Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I've been working on trying new recipes on my days off.  One of the things I've been looking for in particular are relatively healthy recipes that I can make in my Crock Pot.  The one-dish aspect of it is obviously appealing.  As summer approaches, being able to make a full-on meal without turning on the oven or slaving over a hot stove also seems like a great idea.  (Although, to be honest, it snowed today.  One the first day of May.  Because I live in Minnesota.  It could snow at any given moment!)

Due to the nature of slow cookers, almost anything made in one pretty much becomes comfort food.  But in this case, beef stew is already comfort food, so all's well.  Plus, this made my house smell fantastic all day and it's relatively veggie-packed for a beef stew.

This recipe is based on a one from Taste of Home.  Within the framework of their recipe, I changed it quite a bit, with changes based on the ingredients I had, comments people left on the original recipe...and the fact that I wanted it to have mushrooms in it.  Yum!

I think it turned out quite good and it made a completely full Crock Pot's-worth of stew.  I had a generous bowl for dinner, will freeze some, and will put some in the fridge for dinners this week.


Ingredients

• About 1 1/4 lbs. of stew meat (or boneless beef chuck roast) cut into around 1-inch-sized pieces
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used 2 small, 1 medium, and 1 large red potato)
• 3 cups water
• almost an entire 1 lbs. package of baby carrots (I kept out a handful to eat!)
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) Campbell's condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 piece celery, chopped (probably don't need this, actually.  But now I have celery for snacks this week)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• slightly less than 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 16-ounce package of frozen peas, thawed
• 1 larger-sized can of mushrooms

Directions

1. Place the beef, potatoes, water, carrots, soup, onion, celery, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, garlic, salt, and pepper in slow cooker and stir. 
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.  (I cooked it on low for about 3 hours, realized I was never going to eat dinner at this rate, then cooked it on high for nearly 3 more.  My carrots were still a bit less-than-tender, but it was fine.)
3. Combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth; gradually stir into stew. 
4. Stir in peas and canned mushrooms. 
5. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened.