Beef Marsala Stew

Takes time to get it all in the crock pot but the payoff is worth it.  The whole family loved it.  The beef was so tender.  My changes:  I used frozen pearl onions.  I didn't add the carrots until the last 2 hours.  I used cornstarch to thicken the sauce right in the crockpot.  Total cooking time was about 6 hours.  Will make again.

My daughter-in-law and I made this dish in her new pressure cooker. She's a busy mom and short on time at the end of the day.  I do agree that the prep time is a consideration if you're in a hurry.  If after adding the flour to the cooking liquid you have small lumps, use an emersion blender to smooth out.  Very good dish. My son and the kids enjoyed the dish very much.  They are not potato people so we made rice and used beef broth instead of water. Turned out great.

Here are my two tips. Make it at least a day before, without adding the last flour step. Separate the meat from the gravy, chill, and then degrease. When you re-heat, I think you will find that the gravy will be thick enough without the additional flour. The second tip is serve it over polenta. The corn meal beats mashed potatoes. Polenta and marsala wine go together so well. (I tried it both ways.)Oh, and, if you have a higher grade rice cooker, buy stone ground corn meal and make it at a 3 1/2 to 1 water/corn mix ratio with only a little salt. Cook it on the brown rice setting. Put it together in the cooker and forget it. If you don't remember to make a slurry of corn and water before putting it in the cooker  -  and it comes out a bit lumpy - it will smooth out with a bit of stirring and still taste great. Someday I will try it in the slow cooker. I did it in a dutch oven. Used 4 lbs. of meat, as it was too much work to justify only 2 lbs and the leftovers should freeze well. I can't believe they say that the 2 lb. recipe will feed 8 people. We must eat for two. Will make it again.

I have made this many times and always get requests for the recipe. I have used the frozen pearl onion and Vidalia and both work well.I, also, use cornstarch instead of the flour for thickening.  It is wonderful!

I made the recipe exactly as stated, in the crock pot, with the cipollini onions, fresh thyme and all.  Served over mashed potatoes.  These are the changes I made.

1) Needed more salt.  I added a bit more salt to the sauce when I thicken it in the sauce pan.

2) The adding flour to marsala to thicken just did not work.  Left balls of dough in the sauce which I took out and instead thickened with cornstarch.

My family actually loved it and I will definitely make it again.  Seemed very french to me with the marsala and thyme.  It was a nice change from my original stew that I make which is much more tomato based.

It does take time to get it all set and in the crock pot, plus adding the time to make the sauce and the potatoes.  But if you have the time, it is worth it for sure.

My store actually has already peeled cipollini onions, so try looking for them in your store as well but I imagine pearl onions would do well too.

I made this dish using the Dutch oven method and was too cheap to buy a bottle of Marsala for 1/2 cup. Instead, using a good quality white wine and caramelizing the frozen pearl onions (great tip!) with about a few tsp. of sugar to finish yielded wonderful flavor. Hubby add a sweet potato to the mashed potatoes and the meal was delish.

Very good! Used Dutch oven to brown meat, onions and garlic, added tomato paste and Marsala but didn't reduce, then added broth and topped with carrots and mushrooms. Baked in the Dutch oven in a 300 degree oven for the recommended 2 1/2 hours. Disappointed that there was barely a cup of liquid left after that time. Meat was tender but slightly dry. Needed to add more beef broth for adequate sauce. Served with Bob Evans sour cream and chive mashed potatoes.

This recipe made a very high end beef stew. Even my husband who proclaims to not like beef stew ate this right up. I substituted pearl onions (brilliant suggestion - thanks!) I also added cornstarch mixed with a bit of beef broth to the crockpot during the last hour or so to thicken it. The whole process of draining the stew to thicken the sauce on the stove was way to much of a pain for me. I served the stew over mashed potatoes and honestly I think you could just skip the whole thickening of the stew all together as the potatoes are a great vehicle for the sauce.

Amazing! I opted for slow cooker and agree you do not need the full 7 hours. So good.

Outstanding stew! The whole family loved it. I used dry Marsala instead of sweet with no discernible difference. I also used frozen pearl onions because cipollinis were not available. Worked like a charm. Served with crusty bread and a salad with a cab/syrah blend to toast the great meal with.

this was awesome! used regular onions. used dutch oven too. i made this last month, and MY RECIPES wasn't cooperating with me trying to rate and save, so i don't remember all i did, but i do remember it was very good! going to make tonite, that's why i'm looking it up again. you will love!!

For basic beef stew, it wasn't bad. Not something you throw in the crockpot in the morning before you head out the door. I think by the time I'd prepped out the vegetables (frozen pearl onions - no way I was peeling cippolini) and seared the meat, 30 minutes were down the drain. Then coming home, potato peeling/boiling/mashing and gravy-making killed another 30 or so, which isn't that bad except for the ton of cookware one has to wash for a slow-cooked stew. I'm not sure the marsala was worth it. It did add a touch of sweetness that I think you could have gotten from using sweet onion instead, and a bit of tang that a bit of cider vinegar would have given you as well. But other than that, not much. If you're going the wine route in stew, I think a red wide gives a deeper flavor. I personally bumped up the seasoning, but would bump it up more if I were to make it again.

Amazing! It was the inaugural recipe in my new slow cooker. I served it with crusty sourdough bread (instead of the suggested mashed potatoes). As others noted, peeling the little onions was the only pain in the ___ part of the recipe - next time I will try the frozen pearl onions as suggested.

Really good! I will definitely make it again. The meat is so tender and the flavor is great. As another review mentioned, peeling those little onions is a major pain. The suggestion to use frozen pearls is fantastic. Also, I had trouble with their directions for thickening the sauce. When I stirred in the wine/flour goo, it just beaded up. I wasn't able to get all the little clumps to dissolve, which was a bummer. Next time I would make a normal roux (starting with flour and adding in the juice instead of doing it backwards).

The masala flavor was a little uninspired. Just okay recipe, probably wouldn't make again.

Very good. Thought I would miss traditional chunks of potatoes but serving on mashed was excellent

Excellent. As often happens, CL's 30min "hands-on" is way off (they start their clock only after any trimming, peeling, cutting, mincing) -- but the results were worth it. Made a beef stock from bones & trimmings and subbed fresh pearl onions for the sweeter cipollini, otherwise followed directions. Ours was fork-tender at 6hrs, so check for doneness earlier than they recommend. The recipe is good for guests but for a family dinner you could save time & money using chopped sweet onion or frozen pearls. Served with polenta & brussels sprouts.

I made half this recipe. I used the Dutch oven method but messed up the gravy part. The meat was so tender and the veggies were done after 2 hours. I put the meat and veggies in a bowl and covered. Mixed some flour with some of the liquid (I used regular beef stock so did not add extra salt) and whisked into the gravy to thicken. Didn't see to add more marsala which would have added more depth to the gravy. Also starting with more liquid would ultimately result in more gravy especially to have with the mashed potatoes!

This dish was hearty and flavorful - perfect for a cool evening. I prepared the recipe as written, including serving it over mashed potatoes. Yum, yum. But, I have to say the recipe called for a lot of prep work. No mention was made in the recipe about peeling the cipollinis, and that took time. I guess I could have dropped them in boiling water for 3 minutes and then slid them out of their outer peels, but, by the time I figured that out, I didn't want to wait for the water to boil. One more thing to note: the recipe uses a lot of pots: the slow cooker for the stew, the Dutch oven for reducing the sauce, plus the saucepan for the potatoes. However, the stew was so tasty that I'd consider making it again for company.

Made it in the Dutch oven and it turned out perfect! Husband loved it better than traditional beef stew. It was a lot of prep work to be made in the crock pot on a work day, but great on a dreary Sunday. Will definitely become a family favorite.

This dish was outstanding. All were happy and impressed with the results!

My husband took one bite and exclaimed "yum!". I didn't have any cippolini or Marsala, so I just used roughly chopped onion and some cooking burgundy wine. Added a little celery, some oregano. This is my new favorite beef stew.

Made this for Sunday dinner. Followed the recipe exactly, except substituted corn starch for the flour as a thickener to make it gluten free. Served it with creamy mashed potatoes, olive oil ciabatta bread, and Apothic Red. Delicious!

Made this on a cold autumn day ... definitely comfort food. Very easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly and used the slow cooker method, but it definitely didn't take the full 7 1/2 hours called for. After 6 hours the meat was falling apart so I strained the mixture and prepared the sauce. I served over mashed cauliflower (instead of potatoes) for a low carb meal. Very good. Husband loved it so will make again.