Slow-Cooker Country French Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 3 cups baby carrots ready-to-serve
• 6 slices bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 0.8 cup beef broth flavored (from 32-oz carton)
• 3 lb beef chuck boneless trimmed of fat cut into 1-inch pieces
• 14.5 oz tomatoes diced undrained canned
• 12 servings egg noodles hot cooked
• 1 teaspoon basil dried
• 3 tablespoons flour all-purpose
• 1 leaves parsley fresh chopped
• 8 oz mushrooms fresh sliced (3 cups)
• 1 large onion cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 cup sun-dried olives (not oil-packed)
• 0.5 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
• 1 cup red wine 

Equipment

• frying pan
• slow cooker

Directions

1. Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp.
2. Place bacon in cooker. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat in skillet. Cook beef in bacon fat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Stir onion into beef. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into cooker.
3. Stir carrots, wine, broth, flour, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and canned diced tomatoes into mixture in cooker.
4. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.
5. Stir in mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 20 to 30 minutes longer or until sun-dried tomatoes are tender.
6. Serve beef mixture over noodles; sprinkle with parsley.