This is another freezer meal recipe I recently got from my sister in law. Now nothing with beat my mom’s recipe for oven stew, but this was a good alternative. I cooked mine using the crock pot method. Now there are two things I would change about this recipe. The 1/2 tsp of pepper was too much for me. The stew had a very strong pepper flavor, so next time I’d reduce the pepper to at least 1/4 tsp. Also, when the stew was done cooking, it looked more like beef soup. I like my stew thick, not runny. So I mixed 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and added it to the crock pot. Then I turned it on high for 30 minutes. That worked out great. Still not as thick as I’m use to, but much closer.
Freezer Beef Stew
1 C. Diced Onion
3 C. Beef Broth
2 C. Diced Carrot
2T. Brown Sugar
1 C. Cubed Red Potato
1 tsp. Salt
1 C. Green Beans
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 ½ lbs. Beef Stew Meat
½ tsp. Pepper (I’d do 1/4 tsp)
¼. tsp. Dried Thyme
3 T. Flour
1 tsp. Chopped Garlic
2 tsp. Tomato Paste
2 Tbsp cornstarch (if desired)
Combine all ingredients into one gallon zip lock freezer bag removing all excess air and freeze. To serve thaw completely in refrigerator and cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. On the stove bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 30-45 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. Now if you want you stew thicker, use the 2 Tbsp cornstarch and mix it with 2 Tbsp cold water and add it to the cooked stew. On the stove top, just cook until thick. For the crock pot, turn it on high and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve in large bowls with bread for dipping.
I’m curious why you have to thaw this completely before putting it in the crockpot, when on many others you just put it in frozen.
I love this idea of putting all ingredients into a bag and freezing. If I would do this, my family would get nice hot healthy meals more often. Thanks!
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I assume that you cook the beef first?
6 to 8 hours in a crock pot will cook the beef, so no need to cook it before hand. You could brown it, if you wanted to, but I’ve done crockpot beef stew with and without browning it and both taste just fine.
I can’t wait to try this. I would like to start freezing some meals like this to use on days when I don’t feel like cooking or don’t have the time, etc. It looks delicious.
Looks great! I used your chicken taco idea for Sunday dinner today and it was great! I posted about it on my blog.
Thanks for the wonderful freezer recipes. I rely on the freezer and crock pot during the first hetic weeks of school. This sounds so easy.