Description

Slow Cooker Witches Brew Stew is a hearty and flavorful autumn-inspired soup featuring ground beef and spicy breakfast sausage, combined with pumpkin-shaped carrots, potatoes, celery, and a blend of comforting soups and beef broth. The stew is cooked low and slow to develop rich flavors, with spooky skull-shaped mushrooms added at the end for a festive Halloween touch. This recipe is perfect for a cozy family meal and can be easily doubled or frozen for convenience.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Meat

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. hot breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean original if you prefer less spice)

Vegetables

3-4 large carrots, sliced and cut into pumpkin shapes
2 cups small diced gold potatoes
3 celery ribs, diced
1 cup diced leeks (1 large leek)
10 mushrooms, cut in half and carved into skull faces
1 tsp. minced garlic

Seasonings and Liquids

1 Tbsp. Italian herb seasoning (oregano, marjoram, savory, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
10.5 oz. Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
10.5 oz. Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
1.5 cups water
32 oz. beef broth (box)

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Instructions

Brown the meat: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and hot breakfast sausage together until fully cooked. Crumble the meat as it cooks and drain off the excess fat. Transfer the cooked meat to the slow cooker.
Prepare the carrots: Slice the carrots and then cut them into pumpkin shapes by making two straight slits for the stem, cutting out two triangles from the sides of the stem, and removing them. Add the shaped carrot slices to the slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients: Add the diced gold potatoes, celery, diced leeks, minced garlic, Italian herb seasoning, salt, pepper, condensed French onion soup, condensed tomato soup, water, and beef broth to the slow cooker with the meat and carrots. Stir gently to combine all ingredients.
Cook the stew: Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours, allowing all the flavors to blend and the vegetables to become tender.
Prepare the mushrooms: Near the end of the cooking time, cut the mushrooms lengthwise in half. Use a straw to poke out eye holes and a knife to create two slits for a nose, carving additional slits as desired to resemble skull faces.
Add mushrooms and finish cooking: Add the carved mushrooms to the slow cooker after the main cooking time is complete. Let them cook for an additional 10 minutes to retain their shape while warming through in the stew.

Notes

Can I use a different kind of meat? The hot breakfast sausage adds a hearty and spicy flavor, but you can substitute chicken breasts, ground turkey, or kielbasa. Adjust salt and seasonings as needed since the flavor profile will differ.
Can I freeze this soup? Yes, you can freeze the soup before or after cooking. If freezing before cooking, wait to add the mushrooms until after thawing and reheating to keep their shape.
Can I double this recipe? Absolutely, this recipe can be doubled and cooked in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
Short on time? You can skip carving the carrots and mushrooms into shapes; the stew will still be delicious.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 830 mg
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
Trans Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 18 g
Cholesterol: 60 mg