Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

I have been making this recipe for a few years now.  I love it.  I was surprised when I looked through my recipes online that I couldn't find this one.  I don't make stew with potatoes anymore.  If I am going to make stew I always make this recipe.
It came from the Food Network here.

I like to do the first steps in a large pan and then put it all in my slow cooker to make sure the meat is really tender from cooking all day.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (I use 1 tsp dry)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (I use 1 tsp dry)
• 2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (I use 1.5 to 2 lbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup Marsala wine (I use beef broth instead)
• 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes (I used 4 lbs last time)
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 to 4 cups beef broth (I like my stew thick, so I use 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley (I skip this)
• Crusty bread, for serving (or a bread bowl!)

Directions

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside. 

Changes I make: As I mentioned above, I saute the first few ingredients and brown the meat, then put it in my slow cooker.  I put some broth in the pan to swish around and then I pour that into the slow cooker too.  I add the broth, half of my squash and the tomatoes.  I cook it on high for about 6 hours then about an hour before serving I add the rest of the squash and about 8 oz frozen mixed vegetables.  The squash that was added at first gets really soft and pretty much disappears into the broth, which also makes it really thick, which I enjoy.