Absolutely 🥩🍲 — Slow Cooker Beef Stew is the ultimate hands-off comfort food. Tender chunks of beef, hearty vegetables, and a rich, savory broth slowly cook to perfection in a slow cooker, giving you a deeply flavorful stew with minimal effort.
Here’s a detailed recipe:
🥩 Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients (Serves 6)
- 2 lbs beef stew meat (chuck or round), cut into 1–2 inch cubes
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine (optional, adds depth)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 3 medium potatoes, chopped
- 2–3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1–2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Optional: 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- Optional: 1–2 tsp smoked paprika or parsley for garnish
Instructions
1. Brown the Beef (Optional, but adds flavor)
- Toss beef cubes with flour, salt, and pepper.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown beef on all sides (about 2–3 minutes per side). Remove and set aside.
2. Sauté Aromatics
- In the same skillet, sauté onion and garlic for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
3. Assemble in Slow Cooker
- Add beef, onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, celery, and optional mushrooms to the slow cooker.
- Stir in beef broth, red wine (if using), tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Mix well to combine.
4. Cook
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until beef is tender and vegetables are cooked through.
5. Finish
- Remove bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Optionally sprinkle with parsley or smoked paprika before serving.
6. Serve
- Serve hot with crusty bread, over mashed potatoes, or on its own for a hearty meal.
🔥 Tips & Variations
- Thicker stew: Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water and stir in during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Extra flavor: Add a splash of soy sauce or balsamic vinegar to enhance depth.
- Vegetable variations: Add parsnips, turnips, or peas during the last hour of cooking.
- Make-ahead: Can be made a day in advance; flavors improve overnight.
- Slow cooker hack: If you want caramelized flavor, brown the beef and sauté onions in a skillet first.
If you want, I can give a “gourmet slow cooker beef stew” version where the broth is ultra-rich, deeply flavored, with perfectly tender beef and caramelized vegetables, almost like restaurant-level stew 😏.
Do you want me to do that version?
