Autumn Beef Stew

A perfectly spiced beef stew, ideal for the Autumn season!

This is hands-down, my family’s favorite recipe for beef stew. Though it’s scented with all the best of Autumn, we enjoy it though the winter and spring, too (because it’s just THAT good)!

You can use any beef roast for this, I’ve made it delicious with a chuck roast, top round roast, or rump roast. The flavors and low, slow cooking make any beef roast taste so good.

I’ve adapted this recipe to suit our family, though you should know that the original recipe did include two onions, and since they’re not our favorite, I simply omitted them. Feel free to add for a depth of flavor if onion is your thing!

The most important recipe ingredients are the tomato paste, which adds a deep, rich tomato flavor. Apple cider and red wine make the sauce perfectly savory and sweet–in fact, I’ve even used fresh pressed concord grape juice instead of red wine and it turned out equally delicious. Allspice adds a subtle cinnamon-spice while pairing perfectly with the tomato paste and beef! And we finish with a touch of rosemary for flavor and two cinnamon sticks to simmer in the sauce, making the whole house smell like Autumn!

I almost always make this in my crockpot, though I’ve used my dutch oven and seared the roast before adding the rest of the ingredients and baking in a low temperature oven (about 275F). In my crockpot, I find high heat for 6 hours to be the best fit for me!

I love to finish this recipe with a peeled, cubed butternut squash. In fact, this is one of the few times I use butternut squash, but I seriously think it’s the best fit. Once it cooks in the cinnamon-scented tomato sauce, the squash becomes so soft and flavorful. Even my kids ask for seconds!

I know peeling and cubing the squash is quite the task, but it is so worth it!

Autumn Beef Stew

1 3-4lb beef roast (top round, chuck or rump)

2 tblsp tomato paste

1 tsp allspice

1 tblsp salt

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 c red wine

1/2 c apple cider

2 cinnamon sticks

1 butternut squash, peeled + cubed

• Spread tomato paste on roast, then season with salt, pepper, allspice and rosemary
• Add to crockpot (or roasting pan)
• Add wine and apple cider, then cinnamon sticks to pot
• Cook on low ~8 hours, high for ~6 hours until tender (if using oven roast at 275F for 4-5 hours)
• 30 minutes prior to serving: add butternut squash to pot and cook until fork tender.
• Slice and enjoy, served with gnocchi if desired!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, it’s seriously my family’s fall favorite