Oven Stew

This is currently cooking in my oven and it smells so good. Perfect meal for a cold day - prepare it in the early afternoon and let it bake all day until dinner time. Thanks, Mom, for the recipe!

OVEN STEW

2 lbs. stew meat, cubed
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp. tapioca (not the pudding)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 can tomato soup + 3/4 can water
1/2 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place meat in bottom of deep casserole dish. Layer veggies in order given starting with carrots. Sprinkle with tapioca, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour soup + water over top, cover, and bake for 5-6 hours stirring once or twice. Add frozen peas 30 minutes before end of cook time. Stir and serve hot.

If you are wondering about the tapioca, it's used as a thickening agent. You can find dry tapioca (the little pearls minus the pudding ingredients) in the baking aisle:

This is the brand I use because it's usually the only brand available: