Recipe: Lazy Man's Beef Stew

You'll learn as I roll out my recipes... I take shortcuts in my cooking.  Sure I love good food, but I also love quick food.  Getting the most deliciousness for my time is my goal.  When making a stew, there are a few things you can do to ensure a good, quality stew.  You should season the meat and brown it in a skillet.  You should peel the carrots before chopping them.  You should peel the potatoes too for a cleaner product.  You should use celery.  You should use beef broth for a richer flavor.  I didn't do any of these things.  I was lazy.  This is the Lazy Man's Beef Stew.  Prep time minimal.  Just throw a bunch of things into a pot and let it simmer.

Prep time:  10-15 minutes

Cook time:  2-3 hours (or more)

You can throw just about any vegetable into a stew.  Use anything you've got on hand.  Most of these are pretty standard for a stew, but I had some extra salsa lying around so I threw that in just for shits and giggles. 

Ingredients:

• Stew beef (I used 2 pounds)
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic (5 cloves, chopped)
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Mild Salsa
• Butter (~2 tbsp)
• Parsley
• Salt (1 1/2 tsp)
• Pepper
• Water

Everything but the water.

I hope you can see the water level here.  This is all you need.  In fact I had a little too much.  I like my stew a little thicker.

This is how high the water level got by the time it heated up.  You can always add more.  Don't get carried away.

Let it simmer COVERED for at least 2 hours, easy peasy.  Once the beef reaches your desired level of tenderness, it's done!

The finished product!! Yummayyyyyy!

And you're done!  Now you have a pot of beef stew to keep you warm for the winter.  It's delicious, nutrient-dense, and you only spent 10-15 minutes prepping it.  Enjoy!