Crock Pot Beef Stew

Nothing beats a good hearty stew after a cool day outside. This recipe produces one of the tastiest stews I've ever had.

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil


• 1 Lb. stewing beef (cut into 1-inch cubes)


• 12 Oz. small red potatoes (quartered)


• 4 Med. carrots (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)


• 1 - 10 Oz. can condensed cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup


• 1/2 Cup beef broth


• 1 Envelope onion soup mix


• 1/2 Tsp. dried marjoram or thyme (crushed)


• 1 Pkg. frozen cut green beans, (thawed)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook beef, half at a time, in hot oil until brown. Drain off fat.

Place potatoes, carrots, and beef in crock pot. Stir together condensed soup, wine, soup mix, and marjoram in a medium bowl. Pour over meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. (Or, cook on high for 4 to 5 hours.)

Turn to high, if using low heat. Stir in thawed green beans. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more or until beans are tender.

Crock Pot Homemade Chicken Soup

There's a saying which goes "chicken soup is good for the soul". I don't know if that's true or not but I do know that chicken soup is one of those comfort foods we all crave at one time or another.

• 1 Pkg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts


• 1 Pkg. chicken Bovril mix


• 1 Lg. can chicken broth


• 2 Cups of each carrots and celery


• 1 Cup slivered onions


• Seasonings according to taste (parsley flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, etc.)

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and add to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Add water to pot as needed.

For added texture, add 1 cup of wide no-yolk egg noodles 1 hour before serving.

Beef & Barley Stew

One of my wifes favourites is a good beef and barley soup so when I put this dish together, she thought she had died and gone to Heaven.

• 1 Lb. extra-lean ground beef


• 1/2 Cup chopped onion


• 2 Cups beef broth


• 2/3 Cup uncooked barley


• 1/2 Tsp. dried oregano


• 1/4 Tsp. salt


• 1/4 Tsp. pepper


• 1 - 16 Oz. can whole tomatoes (undrained)


• 1 - 8 Oz. can sliced water chestnuts (undrained)


• 1 - 10 Oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown then drain off excess fat.

Mix beef mixture and remaining ingredients, except frozen mixed vegetables, and place in crock pot. Break up tomatoes, cover pot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Stir in mixed vegetables. Cover and cook on low 3 more hours or until barley is done.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

If you're a fan of Americanized Oriental cuisine, then you know there is a dish called "sweet and sour chicken balls". While there are different ways of doing any sweet and sour dishes, this sweet and sour shrimp dish isn't too difficult and is pretty tasty.

• 1 - 6 Oz. Pkg. pea pods


• 1 - 13 Oz. can pineapple chunks or tidbits (drain and reserve juice)


• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch


• 3 Tbsp. sugar


• 1 Chicken bouillon cube


• 1/2 Cup reserved pineapple juice


• 2 Tsp. soy sauce


• 1/2 Tsp. ground ginger


• 2 4 & 1/2 Oz. cans shrimp (rinsed and drained)


• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Place pea pods and drained pineapple in crock Pot. In a small saucepan, stir together cornstarch and sugar. Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water and add with juice, soy sauce and ginger to saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook sauce for about 1 minute or until thickened and transparent. Gently blend sauce into pea pods and pineapple. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours.

Before serving, add shrimp and vinegar, stirring carefully to avoid breaking up shrimp. Serve over hot rice.

Crock Pot Bouillabaisse

I've mentioned in previous posts about my Dad being from Nova Scotia and while growing up, fish was a major staple in our home. We had a meal made with some sort of fish or other at least once a week.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Lbs. boneless fish fillets (cut into 1" cubes)


• 1 Lb. shelled shrimp


• 1 & 1/2 Lb. scallops


• 2 Cups shucked clams


• 2 Cans diced tomatoes


• 1 Cup white wine


• 1 Cup chopped onion


• 1 Cup chopped celery


• 1/2 Cup olive oil

Place all ingredients into crock pot. Stir to blend and cover. Replace lid and cook on low about 3 hours.

Soy-Glazed Spareribs

I love spareribs. Sweet and sour, barbecued, honey/garlic...You name it, I'll always ask for more. This rib recipe is a little different than most are accustomed to but don't be fooled. These taste fantastic.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 to 5 Lbs. pork spareribs (cut into two-rib pieces)


• Salt and pepper (to taste)


• 1/2 Cup pineapple juice


• 2 Tbsp. garlic-flavoured wine vinegar*


• 1/4 Cup dry white wine


• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce


• 2 Tbsp. honey


• 1/2 Cup chicken broth


• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch


• 3 Tbsp. cold water

* If finding garlic flavoured vinegar is hard, just mash 1/2 clove of garlic and add to plain white vinegar before adding to recipe.

Place spareribs on rack in shallow baking pan. Brown in 400° oven for 30 minutes, turning ribs once. Remove from oven and pour off fat. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and place in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients except cornstarch and water. Pour over ribs. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours. Turn control to high. Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water. Stir into rib mixture. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Polish Sauerkraut and Apples

One of the dishes I like every once in awhile is sauerkraut. Usually I'll have it with either a good bratwurst sausage or if the only thing I have are weiners, that will do in a pinch. I've even tried making homemade sauerkraut but sadly with no luck.

The following recipe uses kielbasa, apples, and apple juice for a really great tasting dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 - 14 Oz. can sauerkraut (rinsed and well drained)


• 1 Lb. fully cooked polish sausage or kielbasa (cut into 2" thick rounds)


• 3 Med. tart apples (peeled and cut into eighths)


• 1/2 Cup brown sugar


• 1/2 Tsp. caraway seeds (optional)


• 1/8 Tsp. pepper


• 3/4 Cup apple juice

Place half of the sauerkraut in an ungreased crock pot. Top with sausage, apples, brown sugar, caraway seeds (if desired) and pepper. Top with remaining sauerkraut. Pour apple juice over everything and cover. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until apples are tender.

Crock Pot Beef Goulash

A couple of years ago, I tried some goulash for the first time. I thought it was great so I tried my hand at making it. It took a bit of work but it turned out pretty good. This recipe sure makes it a lot easier to make.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour


• 1/2 Tsp. salt


• 1/2 Tsp. pepper


• 2 Lb stewing beef (cut into 2 inch pieces)


• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil


• 2 Onions (sliced lengthwise into eighths)


• 2 Cloves garlic (minced)


• 3/4 Cup red wine


• 1 Cup bottled chili sauce


• 1- 28 Oz can diced tomatoes


• 1/4 Cup paprika

Combine flour, salt and pepper in crock pot. Add beef and toss to coat. In large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Brown seasoned meat in 4 batches and adding oil as necessary. Return meat to crock pot.

Add remaining oil to skillet; cook onions and garlic for 1 minute. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Pour over beef, then stir in chili sauce, tomatoes and paprika.

Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours, until meat is tender. Serve with mashed potatoes or cooked noodles.

You could add 1/4 cup of sour cream to the pot just before serving but that's optional.

Crock Pot Sausage and Potatoes

Cooking a meal of potatoes and sausages is one of the simplest things to make. The only thing is, it can sometimes get boring preparing it the same way all the time. This recipe puts a new spin on it and it tastes really good.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 & 1/2 Lbs. Polish sausage links (sliced 1/2-inch thick pieces)


• 2 Lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes


• 1 Can cheddar cheese soup


• 1 Can milk


• 1 Bunch green onions (sliced)


• Salt & pepper (to taste)
  
• Garlic (to taste)

Combine sausage, potatoes, onions, garlic, and seasonings in a well-buttered crock pot. Stir to mix. Whisk together soup and milk. Pour over ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Crock Pot Hawaiian Pork

Everyone loves to try something different where food is concerned or else the food you eat starts tasting bland and tiresome. This recipe brings out different aspects of the pork you are using.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Lb. pork roast (boneless, rolled)


• 6 Cloves


• 1/2 Tsp. nutmeg


• 1/4 Tsp. paprika


• 1/4 Cup ketchup


• 2 Tbsp. orange juice


• 2 Tbsp. honey


• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce


• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Place the roast on a rack and broil 15-30 minutes or until brown (can be done the night before). Stick the cloves randomly all over the roast then place roast in crock pot. Mix together the nutmeg and paprika, sprinkle over the roast. In a small bowl, stir together the catsup, orange juice, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice and pour over roast.

Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours (high 4-6 hours). Remove the meat from crock pot and thicken juices.

To thicken the juices, thoroughly mix 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. cold water. Slowly pour into bubbly juices while stirring. After thickened, remove from heat and serve.

Spicy Wine Pot Roast

As I mentioned in another post, a lot of great chefs cook with wine and sometimes even beer (as in  this beer braised beef  recipe). The recipe here is made with red wine and it creates an incredible taste treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 To 4 Lb. beef pot roast


• 1 Small onion (chopped)


• 1 Pkg. brown gravy mix (3/4 oz.)


• 1 Cup water


• 1/4 Cup ketchup


• 1/4 Cup dry red wine


• 2 Tsp. Dijon mustard


• 1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce


• Salt and pepper to taste


• 1/8 Tsp. garlic powder (DO NOT USE GARLIC SALT!)

Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and place in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Remove meat and slice.

If desired, thicken sauce with 2 Tbsp. of corn starch dissolved in a small amount of water, and serve over meat.

Glazed Corned Beef

Earlier, I posted a recipe for  Corned Beef And Cabbage  so I thought I would post another recipe for corned beef but with a glaze this time.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 & 1/2 Cups water


• 1 Medium sized onion (sliced)


• 3 Strips fresh orange peel


• 2 Whole cloves


• 3 to 4 Lb. corned beef


• Additional whole cloves (optional)


• Glaze

GLAZE

• 3 Tbsp. honey


• 2 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed)


• 2 Tsp. prepared mustard

Combine water, onion, orange peel and cloves in crock pot. Add corned beef, fat side up, to crock pot, cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until fork-tender.

Remove corned beef from crock pot. Score top of corned beef, insert additional cloves to decorate, if desired.

To make glaze, combine honey, orange juice concentrate and mustard in large bowl.

About 30 minutes before serving, place corned beef in ovenproof pan. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare glaze and spoon over corned beef. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with glaze.

Easy Crock Pot Swiss Steak

Swiss steak can sometimes be frustrating to make and often times it can be tough to swallow. This recipe will be a hit every time.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 To 3 Lbs. round steak


• 2 Pkgs. onion soup mix


• 2 Cans cream of mushroom soup (10 oz.)


• 10 Oz. water

Trim fat and cut steak into 5 or 6 serving size pieces. Place in crock pot. Add dry onion soup mix, water and mushroom soup. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours.

NOTE: This make lots of gravy. If you want less gravy use 1 package of onion soup mix, 1 can of mushroom soup and1/4 cup of water, or else, you can divide gravy into small zip-lock bags and freeze for use later.

Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

These days, it is very easy to make a spaghetti dinner. Drop spaghetti into salted boiling water and cook till tender. Open can of sauce, preheat and add to spaghetti. What if you want to try your hand at a homemade spaghetti sauce though? This one couldn't be easier or tastier.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Tbsp. olive oil


• 1 Small onion (finely chopped)


• 1-15 1/2 Oz.can tomato sauce


• 1 & 1/2 Cups water


• 1/2 Tsp. pepper


• 1/2 Tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)


• 1 Lb. ground beef


• 1-29 Oz. can tomato puree


• 1-6 Oz. can tomato paste


• 1 Tsp. salt


• 1/2 Tsp. dried oregano


• 2 Lb. sausage links (any style)

Brown ground beef in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan. When almost browned, add onion and continue browning until onion is tender. Pour meat and onion into 31/2 quart crock pot. Add tomato puree, sauce, paste, water, salt, pepper and oregano and set dial on low setting. Cut sausage into pieces and brown in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. When brown, place sausage in crock pot. Continue cooking for 12 hours.

Cook spaghetti according to directions on package, drain and put into bowl. Serve with homemade spaghetti sauce.

Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls

My wife makes excellent cabbage rolls in the oven and as I like to be competitive some times, I thought I would give her a run for the money with this recipe. It is a good meal when finished but I think I'll stick to my wife's version. She can cook while I watch.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 Large cabbage leaves


• 1 lb. lean ground beef or lamb


• 1/2 Cup cooked rice


• 1 Can tomato paste (6 oz.)


• 3/4 Cup tomato juice or V8


• 1/4 Cup water


• 1/2 Tsp. salt


• 1/8 Tsp. pepper

Wash cabbage leaves. Boil 4 cups water. Turn off heat. Soak leaves in water for 5 minutes. Remove, drain and cool. Combine ground meat, rice, salt, and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons meat mixture on each leaf and roll firmly. Stack in crock pot. Combine tomato paste, tomato juice, and water and pour over stuffed cabbage. Cover. Cook on low setting for 8 - 10 hours.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

One of the meals I like (as does my wife) is a good feed of corned beef and cabbage. Usually I just boil the cabbage and do the corned beef in the oven. It wasn't until I found this recipe some time ago that I realized what I had been missing in the flavour department. This is a great taste treat.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Medium onions (sliced)


• 2 1/2 to 3 Lbs. corned beef brisket


• 1 Cup apple juice


• 1/4 Cup brown sugar


• 2 Tsp. orange zest (finely shredded)


• 2 Tsp. prepared mustard


• 6 Whole cloves


• 1 Small to medium sized head of cabbage (peeled, cut into wedges and cored)

Place onions in crock pot. Trim fat from brisket and if necessary, cut meat to fit into crock pot. Place meat on top of onions.

In a bowl, combine apple juice, sugar, orange zest, mustard, and cloves and blend well. Pour over brisket. Place cabbage on top of meat, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours (high 5 to 6 hours).

Crocked Meat Loaf

While I'll admit that it's not all that hard to make a half decent meat loaf, cooking one in a crock pot just seems to free up your time to do other things. After all doing it in the oven can fluster some because you never know if it will be cooked enough in the center.

INGREDIENTS

• 17 Ritz Crackers


• 1 Small onion (finely chopped)


• 2 Tbsp. finely minced green pepper


• 1/4 Cup prepared chili sauce


• 1/2 Cup milk


• 2 Eggs (slightly beaten)


• 3/4 Tsp. salt


• 1/8 Tsp. pepper


• 1 & 1/2 Lbs. lean ground beef

Crush crackers with rolling pin or blender until crumbled. In mixing bowl, combine crumbs with onion, green pepper, chili sauce, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix in ground beef. Form into 6 or 7 inch round loaf. Place in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until done.

Beef and Beans

One of the dishes I like to make is a variation of "Boston Baked Beans" (I add barbecue sauce for extra flavour). After pre-soaking the beans over night, I cook the dish in an oven for several hours. This dish is similar except it is cooked in a crock pot and instead of having the meat cut into small pieces, it is cut after it is cooked.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Lb. dried navy beans


• 6 Cups water


• 3 Lbs. beef brisket or round roast


• 1 Large onion (chopped)


• 1/2 Cup molasses


• 2 Tsp. salt


• 1/2 Tsp. ground ginger


• 1/2 Tsp. dry mustard


• 1/4 Tsp. pepper


• 1 Bay leaf

Rinse beans under running water, place in a large kettle with water, bring to boiling. Cover kettle, lower heat, cook 15 minutes, then let stand 1 hour.

Trim all excess fat from beef. Brown meat on all sides in a large skillet.

Place meat in the bottom of the crock pot. Add beans and liquid, onion, molasses, salt, ginger, dry mustard, pepper and bay leaf. Add more water, if needed to cover meat and beans then cover.

Cook on high for 2 hours. Stir beans, adding more liquid if needed to keep beans and meat covered.

Turn heat control to low and cook for 8 hours, or until beans are very tender and liquid is absorbed. Taste and season with a spoonful of hot prepared mustard, if you wish.

Remove meat to a carving board and cut into slices. Spoon beans around beef on platter.

Crock Pot Beer Braised Beef

One of the ingredients cooks all over the world use in cooking is alcohol because it adds not only flavour, but can sometimes help with tenderizing meats. While wine is used most often, beer works very well in a lot of differnt dishes. This is one of them.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Lbs. lean stewing beef (cut into 1 & 1/2-inch pieces)


• 1 Tsp. salt


• 1/2 Tsp. pepper


• 2 Med. onions (thinly sliced)


• 1 - 8 Oz. can mushrooms or pieces (undrained)


• 1 Can beer (12 oz.)


• 1 Tbsp. vinegar


• 2 Beef bouillon cubes


• 2 Tsp. sugar


• 2 Garlic cloves (minced)


• 1 Tsp. dried thyme


• 2 Bay leaves

Put the beef in the crock pot. Combine all the other ingredients and pour over the beef. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Before serving, thicken juices if desired using equal amounts of cold water and corn starch blended together and slowly poured into crock pot.

All Day Crock Pot Beef

Winter is coming fast and nothing beats a nice hot meal on a cold day but unfortunately a lot of people don't have the time to make a big meal so all this month, I'll post recipes that use 1 pot and can cook slowly all day.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 Lbs. beef roast


• 1/2 Tsp. pepper


• 2 Cloves garlic


• 1/2 Env. onion soup mix


• 2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce


• 1 Tsp. steak sauce (Heinz 57 is ideal)


• 3 Carrots (diced)


• 2 Ribs celery (diced)


• 1 Green bell pepper (chopped)


• 1 Yellow onion (cut into rings)


• 1/2 Cup water


• 1/2 Cup tomato juice

Cut beef into serving sized portions. Use more beef if you need more than 6 servings. Brown beef in a bit of oil. Place the vegetables into bottom of Crock Pot. Sprinkle the beef pieces with fresh ground black pepper, minced garlic and the onion soup mix. Place on top of the vegetables. Mix the steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl with about 1/2 cup water and 1/2- cup tomato juice. Pour this over the meat. Turn to low, cover and cook for 7-9 hours. When ready to serve, ladle meat and vegetables out of pot with a slotted spoon. Use the liquid as is or turn Crock Pot to high and thicken liquid with a little flour or cornstarch.

NOTE: Keep the Crock Pot covered as much as possible throughout cooking time. A Crock Pot can be used to cook this type of meal for a varied amount of time, depending on your schedule. It is not important that you take the meat and vegetables out at a specific amount of time. One or two hours either way usually makes no difference.