I didn’t realized when I left DC that I was moving to Seattle.

It has been raining for what feels like a month straight here in Atlanta and it’s getting old. The only thing I want to do is sit in bed with hot chocolate, watch holidays movies and then have some sort of soup or stew for dinner.

This stew is perfect for just that. It’s easy, requires very little prep, and will definitely warm you up on a cool, rainy evening.

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1 lb stew beef
2 lbs red potatoes, cut in to 1 inch pieces
1 bag baby carrots, cut in half
1 package vegetable dip mix (I used Lipton)
5 cups beef stock (or a water-bouillon mix)

1) Season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown stew meat over medium-high heat. This step isn’t necessary, but it adds a lot of flavor to the stew.

2) Layer potatoes and carrots in the crock pot. Put stew meat on top. Sprinkle with the packet of dip mix and cover all the ingredients with the stock. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 6.

Tip: If you notice your stew isn’t thickening the way you want, take on tablespoon on flour and mix it with some of the broth until it forms a paste. Mix in to the stew and let it cook for another 30 minutes or so.