I had 2 lbs of stew meat so I doubled the recipe. I omitted the French onion soup and used 1 pkg of dry onion soup mix, along with 1 can of beef broth like the other reviewers suggested. I also only used 1 cup of water. It turned out better than I expected. The meat was tender, and I liked the fact that I didn't have to brown it first. The only thing I would say is that it does need some extra seasoning, maybe next time I will tweak it and add some extra spices to it. Overall good recipe, nice and quick prep, took the whole 5 hours to cook. Update: I make this all the time. I have a large family so I still double the recipe. I don't use the french onion soup at all. I use 2 cans mushroom soup, 1 pkg onion soup mix, and 1 cup low sodium beef broth, no additional water - I think that is what makes it bland. Extra seasonings I add are pepper, Maggi, and Worcestershire sauce. I also add an onion (but we really like onions!). Turns out tasty for me every time. I sometimes cook this on 300 for 4 hours to save time, although it is better to cook it as the original recipe states.

I made this stew for Sunday dinner and it was a major disappointment. Very bland and it didn't look very appetizing either.

Great was a hit with everyone. Very easy to make.Everyone was convinced I had spent hours in the kitchen.

Our family isn't big fans of stew, but we thought this was great. Actually i used the ideas from the others, as far as the lipton onion soup mix and water, however i thought it was a little too salty. next time i'll use minced onions and my own seasonings. i also added a nice scoop of minced garlic.

This was a very easy recipe to follow however, it was very bland. I had to add some soy sauce and worchestershire sauce to add flavor.

My family LOVED LOVED LOVED this recipe! My husband was so pleased and proud that I made homemade beef stew. When I told him we were having beef stew for dinner he thought we were having a 'canned dinner' night. He was pleasantly surprised! Recipe was simple and easy to prepare a must for a working mom with kids.

I've tried many beef stew recipes, all of which have disappointed my husband, except for this one which we both loved. I followed the suggestions of some other reviewers and added 1 10.75 oz can beef broth, 1 cup water, 1 package dry onion soup mix, instead of the water and french onion soup that is called for. I also put this in a crock pot on high for 4 hours. I doubled all of the vegetables, and added almost a full 10.75 oz can of corn (did I mention that we really love our veggies!). At the end, it was still soupy, so I thickened it up with 2 Tablespoons of corn starch which made it perfect. With the changes that were made, I give this a full 4 stars for taste and ease of preparation -it is the simplest dish you could make. I will be making this again soon!

This was a very small serving and I found it bland.

I gave this four stars because of the ease of preparation! Pretty darn easy for a decent meal. I did find the taste a little bland however; I'll have to alter SOMETHING next time to improve the taste.

My family enjoyed this recipe.

This beef stew turned out to be the BEST tonight! Pure comfort food! I did, however, toss this all in the crockpot on high for 4 hours. The meat was sooooo tender! I added a can of stewed tomatoes and a packet of dry brown gravy mix. I also added an extra cup of water. I will be making this again, for certain!

Sooo easy and sooo good. Just like old fashioned stew. I just thickend it up slightly. Very comforting :) Thanks

This is a family favorite. We've did make a change though. We use a can of tomato soup in place of the french onion soup and I add onion powder to equal an onion. My kids won't eat anyhing that they can find even the tiniest piece of onion.

I also subbed one packet onion dip and 1 cup water and a can of beef broth instead of french onion and water listed. The flavor was great but my meat and potatoes were still not tender enough.

This is well worth the effort, the recipe doesnt serve as manyt as it says

I put this in the slow cooker/crockpot for 4 hours and it was tasty. It's sufficent for a family dinner, but not quite impressive tasting to serve guests. I'd make it again for our family meal. Added 1 Cup water and 1 pkg onion soup mix. The gravy/sauce is thick and creamy.

This is a great stew recipe. I too added onion soup mix (powder) instead of the canned and increased the water to 2 cups. I also added some corn (leftover in the fridge) which gave it some color. Thanks for the easy and tasty recipe!

really good and better yet, really easy!