Rich and Delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Rich and Delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stew
If you’re looking for a Rich and Delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stew, this is it! After a little bit of prep, add the ingredients to a slow cooker, set it and walk away until dinner time. This classic hearty beef stew is SO easy. Serve with extra mashed potatoes or this homemade French bread.
Be sure to check out all of my recipe tips and tricks that I share above the recipe card. These tips will help you make the best stew possible!
A classic beef stew recipe.
There’s just nothing quite as comforting as a big bowl of hearty beef stew, especially on a cold night or after a long busy day! This traditional beef stew recipe has tender chunks of beef, tender potatoes, carrots, onions and celery that have been slowly simmered in a rich and flavourful gravy. Just imagine a steaming bowl, and dipping fresh bread into the gravy. So good.
Prep Step
This recipe requires browning the beef, and sautéing the mirepoix (diced onions, garlic, carrots and celery) before adding it to the slow cooker. Doing these steps adds SO MUCH flavour to this stew, so don’t skip them!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe Tips
- BEEF: Use 2 inch cubes of beef stew meat (beef chuck, chuck roast).
- POTATOES: These are the best types: baby potatoes cut in half, red potatoes or yellow potatoes.
- TOMATO PASTE: Sometimes instead of tomato paste I will add leftover pasta sauce or pizza sauce instead. This ingredient is pretty flexible.
- BROWNING THE BEEF: This recipe requires browning the beef before adding it to the slow cooker. Browning beef adds SO MUCH flavour to this stew, so don’t skip this part. As you brown the beef, make sure that you are using enough oil. You don’t want the beef to stick and burn to the bottom of the pan. Add more as necessary.
- SCRAPE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN: When cooking the vegetable mix (mirepoix) after browning the beef, make sure to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan that are leftover from browning. This is what makes the stew gravy so flavourful!
- ADDING THE PEAS: 1 cup of frozen peas are added to the stew 10 minutes before the ending of the cooking time. You do not need to thaw them, just add the frozen peas, stir and let cook for about 10 more minutes.
- LEFTOVERS: Leftovers keep beautifully in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
FAQs
Serving Suggestion:
Serve with mashed potatoes (the stew gravy is amazing over mashed potatoes), and/or crusty bread like this homemade French bread.
Rich and Delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil (vegetable oil or olive oil)
- 2 lbs stew meat (beef chuck, chuck roast)
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrots, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup red wine (merlot or cabernet) (see notes for substitutions)
- 2 – 284 mL cans consommé (or 1 L beef broth)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste (see notes for alternatives)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Cut the 2 lbs stew meat into 1 inch chunks. Pat dry and set aside.
- In a large skillet warm up 3 tbsp oil.
- Then in a shallow bowl combine 1/2 tsp seasoning salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic salt1/4 cup all purpose flour. Mix well.
- Dredge the seasoned stew meat in the seasoned flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.
- Add the seasoned beef to the skillet and brown it in small batches (to avoid crowding).
- Repeat until all of the stew meat is browned. The meat is only to be browned, not cooked all the way through. If you need more oil, feel free to add it.
- When the meat is browned transfer it to a bowl or plate to rest, and set aside.
- In the same skillet that was used to brown the meat, if needed add 1 tbsp oil, and sauté: 1 large onion, diced 1 large carrots, diced1 celery stalk, diced; and 1 clove garlic, minced. Make sure to stir up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan (this is where all the good flavour comes from!)
- Now add the browned beef and sautéed mix to a slow cooker.
- Add 1/2 cup red wine (merlot or cabernet); 2 – 284 mL cans consommé; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 bay leaves. Mix well.
- Now add2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks, 1 large celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks and 3 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.5 hours. The stew is ready when the meat is tender and the veggies are cooked.
- About 10 minutes before the stew is done stir in 1 cup frozen peas.
- If once the stew is done cooking you find that the gravy is too liquidy, add 1-2 tbsp of kneaded butter. Kneaded butter is equal parts flour and butter, mixed into a paste. Stir that paste into the stew until the gravy thickens.
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I hope you love this easy beef stew recipe! From Our Tasty Kitchen to yours!
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