Description
Slow Cooker Witches Brew Stew is a hearty and flavorful autumn-inspired stew featuring ground beef, hot breakfast sausage, and a medley of vegetables, all slow-cooked to tender perfection. Creative carrot pumpkins and skull-shaped mushrooms add a festive Halloween touch, making it a fun and comforting meal for the season.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meats
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. hot breakfast sausage (original if you prefer less spicy)
Vegetables
- 3-4 large carrots, sliced and cut into pumpkin shapes
- 2 cups small diced gold potatoes
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 1 cup diced leeks (about 1 large leek)
- 10 mushrooms, cut in half and carved into skull faces
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
Seasonings and Broths
- 1 Tbsp. Italian herb seasoning (oregano, marjoram, savory, thyme, basil, rosemary, and sage)
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 10.5 oz. Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
- 10.5 oz. Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
- 1.5 cups water
- 32 oz. box beef broth
Instructions
- Brown the Meats: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and hot breakfast sausage together. Crumble the mixture evenly and drain off excess fat. Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker.
- Prepare Carrot Pumpkins: Slice the carrots and then carefully cut two straight slits at the top for the stem. Remove two small triangle segments from each side of the stem to form a pumpkin shape. Add these shaped carrot slices to the slow cooker.
- Add Vegetables and Seasonings: Add the diced gold potatoes, diced celery, diced leeks, minced garlic, Italian herb seasoning, salt, pepper, condensed French onion soup, condensed tomato soup, water, and beef broth into the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine all ingredients.
- Cook the Stew: Cover the slow cooker with its lid. Cook the stew on HIGH for 4 hours, or LOW for 8 hours, allowing the flavors to meld and the vegetables to soften.
- Carve Skull Mushrooms: When cooking time is nearly complete, prepare the mushrooms. Cut each mushroom in half lengthwise. Use a straw to poke out holes for eyes and a knife to make two small slits for the nose. Additional slits can be made to resemble a skull’s features.
- Add Mushrooms to Stew: Stir the carved mushrooms into the slow cooker at the end of cooking. Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow mushrooms to soften slightly while maintaining their shape.
Notes
- The hot breakfast sausage adds a hearty and decadent flavor; substitute with chicken breasts, ground turkey, or kielbasa for a milder taste, but adjust salt and seasonings accordingly.
- You can freeze the stew either before or after cooking. If freezing before cooking, wait to add the mushrooms afterward to maintain their shape.
- This recipe can be doubled using a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- If you’re short on time, you can skip the detailed carrot and mushroom shaping and still enjoy a delicious stew.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 312
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 1095mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 63mg
