Yummy Yummy Beef Stew! SUPER EASY

Ever crave a warm, hearty soup on a cold day? Well that exact scenario is what prompted my husband and I to invent Yummy Yummy Beef Stew! Loaded with hearty beef chunks that melt in your mouth, onions, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and squash, this soup is basically a garden vegetable soup with beef in it, meaning that it is also pretty healthy! It filled me up the last two days I was substituting at a high school, and made me happy and satisfied...and, it was very easy to make. So, I want to share it with you!

Yummy Yummy Beef Stew:
serves 10, recipe can be halved if you want a smaller quantity.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chuck roast beef, cut into 2 inch cubes (or however you like)
• 2 small yellow squashes 
• 4 carrots, peeled 
• 2  28 oz cans diced tomatoes (I like to use 1 can diced and 1 can stewed tomatoes)
• 3 small onions
• 3-4 dried bay leaves
• 1 bell pepper
• 4 cups water (add more later if you like your stew more soupy)

Steps:

1. Cut up all ingredients. Open the two cans diced tomatoes and put into a pot, as well as all the cut-up beef (if it's frozen, just put the whole chunk in, and then after it defrosts you can take it out and cut it into small pieces). Cook on stove at medium-high heat for 1 hour. Using a dutch oven is best, but any kind of pot will work. 

2. Cut up all vegetables into bite-size pieces, and add to the pot with the dried bay leaves after the tomatoes and beef have cooked for 1 hour. Cook at low-medium heat for another 1.5-2 hours or so (the longer you cook it, the more tender it gets). If you're using a crock-pot, just throw all these ingredients in together and cook for 5-6 hours. 

3. Remove bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and Enjoy! Serve with a fresh pot of rice, crusty bread, or noodles. 

Best wishes in the kitchen!

Kaori