: beefy onion soup mix (instead of flour--I didn't add as much salt because of this), no bay leaf, I kept celery in the recipe, but I didn't have Kitchen Bouquet or paprika. I included baby carrots and potatoes about halfway through the cooking so that they won't be mushy, and I browned the beef in the broiler oven prior to starting the stew.

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The ratio of meat to vegetable is way too high. I would increase the amount of veggies 2 times and decrease the meat to 1lb. Then I would leave out the bay leave, but add a can of cream of mushroom soup.

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Bummer!! Very bland when made as is. Unfortunately, I didn't read the reviews to see that several people made modifications then rated it great. I will go the onion soup mix route to save this.

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Yummy! Had to make a few changes, only because of ingredients on hand. 1 lb of beef stew meat. No beef broth, so in place of flour, I used 2 Tbs. of powdered beef gravy mix to coat the beef that I had browned. Added 1/2 lb. of baby carrots, and a full 2 cups of vegetable broth. Used 1/2 a pkg of onion soup mix & 1/3 cup of dehydrated onions. (& an 8 oz can of tomato sauce) added a cup of frozen peas at the end. I know it seems like a lot of changes, due to what I had; but it was super! I know some members hate it when you post, after making changes, but oh well. :)

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This was a great beef stew! I made a few modifications- I used only 1 onion, added a packet of dry onion soup mix, I used frozen stew veggies, and in the end added a little more beef broth as I thought it was a bit dry. I chopped the onion and put all my dry ingredients in a zip top bag the night before and in the morning all I had to do was shake up the meat in it and add the broth. I added my frozen stew veggies after about 8 hours of cooking on low and turned it to high for an hour. Thanks for a great, easy recipe!

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Ellen, you did great! This is very tasty and very easy to prepare. I have made this several times and have added sliced carrots and mushrooms (personal preferences)and it is wonderful. Left-overs (when there are any) are highly sought after. We like to serve over hot biscuits. Thanks for sharing a great recipe! Update 12/1/08 - This is just as wonderful as the first time I reviewed. For a nice depth in flavors, I now add 2 TBS. tomato paste. This is our favorite Beef Stew Recipe.

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I tossed the meat in flour (reduced to about 1 tablespoon of flour), salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Then browned the meat in 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Removed the meat from sauce pan, added 4 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1 chopped onion, browned them. Deglazed with about 1/2 cup of red wine. Poured everything into the crock pot and added 1 small can of tomato paste and another 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Then followed the rest of the directions. Served this with a salad and crusty bread. The family loved this beef stew. They wanted more potatoes (but my crock pot was already full). I will make this again. Thank you.

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I made this today and for the most part followed the recipe. I didn't have any celery so I used a bit of celery seed, I also added carrots and a can of diced tomatoes. After tasting it I thought it tasted a little muddled so I added a touch of lemon juice and that helped a lot. We most of us thought it needed a little more liquid. Over all not a bad beef stew, just not for us.
Thanks for posting.

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I did like this BUT I also added my twist. A pinch of Cayenne pepper, and a medium can of tomato paste. I decreased it to 1 Ib and also added more veggies. If you are having a problem with thickness and you felt it was too watery add the paste, and or a bit of flour an hour before it finishes to your likng. A pinch at a time :) You can also add a stout beer instead of the broth if you want a different flavor

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Too watery

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Delicious! I usually make a few changes - no celery or Kitchen Bouquet, but I add chopped carrots. It's so nice to put this together in the morning and then it's ready to go when I get home from work. Thanks!

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I really liked this as I am one of the few people who do not like a tomato based stew...I added a package of onion soup mix and cut down on the raw onion. I, too, added frozen peas and carrots near the last of the cooking period. Very easy and very tasty. Thank you!!

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This had very little flavor... it tasted more like a bland veggy soup. I ended up adding a package of lipton soup beefy onion to save the day

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Wonderful, I have tried to make beef stew in the past and it was always horrible. This is exactly the way it should be, I did add a small bag of frozen crinkle cut carrots. This is a keeper. Thanks so much Ellen for a great recipe!

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I've made this several times. I always add carrots and sometimes some mixed frozen vegetables. No matter out this is a show stopper! My future mother-in-law is even asking for a repeat!

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I love this stew so much that I have made it at least four times! I always leave out the celery and the kitchen bouquet. I followed the suggestion of browning the meat before dropping it in the crockpot the last time I made it. I will continue to do that in the future.

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