It is a favorite! (But I can only make it in the cold weather months!! Much to Matt's chagrin!) Something about this hearty crock pot meal just calls out for chilly weather! And who am I to question that?!?
This recipe has been one my mom made FOREVER...and, was actually the wedding meal for the most of the family weddings. ( farm families know what I mean --- the wedding meal was HEARTY -- those boys were coming in from the farms for the wedding...some went home to chores before the meal and dance -- and they were ready to EAT!) It is kinda fun to see the grandkids that are grown up now --- who didn't like it as kids -- and now request it! This recipe will keep going I'm sure!
It starts with tenderized round steak. (this is the same that the beef/mushroom recipe uses so there's a little competition there haha) Then it comes together with a few ingredients and a crockpot ( PERFECT for a busy day!)
Here's the rundown of how I put it together!
Sauce:
Equal parts of cream of mushroom soup and tomato sauce. ( sometimes I sub in a can of Rotel or of fire-roasted tomatoes for one of the cans of tomato sauce....this was done the first time because I ran out of sauce but we LOVED it so I often do this! You will likely need at least 4 cans (2 each) -- but it can expand as much as you decide to make! I sprinkle in some onion powder and garlic powder because I add that to everything!
Breading:
You are really just going for a light coating here to pan-fry...when you're done you won't really notice it...but it makes a difference! Start with flour, add pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Dredge the meat in this mixture and pat it to coat well.
Frying:
Take a large skillet and put in some oil...and then fry the breaded meat pieces so that they get a nice deep color. You aren't really "cooking" the meat --- just browning it!
CrockPot:
Start with covering the bottom with some sauce and then layer meat and sauce until you've made it all! Now -- in the original recipe, we would also layer sliced onion in each layer. When I made it this last time I forgot so it is not in the pictures! A couple of my sisters were here and mentioned it (a few times perhaps) but they all survived.
Then put the lid on it and let it cook for hours. I honestly have no idea how long lol -- it was always an "all day" thing. When working outside the home I always started it before work in the morning for supper that night. It cooks well for a long time! ( and the leftovers reheat awesome too!)
We usually serve this with mashed potatoes -- this time was garden potatoes -- and below you can see that Matt was happy to add fresh garden tomatoes to his plate as well. Because...well because garden tomatoes go with everything!
Let me know what you think!
Sara