Slow Cooker Country French Beef Stew Crockpot

From http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/slow-cooker-country-french-beef-stew-recipe/1/
Prep Time 25 min
Total Time 7 hrs 55 min
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lb), trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
3 cups ready-to-serve baby-cut carrots
1 cup red Zinfandel wine or nonalcoholic red wine
3/4 cup Progresso® beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms (3 cups)
1/2 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
Hot cooked egg noodles, if desired
Chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves, if desired


1 Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Place bacon in cooker. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat in skillet. Cook beef in bacon fat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Stir onion into beef. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into cooker.

2 Stir carrots, wine, broth, flour, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and canned diced tomatoes into mixture in cooker.

3 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.

4 Stir in mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 20 to 30 minutes longer or until sun-dried tomatoes are tender. Serve beef mixture over noodles; sprinkle with parsley.