Pour cream of mushroom soup over raw beef stew meat, along with 2 other ingredients,

For a slightly lighter version, you can substitute one can of cream of mushroom soup with low-sodium beef broth, keeping the same overall liquid volume by using a bit less added water. If you enjoy a deeper mushroom flavor, stir in 1 to 2 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms directly over the beef before you pour on the soup mixture. For a more herb-forward profile, add 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or Italian seasoning to the soup mixture before baking. If you prefer a bit more body to the sauce, stir in 2 tablespoons of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt at the end of baking for extra tang and creaminess—just fold it in gently so it doesn’t curdle. To make this in a slow cooker instead of the oven, layer the raw beef in the bottom of the crock, pour the same soup mixture over the top, cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for about 4 hours, until the beef is tender. You can also swap the onion soup mix for a homemade blend of dried minced onion, garlic powder, a pinch of sugar, and a bit of salt if you want more control over the sodium level. Finally, if you’d like a one-dish meal, scatter a layer of chunked carrots and halved baby potatoes under and around the beef before pouring on the soup mixture; just be sure to keep everything in a single, relatively even layer so it cooks through in the same time frame.