Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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Everyone’s favorite cozy beef stew made in the crockpot! The meat is SO TENDER and the stew is rich, chunky + hearty!
There is truly nothing more comforting than a hearty beef stew on a cold, cold night. And it’s even better when it’s been simmering low and slow in your crockpot for the last 7-8 hours.
Aside from searing your stew meat to give it that really nice caramelized flavor, this recipe requires zero babysitting (thank you, slow cooker!). All you need to prep is your crusty bread for dipping, a glass of red wine, and a side salad to round out your meal.
If you are short on time, there is a stovetop and an Instant Pot version also available.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
- 4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Season beef with salt and pepper, to taste. Add beef to the skillet and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- Place beef, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, paprika, caraway seeds and bay leaves until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup stew broth. Stir in flour mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened.*
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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It was good! We’d make it again.
I’ve made this twice now, very tasty, and super easy to make. The last time I made it I added cauliflower tabouli, it was very complimentary. I love hot and cold food combinations.
I generally don’t like beef stew and decided to try this due to the high ratings/reviews. They were right! This was phenomenal and even my mom, who can’t be pleased, liked it. Mine came out more soupy, which I prefer. I’ll definitely be making this again.
During the quarantine, I become excited about cooking. I can’t wait to try this at home for the upcoming weekend.
Came out delicious!!
Any of you seared the meat the night before and threw everything in the crockpot and stuck that in the fridge until the morning? Trying to make it easier before I go to work and can have something yummy to eat when I get home.
Best beef stew EVARR!! Okay seriously this was so very good. I followed the recipe almost to the letter. Had all the herbs and seasonings except the caraway seeds. We’ve got a bay tree in the backyard so I used extra fresh leaves. I substituted baby chat potatoes and slow cooked for a total of five hours on high. Perfect! Will definitely be making this again soon. Thanks heaps!
I used organic beef and put extra potatoes and cabbage after seeing the comment about the latter. Took 12-15hrs in slow cooker to be tender, probably due to using organic meat. Worth the wait, super yummy. Thank you!
Why is flour added at nearly the end? Also, it looks more like a soup at the end, not like a stew…
Forgot to add, I opened the lid a lot so it probably extended cooking time. No flour added as I’m gluten free and like it more soupy!
Scrumptious! … Double Scrumptious !! Made this yesterday in my Crock Pot … WOW !!! So i started by reading the recipe through first, seasoned my meat to taste with salt and pepper and other spices to taste … or by eye … I just have a feel for how much to use from cooking. WOW what a tasty stew. I pretty much followed the recipe as written, i added just a few spoons of flour at the end to thicken … i added some juice from the stew to the flour in a ramekin first, when smooth i added it to the Crock Pot. I may add some peas or green beans for added color. This is a very flavorful recipe …. will definitely make this again. This is keeper !!!
I used the neighbor that I had down in my well for a few weeks instead of the beef. Best stew I’ve had in years. He was very tender and only took a few hours to marinate. I got a deal with a food packaging company and have given them this stew for the world to try muahahahahhaha
Did you substitute beans for the potatoes and what kind of wine do you recommend?
I am certain that he would rcommend a nice chianti!!!!!!!! 😉
Hahahahahaha Hannibal!
I must say, that was refreshing to read! Thanks for the laugh!
How does this recipe freeze after cooking?
I am NOT a cook, and this is the first stew I’ve ever made! It was delicious – the meat is so tender! I also added a can each of mushrooms and stewed tomatoes. Only things I didn’t add were the paprika and bay leaves, and because of COVID I couldn’t get flour so I used a gravy powder packet instead. I then served it over rice. The best part is it will last me ten meals, so my freezer is now stocked with easy meals. Thanks so much!
Very nice. We added some bacon (as we were a bit short of the beef) and served it with rick. Everyone in the family loved it. We will definitely make it again.
Very enjoyable
Easy and delicious!
This was so easy and so delicious.
I just added 1 tsp of curry powder for my taste
Made this and added a bag of frozen mixed veges, damn good!
Easy to make and delicious. I think this will be my go to beef stew recipe. I made dumplings and added to the top. Lovely!
Enjoyed by all including the fussy 3 year old. What better accolade is there?
OMG OMG OMG this is the best slow cooker beef stew recipe ever, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and the spices made it taste so lovely, I cook this at least once a week now, absolutely beautiful, thank you so much, AAA+RATED
I so agree!!!
Honestly SO GOOD. I’ve made this twice now – but the second time around I cooked off a cup of red wine and added it in. When it was nearly done, I added Maggi gravy powder instead of the flour. WOW! Recommend those two additions for sure! Will definitely keep making this one.
If I wanted to serve this with mash potatoes instead of putting them in the slow cooker, would I need to reduce the amount of stock so it isn’t too runny?
Kids loved it! Very tasty and simple. Almost had no leftovers! Thanks for the recipe!