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The only thing better than regular ol’ French onion flavor might be upping the ante by doubling up on that French onion flavor. And that’s just what we’re doing here! We’re taking some economical sirloin beef tips and simmering them in some French onion soup AND French onion soup mix until they’re fall-apart-tender and so full of flavor. It’s not your basic beef tips but it just might be the best thing you can spoon over mashed potatoes.
What Do You Need For French Onion Beef Tips?
You’ll need:
- a yellow onion (maybe should have named it Triple French Onion Beef Tips?)
- 2 pounds of sirloin beef tips — beef tips are juicy, tender, and generally pretty economical!
- water or low-sodium beef broth — emphasis on the low sodium!
- 1 can of condensed French onion soup
- 1 packet of onion soup mix
- a dash of Worcestershire sauce
- a bay leaf
- some cornstarch to thicken things up
Go Easy On The Salt
Because of the condensed soup AND the onion soup packet, things can get pretty salty here. If you’re using broth, you definitely want to use a low-sodium one so you’re not adding more saltiness to the mix. And while it’s normally not the case, you want to only lightly season your beef before you sear it.
The flavor is rich and great if you use a light touch!
How Do I Make French Onion Beef Tips?
The first step is to sear the beef, which is really the key to locking in flavor. Season lightly here (because of the salt that’s added in the other ingredients) and work in batches to brown your beef so you don’t overcrowd the pan and steam the meat instead.
Once the beef is browned, it heads out of the pan to rest and you’ll cook down some onions in the residual fat and some olive oil. From there you add the liquid, the onion soup, the onion packet, the Worcestershire, the bay leaf, and the beef and let it all simmer until the beef is very tender, which should take an hour and a half or so.
If you’d like things thicker, stir the cornstarch into a third cup of water and stir it into the pot and let it simmer long enough to thicken up.
Can I Make This In The Slow Cooker?
You sure can. Just add all your ingredients to the crockpot (minus the cornstarch and extra water), give it a stir, and cook for 5-6 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. (Bonus points and bonus flavor if you sear your beef and brown your onions in a skillet first, but it’s not wholly necessary.)
French Onion Beef Tips and Gravy
Yield(s): Serves 6
10m prep time
2h cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 2 lbs sirloin beef tips
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth or water
- 1 (10 oz) can condensed French onion soup
- 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Trim fat from beef, as needed, then season very lightly with salt and more liberally with pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, working in batches to not overcrowd pot. Remove to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil. Add onions and cook until translucent and soft, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in water or broth, onion soup, onion packet, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and the browned beef. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer until beef is fork tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- When beef is tender, thicken the gravy by stirring cornstarch into 1/3 cup cold water and then stirring into the mixture.
- Simmer a few minutes until thickened, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over mashed potatoes and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Spend With Pennies.