Easy Winter Stews to Make

Easy Winter Stews to Make

Few foods are more heart — and stomach — warming than a bowl of stew. Winter stews make for hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals that combine ingredients with warm sauce. Some thick stews can be served over a bed of rice, polenta, noodles, or mashed potatoes. If you’re looking for a few easy winter stews to simmer this winter, try these three favorites. Each recipe has only a few main ingredients, costs less than $10 to make, and comes together in just a few steps.

Stews are very forgiving. You can experiment by swapping out and adding ingredients. You can also use leftovers for unique combinations.

Classic Stovetop Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless beef chuck or beef round roast, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 large potato, unpeeled and cut into chunks
• Vegetables of your choice, cut or chopped into small pieces, including onion, carrots, bell peppers, and celery (frozen vegetables also work well)
• Seasonings like salt, ground black pepper, and dried bay leaf (optional)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Brown the meat in oil over medium heat until it's seared on all sides.
2. Add in 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer up to 2 1/2 hours until beef is just about tender.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf.
4. In a separate sealed jar, combine water and flour and shake vigorously. Stir this mixture into the stew. Heat to boiling for a few minutes until the liquid is thickened and the flour taste is cooked out.
5. Season and serve.

Italian Ribollita Tuscan Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound rustic, crusty bread diced into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups cooked beans (like cannellini or navy), plus the liquid from the canned beans
• 3 medium garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• Vegetables of your choice, including any combination of the following, diced: onion, leek, carrots, butternut squash, turnip, celery, kale
• Seasonings like salt and ground black pepper, plus dried herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf (optional)
• Water

Directions:

1. Sauté the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the garlic is lightly golden.
2. Add vegetables and cook until they're slightly softened but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add water to cover the vegetables. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Add beans and their liquid along with the bread. Stir and simmer until the bread is soft and breaking down, about 15 minutes.
4. Add additional water slowly, about a half-cup at a time, to keep the stew from becoming too thick.
5. Season and serve.

Slow Cooker Meatball Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen meatballs, thawed
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 5 potatoes, peeled and diced into large cubes
• 3/4 cup red wine (optional)
• Water

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes, onion, and meatballs into a slow cooker.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sauce, broth, 3/4 cup water and seasonings like garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper. Add red wine if you're using it.
3. Pour the mixture over the meatballs and ingredients in your slow cooker.
4. Cover, cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, and then serve.
5. Optional: An hour before it’s done, thicken stew with 2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/2 cup cold water.

Visit the Food Lion site to see more winter stew recipes, including a variety of chicken and dumpling stews and classic Crock Pot Beef Stew.