- 2 ½ lb stew beef, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 packet onion soup mix or 1 packet brown gravy mix + 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
- up to ¼ cup balsamic vinegar or red wine (optional)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms (drain first if using canned)
- 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 8 oz sour cream*
- 12 oz egg noodles or rice
Put beef, flour, salt, pepper, and soup mix in slow cooker and stir to coat evenly. Add vinegar, broth, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup; stir lightly to blend and cook on low 4-6 hours. Stir in sour cream until fully incorporated. Add extra salt/pepper as needed. Serve over cooked noodles or rice.
(*Note: to make this more healthy, use low-fat or fat-free sour cream or plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and serve over whole-wheat pasta or brown rice. Conversely, to make it richer, use cream cheese or Philadelphia Cooking Cream for part or all of the sour cream.)
The Soup Diva 