Jessica Fretzler’s soup here to warm you up on any cold days ahead!

Crock-Pot Beef & Vegetable Stew

• 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cans Our Family® Diced Tomato
• 3 cups celery, sliced
• 3 cups carrots, sliced
• 5-10 russet or red potatoes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves (4 teaspoons minced garlic)
• 3 tbsp. Our Family® Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 lbs. stew meat
• 1 cup red cooking wine
• 2 boxes Our Family® Beef Broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. Our Family® Paprika
• ½ tsp. Our Family® Garlic Powder
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. seasoned meat tenderizer
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tsp. corn starch

1. Add carrots, potatoes, diced tomato and celery into an 8 quart Crock-Pot.
2. Heat up a frying pan on high. Add olive oil to the pan along with half the garlic. Once the pan is hot, add meat and brown on all sides. Optional: add salt and pepper to add more flavor. Add the meat to the Crock-Pot.
3. DO NOT WASH THE PAN. Return the pan to the stove and add more olive oil. Add onion, the rest of the garlic, one cup of cooking wine and a cup of the beef broth. Optional: salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and transfer into the Crock-Pot.
4. Add the spices, Worcestershire sauce and the bay leaf to the Crock-Pot. Stir lightly to combine all the ingredients.
5. Add the remainder of the broth into the Crock-Pot until all ingredients are covered. Cook on low for 9 to 10 hours, medium for 7-8 hours or high for 6-7 hours.
6. About 30 minutes prior to serving, ladle out some of the liquid from the stew and whisk in 2 tsp of corn starch and add it to the stew. Gently stir to combine. Repeat this process after 15 minutes to make sure the thickness is where you want it.

“I recently began cooking large Crock-Pot meals after my sister and her fiancé moved in with me due to financial hardship. Living and feeding between four and five people can take a lot, so Crock-Pot meals are easy and can feed a lot of people. This has been the house favorite so far because of the flavors I have been able to bring out and the care I take in making it. I will also be cooking and serving this recipe as part of a Service Learning Experience at the Hope Lodge, which is a support group for cancer patients. I hope to bring these patients something that they can actually taste, since chemotherapy tends to hinder the ability of the patient to taste anything but salt.”

— Jessica Fritzler, Grand Rapids, MI

View the winning recipe for Fiocchi Family Pasta e Fagioli here!