I loved this. I completely forgot to add the onion and it was still fantastic. Since I had it on hand, I used tapioca, and it was a great consistency. I did not add the cubed bread, because that didn't sound good to me. I would definitely make this again, it was full of flavor. I don't think this recipe needs as much reworking as some others have suggested, it's really good as is.

I was pleasantly surpirsed by the great flavor and ease of the dish. I have referred to many of my co-workers. I did use the other reviewers suggestions for tapioca substitute and browning the meat with flour, garlic salt and onion powder as well as changing the oven temperature to 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Thanks, great dish I'll eat again!

Husband who's a stew snob LOVED this! And my 1 year old ate 2 bowls! I did make a few changes based on other's reviews---dredged meat in flour mixed with garlic and onion powder before browning. used 3T cornstarch with 1/4 cup water instead of tapioca, used 2 cups beef stock and added 1/4 cup red wine instead of water and boullion-. used 2 5.5 oz cans tomato juice instead of tomatoes, skipped the bread and added 2 garlic cloves. Cooked 325 for 3 hours.

I made this last Friday when it rained, and it was sooo good! I browned the beef in some flour and salt and pepper with some garlic powder, then put it in the slow cooker and added the veggies. I didn't add the tapioca or bread, to thicken it I added corn starch at the end. Instead of more beef broth to make the juice, I added 2 small cans of tomato juice. It went great with crusty bread for dipping! Will make again!!

From today on this will be "My Beef Stew Recipe"! It was delicious and so easy. I floured the stew beef and browned it so I omitted the tapioca and bread. Also the tomatoes didn't have much juice so I added a bit more water. The leftovers were even better. Thanks so much for this great stew recipe...

This stew is really good. In 37 years of marriage, I have never varied from my stew recipe. I'm glad I gave this one a try. I did dredge the meat in flour, garlic powder, paprika & a little salt & pepper. Then I added a little olive oil to the pan before browning the meat. Cornstarch in water was a good thickener. If you like some liquid in you stew, you may want to add more water or beef stock. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. My husband loved it, "Yummmm, now this is stew. It's exactly how I think stew should be! This is definitely a keeper. I think I'll have seconds". Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

This is an absolutely fabulous recipe. My entire family raved about it. I plan to cook this often. Because I work outside the home, I cooked this the night before and reheated the next day for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and it was outstanding. Elizabeth Randall

This was wonderful!!!!I used a Dutch oven myself and my husband is already asking for it again.

Excellent Stew Recipe. Easy and turned out perfect. I used beef broth instead of the water and beef granules, threw in some minced garlic and used cornstarch instead of instant tapioca - no bread either. WONDERFUL!

This recipe was very good. Plus the house filled with the smells of this great beef stew.

My husband loved this recipe and almost ate all of it! (I halved the recipe for our family.) It did need more spice, I added hot sauce, but I will add something next time to give it some more flavor.

My father and i just love this. my husband on the other hand, not so much because he hates tomatoes.

I used the quick cook tapioca and it worked fine - no lumps noted. I used a jar of my canned tomato juice in place of the canned tomatoes w/juice;and left over beef broth for the water. I also added fresh garlic to the beef when browning. It turned out very good, my whole family ate it including my two picky eaters. The only problem was it was a little too salty for my taste. Next time I will cut back on the salt.

I followed the recipe just as is... although with fresh tomatoes a plenty I cut up fresh tomatoes instead of using canned and added a cup of tomatoe juice for added flavor... umm... ummm... good!! Just as a note my meat was frozen so I just threw it all in the oven at only 300 and let it cook 7 hrs as I projected... stiring once during that time & cutting meat off the soup bone.

Followed suggestions of others, used slow cooker, floured the beef instead of using tapioca or corn starch, doubled the vegetables. I was a little concerned that the veg were sitting two inches above the liquid line, so I also added a small tin of V8 Juice and 1/4 cup of red wine....left it for the day. After 8 hours on 'combined high/low' setting, we had a wonderful enjoyable meal, in a bowl, served with garlic bread...yummm.

Good recipe but not outstanding. I would suggest that for the sake of saving energy, the stew could be slow-cooked - much less energy is used that that used by the oven. This is an important consideration for me as I try to save on electricity whenever I can.