Easy Crockpot Beef Stew

This beef stew is as easy as “set it and forget it!” Simply toss all your meat, veggies and seasonings into the crockpot and simmer on low all day. By dinner you’ll have a fragrant and delicious Fall meal the family will love. Any leftovers can be packaged up and refrigerated, and believe me, this stew is even better the next day!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Brittany from My Daily Randomness.

Prep Time: 15 mins. | Cook Time: 6 hrs.

Ingredients

1½ lbs. stewing beef
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
6-8 small new potatoes, quartered or diced
1 package (8oz) sliced crimini mushrooms
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp herbs de Provence
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and pepper
2½ cups beef stock
3 tbsp flour (optional)

Method

1. Combine beef, onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, herbs, allspice, salt & pepper and beef stock in crockpot. Give it one big stir to ensure all the seasonings are evenly distributed. Set crockpot to low and cook stew for 6-8 hours.
2. In the last hour of cooking, remove lid and sprinkle in flour. Stir until well combined. This will help to thicken the stew. If you prefer your stew a little runnier, you can omit the flour.
3. Serve hot with a slice of crusty bread for mopping up all the beefy goodness!
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Crimini Mushroom Ceviche

Ceviche is popular in coastal regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America and consists, typically, of fresh, raw seafood marinated in citrus and spiced with hot peppers. This version has the same citrusy zing that a typical ceviche would, but the mushrooms make for an interesting texture, with more bite than raw fish would have, and tastes meatier than you might think.

Recipe courtesy of Kelly from The Gouda Life.

Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 0 mins. | Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a main

Ingredients

2 cups (1″) diced Crimini mushrooms
1 large (2 small) jalapenos, seeds and veins removed, finely minced
Juice from 2 lemons
Zest + Juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
Handful cilantro, extra for garnish
3 green onions, sliced thin (white and green parts)
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 small baby cucumber, diced
1 avocado, 1″ dice
Fresh ground pepper

Method

  1. Toss the diced mushrooms and jalapeno with the lemon and lime juice/zest and place in a shallow dish. Let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes and at room temperature for another 30, stirring occasionally to make sure all the mushrooms get marinated.
  2. Once marinated, add the salt, honey, cilantro, green onion and 3/4 of the red onion. Stir to combine and let sit for 10 more minutes at room temperature.
  3. Spoon into serving dishes, glass jars or glasses make for good vessels, and top with avocado, cucumber, the remainder of the red onion, a sprinkling of cilantro and fresh ground pepper.

 

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Creamy Stroganoff Meatball Skillet

Isabelle’s version of the comfort food classic was already pretty thrifty, since it replaces the more expensive cuts of beef in the traditional stroganoff with relatively cheaper ground beef, but adding finely chopped mushrooms to the meatballs helps to stretch that pound of beef even further. Not to mention that the mushrooms do a great job of keeping the meatballs juicy and tender, while boosting the earthy mushroom flavour in the dish (which, let’s face it, is really the best part of a stroganoff).

Recipe and photo courtesy of Isabelle from Crumb: A Food Blog.

Prep Time: 15 mins. | Cook Time: 35 mins.

Ingredients

Meatballs:
½ lb sliced cremini mushrooms
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ cup finely diced onion
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Stroganoff Sauce and Noodles:
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
3 cups uncooked broad egg noodles
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup parsley (plus more for garnish, if desired)

Method

Make the Meatballs:
1. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the mushrooms until very finely chopped.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped mushrooms with ground beef, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
Make the Sauce and Noodles:
3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high, cook the bacon in olive oil until browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
4. Add the meatballs to the hot pan, and cook for 3-5 minutes or until well browned all over. (They are quite fragile at this stage, so be gentle when turning them over!) Transfer the meatballs the same plate as the bacon, and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
5. Add the onion to the pan and saute for 6 to 8 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to soften. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
6. Whisk in the broth, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Stir in the noodles, along with the bacon and meatballs, and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the noodles are soft and the meatballs are cooked all the way through.
7. Remove from heat, and stir in the sour cream and parsley. Serve immediately.
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Creamy Mushroom Tart

Recipe and photo courtesy of by Heather from Mmm is for Mommy.

Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 30 mins.
Tip: You could easily prepare the filling ahead of time and store in the fridge along with some thawed puff pastry to have fresh, super-quick and unforgettable snacks for pop-in guests.

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 tbsp minced red (or yellow) onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz crimini or mini bella mushrooms, rough chopped
1 tsp dried herbes de Provence
2 tbsp dry white wine
1/2 cup (half of a small tub) of light cream cheese
1/2 tsp each of salt and black pepper
1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella or Provolone cheese
1-2 thinly sliced mushrooms for garnish

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Roll out puff pastry to fit a small tart pan, either round, rectangle, or simply free-form on a parchment lined baking sheet.  (If doing free-form, using a sharp paring knife, cut a border about half of the way through the dough about 1/3 of an inch from the edge.  This outside edge will puff more and give you an outer crust)  Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

 

2. To make the filling, cook the chopped bacon, onion, garlic, chopped mushrooms and herbes de Provence over medium heat until the bacon is cooked and the mushrooms have released most of their liquids.  Add the wine and continue to cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated.  Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese until smooth, also adding the salt and pepper.  Mix in the shredded cheese and then bring the tart pastry out of the fridge and spoon the filling into it.  Using the reserved sliced mushrooms, decorate as desired.

 

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the tart filling is also browning.  Serve as small wedges for party apps or cut into four and serve with a salad for a decadent holiday brunch.
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Cream of Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Soup

This soup is a hybrid between a Cream of Mushroom and a French Onion Soup. The sweetness of the caramelized onions works beautifully with the earth mushrooms and rich heavy cream. It’s just what you want on a cold night. 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Kelly from The Gouda Life.
Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 30 mins. | Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
16oz cremini mushrooms, stems removed and diced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp flour
4 cups beef stock
1 small bundle fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add in the mushrooms and cook until their liquids have released and reduced, 6-8 minutes. Add in the onions and cook everything, stirring occasionally until onions are caramelized and mushrooms are deep golden brown, 20 minutes.

2. Add the olive oil and flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour in the stock and thyme and whisk constantly until thickened. Add in the heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste.

3. At this point you can leave it chunky or use an immersion blender to make it a smooth creamy soup. Serve piping hot with crusty bread for dipping.

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