Beef and Radish Packets Slow Cooker

Beef and Radish Packets Slow Cooker. Wrap up beef and radishes in little foil packs, set them in the slow cooker, and let dinner take care of itself. Opening your own packet at the table? That part never gets old.

This recipe makes me think of big family dinners where everyone was hungry and nobody wanted to fuss over fancy food. Just real, filling meals made with simple stuff. That’s exactly what these little foil packets are. You mix beef and radishes together with a soup mix, wrap each one up tight, and let the slow cooker do all the hard work. Everything cooks slowly in its own juice, so the beef comes out super soft and the radishes soak up all that warm, savory flavor.

The best part? Everyone gets their own little packet at the table. When my sister tried these for the first time, she asked me to make them again the very next Sunday.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds beef stew meat → cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 cups radishes → trimmed and cut in half
• 1 ounces dry onion soup mix → (1 packet)
• 0.5 cups beef broth or water

Beef and Radish Packets: Steps

1. Get your foil ready: Tear off 4 big pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Each piece should be about 12 to 14 inches long. Lay them all flat on the counter. If your foil feels thin, stack two pieces together for each packet so the juice doesn’t leak out.
2. Mix everything together: Put the 1.5 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes, 3 cups radishes, trimmed and cut in half, and 1 ounces dry onion soup mix (1 packet) into a big bowl. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix it all up really well. You want every piece of beef and every radish to be coated in that soup mix.
3. Fill the packets: Split the beef and radish mix into 4 equal piles. Put one pile right in the middle of each piece of foil.
4. Add the liquid: Pour about 2 tablespoons of 0.5 cups beef broth or water over each pile. This small amount of liquid makes steam inside the packet while it cooks, which helps make everything soft and tasty.
5. Seal the packets: Fold the long sides of the foil up and over the food. Fold them together tightly a few times. Then roll and pinch the short ends up and close. Make sure there are no holes or gaps — you don’t want any of that good juice to escape!
6. Place in slow cooker: Set all 4 foil packets into the bottom of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with the folded side facing up. Try to lay them in one flat layer. If they don’t all fit perfectly flat, it’s okay to lean one or two on the side — just don’t squish them.
7. Cook low and slow: Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 to 420 minutes, or  cook on HIGH heat for 3½ to 4 hrs. The beef is ready when it’s really soft and the radishes feel tender and juicy.
8. Open carefully and serve: Turn the slow cooker off. Use tongs to lift the hot packets out and set them on plates. Let them cool for one minute. Then slowly open each packet — tilt it away from your face so the hot steam doesn’t burn you. Spoon the yummy juices over the top, add a little black pepper if you like, and dig in!

Notes

Helpful tips:

Radishes get soft and a little sweet when cooked — very different from how they taste raw! Don’t skip them.
No beef broth? Plain water works just fine.
Be extra careful when opening the foil packets — the steam inside is very hot.
Great to serve with bread, rice, or mashed potatoes to soak up all that broth.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.