Slow Cooker Cowgirl Stew
Highly customisable for different tastes, this simple slow cooker stew makes a warming meal for winter evenings.
Introduction
What I love about this recipe is it’s so versatile. You also don’t need to add the hot dogs; you can leave them out and just have this as a classic bean stew. I serve mine with a crusty baguette, but it’s also great on a jacket potato. My son is not a fan of kidney beans, so when I’m cooking it for him, I simply leave them out and double up on the baked beans. This is what I love about cooking: mixing things up to suit different tastes. My recipes are just a guide. Go make it yours.
Ingredients
| 4 | tinned or jarred hot dogs, cut into bit-sized pieces |
| 1 | onion, sliced |
| 2 x 400g tins | chopped tomatoes |
| ½ x 400g tin | red kidney beans, drained and rinsed |
| 2 tbsp | Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 tbsp | brown sauce |
| 1 tsp | cayenne pepper |
| 1 tsp | paprika |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 1 | red pepper, deseeded and chopped (or a handful of frozen chopped peppers) |
| 1 | green pepper, deseeded and chopped (or a handful of frozen chopped peppers) |
| 1 x 200g tin | baked beans |
| 250ml | vegetable stock |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| To serve: | |
|---|---|
| crusty baguette or bread |
Essential kit
You will need: a slow cooker.
Method
Cook: 3-4 hours on low.
Put the hot dogs into your slow cooker, along with the sliced onion. Follow with the chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, Worcestershire sauce, brown sauce, cayenne pepper, paprika and tomato purée. Stir and cook on low for 2 hours.
Add the peppers, vegetable stock and baked beans, season, then stir well. Cook for a further 1–2 hours. How long the peppers take to cook will depend on their size.
Enjoy by a warm, cosy fire with some crusty bread to dip into the rich, smoky sauce.
