Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2009

Very good stew!! I made a few changes that made this very similar to Cracker Barrell's beef stew that I love!! This calls for a lot of onions, so I reduced it to only one and a half chopped onions, added two bay leaves, added a few dashes of worcestershire sauce, I used fresh thyme and rosemary and did not add the marjoram. I used all the water called for. I omited the tapioca and used cornstarch to thicken it up. This stew is definately a keeper!! Will use again and again. Thx for a great recipe!

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Angela W

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Reviewed: Oct. 3, 2009

Excellent Stew! I made this in the crockpot - cooked on LOW overnight (really on low you can cook this for 15-16 hours if necessary). Minor alterations: *I did flour and brown the meat, and then put about a cup of beef broth in that pan and DEGLAZED THE BROWNED BEEF BITS, and used that as part of the liquid. Unlike others, I used the full amount of water (broth) in the crockpot because we like more of a soup than a thick gravy type stew. Also doubled the spices, and added a bay leaf. That's it! By far the best stew I've ever made, and talk about easy! The consistency was just right - not too watery and not too gravy-ish. This will be something I'll make many times over the years. Thanks for sharing!

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Camas Mom

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Eugene, Oregon, USA

Living In: Camas, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 29, 2009

Very good stew. Made in the crockpot I don't think it changed the integrity of the recipe. By accident used one can of tomato sauce and one can of stewed tomatoes , the stew came out fine!

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Pam from L.I.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Sound Beach, New York, USA

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Reviewed: May 28, 2009

Excellent recipe,I followed other people's advice to flour and brown the meat before putting it in my crock pot and the meat came out juicy and tender and also added more vegetables than the recipe calls for, the whole family liked it! I'll be making it again many times. Thank you Maridele for sumitting your recipe.

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lvmy2girls

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Reviewed: Feb. 24, 2009

This was pretty good. Much much better than anything you can get from a mix, thats for sure! I made it in the crockpot on High for 6 hours, and everything was tender and delicious. Made a great dinner paired with the Amish Bread from this site!

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Chelsea

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Brandon, South Dakota, USA

Living In: South Hadley, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2009

I love the colorfulness, I'm tired of bland brown stew, and it was quite tasty. I froze the meat in the wine and vegetable broth until I was ready to make this recipe, marinates while it thaws. I followed advice on adding the spices (along with salt and pepper) towards the end and cut the water in half since I used the crockpot (I actually used vegetable broth instead of water), turned out perfect, didn't need to thicken it at all. Served over a bed of egg noodles, simply delicious.

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mzleslie1218

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Reviewed: Jan. 2, 2009

Terrific flavor. I skipped the peas as it didn't sound good and added some extra carrots.

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SUZANNEHENDRIX

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 28, 2008

The best stew I have ever made! Thanks. I followed the recipe, but also the comments of the reviewer for the crockpot method. It was very flavorful and thick. Delicious for the holidays when you want a hearty meal ready without more prep!

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coffeegirl

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Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2008

I made this recipe as modified by another user * way less water * in a slow cooker * more spices This came out delicious...however a bit runny...added some cornstarch near the end

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jettagirlk2

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

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Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2008

I chose this dish for the first meal I have ever prepared in a crock pot. This stew is to die for. The only changes I made were to double the spices and flour and brown the meat. The consistency was perfect for us, but I may try adding the gravy next time like others have suggested. I'll be making this for my family often.

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Valerie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Yakima, Washington, USA

Living In: Puyallup, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2008

Very good recipe. My kid's and husband loved it!!!!!

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Sasha

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Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2008

Very good and perfect for the Crock Pot. I used one can of beef broth instead of water and bouillon cubes. And I did increase the spices. Left out the peas, just don't like those in beef stew.

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Criscoh

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Oct. 3, 2008

I used venison and duck instead of beef and dredged it in flour and browned it and placed everything in a slow cooker I also doubled the spices, I also added just about an 1/8 of a tsp of liquid smoke to it….Absolutely Wonderful!

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RESCUERANGER

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Limestone, Maine, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 25, 2008

yummmmmmmmmy!!!!!!!!! i added a can of diced tomatoes & a pinch of herb de provence & it was so good on a rainy day with some fresh buns!!! thickened it with cornstarch.

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tillamook-aholic

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Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2008

So so good. Had to thicken it at the end with a little cornstarch. Made this in the crockpot; REMEMBER: always add your spices in the last half hour when slow-cooking. Otherwise, the flavor cooks out and the result is bland. This was delicious, will be a favorite this winter.

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Amanda P.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Living In: Mountain Home, Arkansas, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 29, 2008

This recipe is fantastic and easy to make/follow. My children and husband ate it all up in one night. My ten year old son even said that it was "BANGING" lol. As suggested by other members I used the crockpot, doubled up on the seasoning, added two bay leafs, and used only half of the water. I usually do not follow recipes but did on this one and was very happily surprised. I've definitly found a beef stew recipe that I will follow and call my own from now on. Thanks everyone!

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Liana

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Miami, Florida, USA

Living In: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 18, 2008

This worked out really well for me. I used organic beef broth in place of the water, added a couple bay leaves and added an envelope of aujus gravy mix. I also switched out the peas for corn. (The au jus mix was a stew secret ingredient I learned from my father in law for my own batch of stew. It's not really needed in this stew recipe, as I learned. My mistake, not the recipe.) Mine turned out a little salty but still delicious. I added a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, which tamed the salt. This recipe makes a lot so be sure you have a large and hungry brood or you'll have leftovers for days. I'll make this my go-to recipe for stew now. Thanks ever so much to the person who shared it!

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tat2whttrsh aka Lambchop's Mom

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Seattle, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 9, 2008

Pretty good! I agree with everyone else--definitely double the spices, and add some thickener of some kind. I cooked mine in the crockpot (low, 8 hours). I omitted the celery and the peas, but that's just because we don't like them.

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Mindy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jul. 2, 2008

Extremely tasty! I did not change a thing except coat my meat in flour and brown before adding. I used the slow cooker and layered it as follows: tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, meat. I added 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup red wine and then cooked on high for 2 hours with no stirring. After 2 hours I began stirring about every 30 minutes and then 2 hours before serving, I added another 1/2 cup water and then the boullion and spices as another member said that the salt in the boullion draws moisture out of the meat if you add it at the beginning and she was right as the meat was nice and tender this way. Add peas 20 minutes before serving. This came out very thick and rich for me and I had to use no thickner, other than the flour coating on the meat. This is by far the best stew I have made. Oh, and I recommend pepper.

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