Three Ingredient Steak and Gravy (crockpot)

 

I love to use my crockpot on Sundays. It is just so convenient to pop something in before I go to church. I have been doing this for years.  It is nice to come home and know you have something delicious already prepared for you and your family to enjoy.

It is also nice to use on a weekday when you know you are going to be very busy and not have a lot of time to spend cooking a meal.  Crockpots make this easy and convenient and come in a variety of sizes to suit everyone.

I actually have two crockpots. A small one (1 1/2QT) which is just the right size to cook a meal for a smaller family and a much larger one which is just the right size when I have been asked to bring a meal to a pot luck or other get-together.

 

I had some pieces of beef steak in the freezer the other day that I wanted to use up. They were eye of round and would have been great just flash fried, but I knew I was also going to be super busy and so I decided to throw then into the crockpot.  

I have done beef roasts this way in the past and I thought it would be perfect for cooking these steaks.  This is a recipe that doesn't require a whole bunch of ingredients, only three basic things. Your meat, some dry soup mix and some tinned condensed soup. (I know a sacrilege to some, but not to me.)

You will also need some water, but I always like to rinse my soup cans out with a bit of water anyways to get everything, so I did not consider this as an ingredient.

You could of course fancy this up by adding chopped onions and peppers, even sliced mushrooms.  This is just the barebones recipe. You can use this as a jumping off point and make the dish your own. I guarantee everyone will love it.  Simple, easy and comfortingly delicious.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THREE INGREDIENT STEAK AND GRAVY

These are the amounts for a small batch. If you want to feed more people, simply double or triple the amounts and use a larger crockpot.

• 4 pieces of eye of round steak no more than 1/2 inch thick
• 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
• 1 can of condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (10 1/4 oz/290g)

 

Eye of round is a fairly lean, but well marbled cut of beef that is well suited to slow cooking.  You could use any type of steak for this really, just be sure it is well trimmed of any excess fat so your gravy doesn't end up greasy.  Flat iron steak also works very well.  Cut it into serving sizes before you begin.

My pieces were each about the size of my fist, and probably a bit less than 1/2 inch thick.

I used the Knorr dry onion soup mix.  There are a few different varieties out there.  Failing that, if you cannot get onion soup, you can use some beef stock powder and dehydrated onions.  I would add some extra seasoning in the way of onion and garlic powders (not salts) as well.

In the U.K. the condensed soup variety mostly found will be Batchelors. Condensed soup is a type of soup that you need to add an equal amount of liquid to in order to make it edible as it is quite concentrated.

You will note that you don't really need any salt or pepper in this dish as the soup mix and tinned soup are already salty enough. You will need to add half a can of water (or you could use milk) but don't add any more than that as the crockpot will create some liquid itself and you don't want your gravy to be too soupy.

You can experiment with other flavors of condensed soup if you wanted to.  Golden mushroom is also very nice.

 

HOW TO MAKE THREE INGREDIENT STEAK AND GRAVY

It's a simple matter of layering really. Your crockpot does all the work. You can brown the steak before you start if you wish, but it really isn't necessary to do so.

Put a third of the undiluted soup in the bottom of a small crockpot. Sprinkle 1/3 of the onion soup mix over top.

Place half the steak on top of the mixture.

Put another third of the soup and onion soup mix over top of the steak. Top with the remaining steak.

Finish off with the remainder of the mushroom soup and dry soup mix. Fill the soup can half with water and pour it over top. Cover

Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours at which time the steak will be tender and the gravy nice and thick.

Serve with your favorite sides. I have to say potatoes go very nicely with this steak but so do noodles and rice.  You can serve any vegetable that you enjoy as well.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL CROCKPOT/SLOW COOKER COOKING

Things cooked in your crockpot/slow cooker do not have to come out mushy, bland, and cooked to death.  Here are a few hints and tips to follow that will help to ensure that your slow cooker meals are just as delicious and exciting as your regular ones!

1. Choose the correct cut of meat for the purpose of slow cooking. You want a piece of meat that is well marbled and not too lean.  The less expensive cuts are the best to use, but do be sure that you trim off as much visible fat as you can so help ensure that your finished dish will not be overly greasy.

2.  In most cases, especially when doing beef and pork, it is nice to sear your meat in a hot skillet before you begin. This helps to lock in the juices and flavors. You can also add a tasty rub to help add flavor before you sear it.

3.  Make sure all of your vegetables, etc. are of a uniform size before you begin. That way they will all be cooked in just about the same amount of time. Bear in mind also that some vegetables, such as potatoes, will cook a bit faster than say carrots, so you may want to make your potato pieces a bit larger and your carrots and turnips a bit smaller.

4.  Do not over fill the crockpot. Slow cookers operate best when filled no more than half to three quarters full.

 

5.  Don't be tempted to peek. This is why slow cookers have glass lids, so that you can check the progress without having to lift the lid to look. Every time you open the lid and have a peek, vital heat escapes and it will take your dinner even longer to cook.

6.  When cooking more solid things, such as a lasagna or a bread, in a crockpot keep the sides of your slow cooker in mind to help prevent scorching or burning.  The side opposite the control panel will cook faster than the other.  It is okay to check on its progress in this case but do try to keep from doing so until closer to the end of the cook time. Also make it a very quick check.

7.  It is a nice touch to thicken the broth, juices. You can do this by emptying them into a saucepan and thickening them as you would a gravy, using flour or cornstarch/corn flour.

8.  Don't add the cheese topping until the end. Add it too soon can result in something gooey and rubbery.  Five to ten minutes before the end of the cook time is plenty of time.

9.  This may be the most important thing. DON'T overcook whatever it is you are cooking. If you find your meal is finished before you thought it would be, take advantage of the "Keep Warm" function of your crockpot, and simply keep things warm until you want to serve them.

 

I have done a roast very similar to this a few times and it always turns out delicious, so I had no doubts that this would also.  I was right. The meat melted in the mouth and that gravy was loaded with bags of flavor.

It was such a simple thing to do as well.  Perfect for a day when you know you are going to be too busy to cook.  I served it with some instant (yes, sorry) mashed potatoes and canned corn.  You can serve whatever sides you wish to enjoy with it, but potatoes are especially lovely.

 

Here are a few more crockpot meals that I enjoy that I think you might also enjoy!

CROCKPOT MAC & CHEESE - Think you can't make macaroni and cheese in a crockpot? Think again! Crock Pot Mac and Cheese is a creamy, cheesy and easy macaroni and cheese recipe that is always a hit and you don’t even need to turn on your oven!  This small batch recipe makes three delicious creamy and rich servings.  I guarantee you will enjoy it!

CROCK POT HAM, BEANS & POTATOES - This delicious meal is one of my favorite things to cook in my crock pot! This is an old, old recipe gleaned from a Mennonite Community Cookery book many moons ago.  Its such a simple dish and yet so delicious! Proof positive that food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good. Everything simply gets layered in the crock pot and then cooked.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Three Ingredient Steak and Gravy

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 6 HourTotal time: 6 H & 5 M

Tender juicy pieces of steak that melt in the mouth, in a delicious rich and creamy gravy. Three simple ingredients. One crockpot. Delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of eye of round steak no more than 1/2 inch thick
• 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
• 1 can of condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (10 1/4 oz/290g)

Instructions

1. Put a third of the undiluted soup in the bottom of a small crockpot. Sprinkle 1/3 of the onion soup mix over top.
2. Place half the steak on top of the mixture.
3. Put another third of the soup and onion soup mix over top of the steak. Top with the remaining steak.
4. Finish off with the remainder of the mushroom soup and dry soup mix. Fill the soup can half with water and pour it over top. Cover
5. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours at which time the steak will be tender and the gravy nice and thick.
6. Serve with your favorite sides.

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