Crockpot Italiano Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe

Old world style stew, plum tomatoes, potatoes, peas, string beans, zucchini and more. Slow cooked on top of stove, in the oven or in a crockpot it's fantastic. My go to recipe always.  One more thing in there, that's a secret ingredient that makes this sauce so fantastic to dip your bread in, read on.

 

1 pound cleaned string beans
2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes
grape or cherry tomatoes
8 ounces fresh mushrooms
2 or 3 medium sized potatoes peeled and cubes
4 small zucchini cubed
finger carrots around a cup
2 cups peas fresh, canned or frozen
2 large peppers cleaned and sliced
3 pounds cubed and trimmed fat sirloin or London broil steak
4 garlic cloves minced
1 12 ounce can diced tomato
1 teaspoon each oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil
1 1/2 cup red wine cabernet or merlot (yep this is the secret ingredient)
other suggestions: chopped onions, corn, butter beans or lima beans, hot peppers

Place the plum tomatoes through a food processor until pureed.
In a large crockpot or 5 quart saucepan place all the vegetables and meat ingredients in there raw. Add in all the spices, then the wine and stir. Simmer on low in the crockpot 8 to 10 hours. On top of stove or even in a safe cook pot in the oven for around 3 hours (or until the meat is tender) on low. Add the fresh basil at the end when it's cooked around 3 fresh leaves.  The meat will fall apart and the stew will make a wonderful sauce to dip your favorite Italian bread in. A great rustic bread is Ciabatta give that a try!

+claudia lamascolo Author