Provencal Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean round steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 (15 1/2 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1 /2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 6 Servings ( 1 1 /4 cups per serving)

1. Put beef in a 5-quart slow cooker.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over meat heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add to slow cooker along with carrots and half of beans.
3. Put remaining beans and 1/2 cup of broth in a blender and process until smooth; stir into mushrooms mixture. Add remaining 1 cup broth, the tomatoes, oregano, salt, thyme, and pepper. Cover and cook on high until beef is fork-tender and carrots and softened, 6-7 hours.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meals Cookbook. This is what I call comfort food. Beef stew is a wonderful dish to enjoy year round. You can even enjoy this dish during the hot summer months. You can cook this in your crock pot and let it simmer for the whole day and not worry about clean up afterwards. The French certainly knew their beefy comfort foods and this beef stew certainly reminds you of France. It's loaded with beef, vegetables and herbs which means a lot of flavor. I highly recommend substituting 1/2 cup of burgundy or any French wine in place of the 1/2 cup of beef broth for an authentic Provencal flare. Plus, wine always makes beef taste better.