This recipe is all over the internet with various names and cooking methods. I first discovered a variation of it in Magnolia Table a few years ago. My husband had often mentioned the awesome beef roast that his grandmother made for Sunday dinner when he was growing up. I tried several different tricks and recipes over the years to try to capture something similar and while he found them all tasty none were quite like he remembered.
I eventually asked his aunt what exactly grandma was putting in that beef roast and she said “You know, I think it was cream of mushroom soup.” Now, my husband is no fan of mushrooms so I knew it would be skeptical of this so I just sort of forgot about it. But when I saw the Magnolia Table recipe using mushroom soup I decided to try it. After all, I could blame JoJo if it was a bomb.
However, it was a raving success! He actually said it reminded him of his grandmother’s beef roast. And since then, it’s become a recipe in regular rotation at our house. It’s also become a holiday go-to for us since my husband isn’t that fond of ham or many other meats.
This is a budget friendly recipe since it uses beef stew meat which is typically a cheaper cut. The slow cooker makes it tender enough to fall apart with the touch of a fork. I generally buy our stew meat from Costco in large packs then divide it up into one or two pound bags. If it’s just us, I generally only make one pound of meat but I keep the gravy ingredients the same because we like a lot of gravy to put on our mashed potatoes.
I make this often for Sunday dinner but it also makes a terrific week night meal as well.
Slow Cooker Beef Tips
2 pounds of beef stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces if needed
1 10.5 ounce can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 1oz envelope of onion soup mix
Mix the soup mixes together in your slow cooker and add about 2/3 cup of water (I eyeball it by filling up the soup can with water until about 2/3 full). Gently place the meat into the cooker (if you just dump it in, it will splatter!). Be sure to not accidentally add that piece of plastic under the meat…NOT THAT I HAVE EVER DONE THAT. Give it a stir to make sure all of the meat is covered. You can add a dash of black pepper if you like but you probably won’t need salt given how salty the soup mixes are.
Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Enjoy!
From the heart and from the holler,
Minda
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