Slow Cooker Beef and Lentil Stew

Speed - 97%

Simplicity - 97%

Tastiness - 98%

97%

Delicious!

A completely satisfying meal right out of the slow cooker. The robust flavor of beef and basics of French cooking make this Lentil soup really flavorful.

User Rating: 4.65 ( 2 votes)

Slow Cooker Beef and Lentil Stew

Another excellent all-in-one-pot meal for the whole family. Go home to this rich and nourishing stew after a long day at work.

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 6

Total Time: 12 10

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: people

Ingredients

500 Grams Beef Top Round cut into 1" cubes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Cups Green Lentils
1 Piece White Onion cut into chunks
1 Piece Carrot cut into chunks
2 Stalks Celery cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 Cup Red Wine
1 Liter Beef Stock
2 Pieces Bay Leaf
1 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram
1 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
Salt
Pepper

Instructions

Season beef with salt and pepper.
Add oil to a pan and sear beef.
Add onions, carrots, and celery. Roast for about 2 minutes.
Add tomato paste and continue roasting for another minute.
Deglaze the pan with red wine. Reduce and transfer contents to the slow cooker.
Add stock, lentils, bay leaves, marjoram, and oregano.
Cook for 6 hours on low.
Season with salt and pepper.

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Having a hard time thinking of a hearty dinner recipe for the whole family? This Mediterranean classic may just be what you're looking for. Beef, lentils, some broth – this is definitely a complete all-in-one-pot meal.

For my take on this stew, I used traditional French cooking techniques which I shall discuss as we go along.

Start by seasoning your meat component. Beef in this case but be free to go with chicken, pork, lamb. . . any of your favorites actually. Salt and pepper would be classic, but again, you may add some paprika, curry powder, mustard – get creative!

Next, lock-in those meat juices by giving it a good sear in a very hot pan. In addition, you'll give those beef cubes a nice brown crust which would otherwise be impossible to achieve in the slow cooker.

Aromatics go in next. What you see in the photo is the classic French mirepoix – onions, carrots, and celery. No need to chop them little as they'll get to stew for around 6-8 hours. Leave cutting these 3 vegetables tiny for quicker cooking fish or vegetable dishes. These exact trio cut into 2mm cubes, by the way, is known as the classic French matignon.

Next, a tablespoon or two of tomato puree for some flavor and body. You should roast it though to cut down its acidity and to deepen its color. Honestly, if I'd be pressed for time and cannot roast my tomato paste, I'd just skip it totally as it'll just make the dish too acidic.

After all the searing and roasting, lots of flavor bits will be sticking to the bottom of the pan. Time to deglaze. Add a good pour of red wine and scrape your pan like crazy, loosening every bit of those drippings.

You may use any wine you wish. Any flavored liquid actually. White wine, fruit juice, beer. . . anything you'll love drinking deserves to get into your pan.

Just give the wine a minute or two to reduce completely. This will cut down the alcohol and acidity leaving you with just the fruity flavors of your wine.

From here, your stew is pretty much done. Tip all the contents of your pan into the slow cooker together with the lentils and beef stock. The amount of stock you should use really depends on personal preference. Use less for a thicker, heartier stew, and more if you like it much more like a soup.

Add any herbs you'd like to use at this point. I have beef for my main ingredient, so a mix of marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf should be perfect. Don't have these herbs? Reach for anything you have in your pantry.

The beef should be perfectly tender in time as the lentils cook, about 6 hours on low. That's the reason I cut my beef into 1-inch cubes. You could definitely go longer if you won't mind getting your lentils slightly mushy.

Before serving, adjust your seasonings. A pinch of salt and pepper may be necessary. A few cold butter nuggets would also work fine to enrich all those flavors.