Slow Cooker 5-Ingredient Poor Man’s Stew
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (80–85% lean)
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
Directions
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumble the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned and no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. If there is a lot of grease, carefully spoon off most of the excess fat, leaving just a little for flavor.
While the beef browns, prepare the vegetables: peel and cube the potatoes into roughly 1-inch pieces, peel and slice the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds, and dice the onion.
Add the potatoes, carrots, and onion to the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spreading them out in an even layer so they cook evenly.
Spoon the browned ground beef over the vegetables in the slow cooker, distributing it as evenly as you can so every scoop of stew will have some meat.
Pour the tomato sauce evenly over the top of the beef and vegetables. Do not add water; the vegetables will release moisture as they cook and the tomato sauce will thicken into a rich gravy.
Gently stir just once or twice, pulling some of the tomato sauce down around the meat and vegetables while still keeping most of the layers intact. This helps everything cook together while keeping the potatoes and carrots from breaking down too much.
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