There are summer recipes and there are winter recipes.  Chili Stew is one of my favorite winter recipes.  It takes only minutes to assemble and always has a thick, spicy sauce and oh so tender chunks of meat.  Sometimes I serve it with biscuits for a fancier alternative to basic chili.

Chili Stew – serves 4

Here’s what you need:

1 lb of stew beef cut into chunks

2 medium onions cut into quarters

2 carrots cut into 1 inch lengths

1 16 0z can of tomatoes

2 cans of red kidney beans

2 tbsp of flour

1 package chili mix

Place the onions and carrots in the crockpot.  (I had one large onion that I rough cut and some baby carrots that I cut in half).

Place the beef cubes over the vegetables.

Cut the tomatoes into smaller chunks (I used canned diced tomatoes).  Pour off the juice into a small bowl and put the can of tomatoes in the refrigerator until later. Add the chili mix, flour and if needed some water to the juice so you have at least 1/4 cup.

Spread the juice mixture over the beef, put the lid on the crockpot and cook on high 4 hours (I have cooked it on low for 8-10 hours with the same results).

Now, this is the hard part…….DON’T TAKE OFF THE LID AND DO NOT ADD WATER!!!!!  I know it will be tempting.  You’ll look through the lid and think  it looks dried out, but trust me, it isn’t.  All that moisture on the lid is dropping down on the mixture below creating yummy goodness.

About 30 minutes before serving throw in the reserved tomatoes and the two cans of beans into the crockpot. Give it a good stir and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes.  Then it’s time to serve it up and enjoy. 

This recipe is husband tested and recommended.  He loves this stuff!