This classic French stew is aromatic, hearty and, most importantly, very simple to make. It’s the perfect recipe to turn to before entertaining because it is so easy to prepare, it allows you to focus on food prep for the next day.
If you can keep this dish around long enough to have leftovers, it develops in flavor and complexity and makes a wonderful, filling lunch!
To prepare this meal in a slow cooker, instead of baking, transfer beef mixture to an electric slow cooker and cook on high for five hours.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 12 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 2 cups chopped carrot
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 1 ½ cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- Dash of ground cloves
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat.
- Add garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove garlic from pan and set aside.
- Increase heat to medium-high.
- Add beef to pan; sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Cook for 5 minutes, browning on all sides.
- Remove beef from pan.
- Add beef broth to pan and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen the browned bits.
- Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, carrot, onion, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, ground cloves, diced tomatoes and bay leaf; bring to a boil.
- Cover and bake at 300 degrees F for 2 ½ hours or until beef is tender.
- Discard bay leaf and serve over noodles.
Source: Make It Simple
