Slow Cooker Beef Stew

4.92 from 23 ratings

from kristineskitchenblog.com

Slow Cooker Beef Stew, with tender bites of beef and vegetables in a rich broth, is a family dinner favorite. This beef stew recipe is perfect for a weeknight or for Sunday dinner.

Prep Time35

Cook Time4

Total Time4 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 333kcal

Ingredients

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds boneless chuck roast cut into 1-inch cubes and trimmed of excess fat, or cubed beef stew meat
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
4 cups low sodium beef broth divided
3 ribs celery chopped
4 medium carrots cut into ¼-inch rounds or half rounds if large
1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes* about 4 medium, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

Place flour, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add the cubes of beef, seal the bag, and shake to coat the meat with the flour mixture. (Alternatively, you can place the beef, flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl and stir to coat the beef.)
Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pieces of beef in a single layer in the pan (brown the beef in two batches if necessary). Let the beef brown on the first side for about 4 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Stir in any remaining flour from the bag and then transfer the beef to a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
Add the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil and the onion to the pan. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Pour about ½ cup of the beef broth into the pan and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker.
Add the rest of the beef broth, celery, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, Italian seasoning and dried thyme to the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 3 ½-4 ½ hours, until the vegetables and meat are tender and cooked through.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve.

Video

Notes

Yukon gold potatoes or baby potatoes work best in this recipe because they hold their shape while cooking. Russet potatoes don’t work as well because they tend to fall apart more easily.
Use a 5 quart or larger slow cooker to ensure that the crockpot is not overfilled.
If desired, you can replace 1 cup of the beef broth with dry red wine. In step 5 of the recipe, instead of using 1/2 cup of beef broth to deglaze the pan, add 1 cup of red wine to the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Then reduce the amount of beef broth that you add to the slow cooker to 3 cups.
If you like peas in your beef stew, feel free to stir in some frozen peas after the stew is fully cooked, then slow cook for 10 minutes more to warm the peas.
Beef stew can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat beef stew, simmer it in a pot, covered, on the stove until it is heated through. You can also reheat beef stew in the microwave. Stir the stew occasionally as it reheats to help it heat evenly.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.