Beef Chuck – Bead Yarn & Spatula

So, I have made chili before but, this was the first time I’ve made chili using beef chuck as opposed to ground beef and I must say it was a much heartier chili and definitely one I’ll make again.

This is my favorite type of slow cooker meal… Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, give it a good stir and set it to cook…

And a few hours later my meal was ready! You can’t beat that.

When I packed some for lunch I topped it with shredded cheddar cheese so when I heated it up it was all melted and gooey… YUM!

Slow Cooker Smoky Beef Chili

Servings: 6 to 8
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Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

3 15.5oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup tomato puree

3 teaspoons chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoon sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and give everything a good stir to combine all of them.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until the beef and vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and serve topped with your favorite topping.

Recipe from Slow Cooker Family Favorites

This week for Slow Cooker Sunday I am bringing you Shepherd’s Pie. Customarily Shepherd’s Pie (or as it can also be called Cottage Pie) is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potatoes. Traditionally it was made with leftover roast meat but is commonly made today with ground meat, beef or lamb. This Shepherd’s Pie is made with beef chuck that is slow-cooked with vegetables in a beef broth and served over mashed potatoes. A twist on the traditional, but, just as delicious. And can I just say that this is my favorite type of slow cooker meal… Just place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, turn it on and let the machine do the work.

First I placed beef, carrots and an onion into the slow cooker…

Next I added in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. After giving the mixture a few goof stirs I then nestled two potatoes – one of the potatoes was the size of two – right on top and covered it and set it cook on low for 8 hours.

After the 8 hours I stirred in 2 cups of frozen peas and left it on the warm setting until the peas were heated through.

Meanwhile I removed the potatoes and mashed them with milk, butter, salt and pepper. If you are wondering why the color is a bit off, don’t forget that the potatoes absorbed some of the beef broth during the cooking, which only added to their flavor.

To serve, I scooped some of the mash potatoes in to a bowl and topped them with the stew… It was DELICIOUS!!!

Slow Cooker Shepherd's Pie

Servings: 6
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Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 large carrots, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large russet potatoes, peeled

2 cups frozen peas

1/2 cup milk, warmed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

kosher salt

black pepper

Directions:

Place the beef, carrots and onions in the slow cooker. Add in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, flour 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and stir to mix well. Nestle the potatoes in the liquid.

Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours – until the potatoes are tender. Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl and add the peas to the stew. Stir and cover and allow the peas to warm, 2 to 3 minutes.

Mash the potatoes with the warmed milk along with butter and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Serve the mashed potatoes topped with the stew.

*Please note I use a 5 1/2 quart slow-cooker.

Recipe slightly modified from Real Simple