Janice's Italian Beef Stew

The nutrition facts for this comforting fall and winter stew can be found at Calorie Count!

Italian Beef Stew

Ingredients:

(Makes 8 servings)

3 pounds sirloin, cubed

5  tomatoes, squished

1 medium  onion, chopped

2 c  carrots, cubed

3 medium  red potatoes, cubed

½ c  celery, sliced

2 t  basil

1 t  oregano

½ t  black pepper

1 T  olive oil
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Trim all visible fat from the sirloin and cube, place in oven suitable pot with an oven proof lid. You could brown the meat, but I usually don’t.

Squish and add the tomatoes. You can use 1 or two cans of crushed tomatoes if you like, but Italians just squish those tomatoes up by hand! The number is an estimate; you want to have just enough liquid to come up about 2/3 of the way up to the top of the ingredients – the beef will add its own liquid to the mix.

Chop the onion, carrots, potatoes (peeling is optional), and celery and stir into the pot.

Add the spices and stir.

Add the olive oil (this is replacing some of the fat you trimmed off and it’s much better for you than the animal fat) and stir gently. Insert a bay leaf into the center.

Cover and cook in the preheated oven for at least 2 1/2 hours. Stir after 1 1/2 hours. Stir and taste after 2 hours, test to see if the veggies are cooking well, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Remove the bay leaf and serve.