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Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew
I’m beginning to think I was crazy to challenge myself to use my crock pot everyday for a year to make Weight Watchers friendly recipes and post them here on Simple Nourished Living.
Stephanie made it look so easy on her blog Crockpot365. But it’s not!
On the bright side – this year-long project is now more than 35% complete.
I’ve got my Mom to thank for this hearty beef stew recipe, which is adapted (a lot) from the Ninja Cooking Easier, Healthier & Better Cookbook.
Is there anything more comforting than coming home at the end of a long cold day to the smell of a hearty stew simmering away in the crock pot?
Served with some warm, crusty bread, it’s hard to beat.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Slow Cooker Beef Stew?
According to my calculations each serving has about 276 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
6 SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
7 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Recipe Notes
There’s really no wrong way to make beef stew. I tend to use whatever combination of vegetables and seasonings I’ve got on hand and never have made it exactly the same way twice.
This makes a big batch, but the good news is that it tastes even better the next day and you can freeze the leftovers for future quick and easy dinners and/or lunches.
To make this hearty slow cooker beef stew work with Simply Filling, I think it would be necessary to omit the flour, resulting in a thinner stew.
Now that I’m a Lifetime WW in Maintenance, I’m not a Simply Filling purist (if I ever was).
And let’s be real, eating too much homemade beef stew isn’t what landed me in Weight Watchers in the first place!
If you’ve made this Crock Pot Low Fat Beef Stew, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean stew beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce (4 ounces canned)
- 4 medium red potatoes, cut in cubes
- 2 medium onions, sliced into wedges
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 2 cans (about 15 ounces each) cut canned string beans, drained
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Ideal slow cooker size: 6-Quart.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper, then toss with the flour to coat the meat.
- Grease the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the beef in the slow cooker.
- Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, potatoes, onions, carrots, corn, green beans, garlic and thyme.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or until the beef and vegetables are fork-tender.
- Stir in chopped fresh parsley.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 6 SmartPoints (Green plan) 5 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 3 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 7 PointsPlus (Old plan) For greater depth of flavor and color, brown the beef in a little oil first and then deglaze your pan with a little beef broth and then continue with the recipe. There’s really no wrong way to make beef stew. I tend to use whatever combination of vegetables and seasonings I’ve got on hand and never have made it exactly the same way twice. This makes a big batch, but the good news is that it tastes even better the next day and you can freeze the leftovers for future quick and easy dinners and/or lunches. To make this hearty slow cooker beef stew work with Simply Filling, I think it would be necessary to omit the flour, resulting in a thinner stew.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: adapted from Ninja Cooking Easier, Healthier & Better Cookbook
Do you happen to know how many freestyle smart points it would be if I used a 2lb rump round roast instead?