Beef butternut squash stew

We hardly eat red meat in our house. I usually cook lean turkey, chicken, some pork, but mostly turkey/chicken meats. I will use lean sirloin for chili and during the cooler months I do like making stews. I tried this stew recipe from Giada and it was a huge hit! very easy, very good.

I peeled and diced up a big butternut squash. It always makes me feel good when I take a vegetable like this and dice it up myself and cook it fresh.

• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour I used whole wheat flour
• 1 cup Marsala wine - I used white wine, as marsala I think would be too sweet
• 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 to 4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Crusty bread, for serving - I sliced up fresh bread, drizzled it olive oil and garlic over and toasted at 500 degrees until browned.

Directions

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

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