Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef and Kabocha Squash Stew by Giada De Laurentiis — Slow Cooker Recipes from The Kitchn

The slow cooker is a mainstay of modern American cooking — but it's not just you and me firing up the Crock-Pot on a weeknight. Famous chefs and celebrities are not above its charms, and this week we're bringing you five recipes from five kitchen stars that show off their favorite ways to put the slow cooker to good use.

Honestly, is there any combination more hearty and cozy than a velvety winter squash and tender beef stew? Giada de Laurentiis' slow cooker beef and kabocha squash stew embodies a perfect winter Crock-Pot recipe, with approachable, wholesome ingredients whose flavors commingle in the slow cooker for hours. This is no bland meat 'n' potatoes kind of stew: Giada dresses it up with rustic sun-dried tomatoes, a red wine reduction, and fresh herbs, which hold their flavor far better than their dried, ground counterparts.

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