Nothing says fall better than a homemade beef stew. Since potatoes don't typically freeze well you have the option of adding them at cook time or leaving them out entirely.
Course Crock pot, instant pot, Main Course
Keyword beef, Freezer meal, soup
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 8 hourshours
Total Time 8 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Bag #1:
2lbsstew beef (cubed)
1 largeyellow onion, chopped or 1 1/2 cups frozen onion
1.5lbsrusset potatoes, peeled and cubed small(optional)
Add during last 30 minutes:
2cupspeas(optional)
1.5Tbcornstarchadd more for additional thickness
Instructions
Option #1 (preferred method):
Thaw bag #1 with meat and onions (or cook fresh). Saute in 1 Tb olive oil in a pan or on "saute" setting of a digital pressure cooker until meat is seared.
Place in crockpot on low or turn pressure cooker to stew or soup setting. Add bag #2, beef broth, water, and optional potatoes to sauteed meat and cook in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours or in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes. Allow to naturally release in pressure for 10 minutes and then quick release.
Turn pressure cooker to "saute" setting and crockpot on "high." Add cornstarch and optional peas. Allow to warm and thicken, adding more cornstarch if desired. Serve alongside a salad and warm bread.
Option #2:
Skip the saute instructions and place both bags in crockpot or pressure cooker along with the beef broth, water, and optional potatoes. Follow instructions 2-3 above.