"Zesty Italian Beef Tips" photo from BettyCrocker.com
There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are starting to turn, and there are noticeably fewer hours of daylight. You know what that means?! Crock-pot season (otherwise known as fall/winter) is upon us!
Thanks to Slow Cooker Revolution (my love letter to this book from America’s Test Kitchen is here), I have an entire cookbook full of tips, techniques, and meals. I also have a handful of pre-SCR recipes; tried and true favorites that are both easy prep and crowd-pleasers.
One of these family favorites is from a booklet I picked up in the grocery store check-out line (those impulse purchases get me every time – it’s either a cooking magazine or a Snickers bar!). It’s from Betty Crocker, although, truth be told, it’s the only recipe I saved from the book.
The photo is from the Betty Crocker website; I’ll update this post with a photo of my own the next time we make it (within the next two weeks, according to my meal plan rotation). The recipe feeds my family of six easily.
Zesty Italian Beef Tips
- Ingredients:
- 2 lb beef stew meat, trimmed
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions, defrosted
- 6 oz pitted kalamata olives, drained
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, Julienne cut (if you can’t find these dried, use the ones packed in oil, drained and sliced)
- 1 26-oz jar marinara sauce
- 1 lb uncooked farfalle pasta (according to ATK, Mueller’s brand is “highly recommended”)
- Directions:
- Place beef and onions in bottom of slow cooker. Top with olives and tomatoes, then marinara sauce.
- Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.
- About 15 minutes before serving, cook and drain pasta, according to package directions.
- Serve pasta in individual bowls, topped with yummy “zesty” beef mixture. Accompanied with a green salad (and a glass of red wine), a delicious meal!
What are your favorite slow cooker meals?
Head over to Beth Fish Reads, where she hosts Weekend Cooking, a round-up of food-related posts. You may find recipes, cookbook reviews, foodie movies, or other tasty treats. As Beth Fish says, “the definition of Weekend Cooking is free and easy, if you think your post even remotely fits the theme, grab the button and sign in to Mr. Linky.” Bon Appetit!
[...] Weekend Cooking: It’s slow cooker season! [...]
This sounds yummy. I just love the cooler temps, as it makes me feel like actually cooking again. Have a great weekend Dawn.
This really sounds good — and easy! Perfect weeknight meal. The addition of those sun-dried tomatoes would really add to the flavor. I pick up those cookbooklets all the time.
Yum! I love slow cooking!! Today, I’m making a whole chicken in mine so that I can have leftovers for the week
Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Even though I haven’t eaten meat in years this looks delish!
I make a lot of bean, grain, potato stews in the crockpot. It’s a great invention.
One of the things I love about the fall — Crockpot time
Nothing better than coming home at the end of the day to a nice, hot dinner that’s all ready to go, and has made the house smell great.
I’m with you – I love my slow cooker and it is definitely the season. The beef tips look good.
you are SO right…the feel of slow cookers are in the air…and I too am a huge ATK Slow Cooker Revolution fan.
But this recipe sounds excellent…as soon as I am back from vacation, I am making this!
Being a new slow cooker fan myself I am always on the lookout for new recipes. Are there a lot of vegetarian recipes in that Slow Cooker Revolution book?
This sounds delicious. I might try this one!
We are getting to the end of slow cooker season and I haven’t used mine anywhere near enough this year.
I just used my slow cooker for the first time ever on Friday! I was cooking a curry on the stove, and it was getting close to done but I had several hours until dinner, so I thought putting it in the slow cooker would be a good way to let the spices marinate. It worked- totally delicious and a big hit with the guests. I am hoping to make some yummy chili later in the year.
This looks good but sadly I have non-olive eaters in my house. I may try it anyway. They can always pick them out. This look very good and very easy too.
If it prompted you to write a love letter, I think that is a cookbook I need to own! That recipe sounds delicious.
Yesterday I decided to put a raw scallop inside a Bisquik cheesy biscuit—it was the BOMB! Perfectly cooked, delicious. have you ever invented a new food?