Beef Stew Crock Pot Recipe

How To Thicken Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Once the stew is done, if its too watery, add a cornstarch slurry to the crock pot to thicken beef stew. To make the corn starch slurry, I combine approximately ¼ cup of cold water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Then stir this mixture into the beef stew, cover and cook on high for 30 minutes to thicken the stew. Then serve the thickened beef stew over your favorite corn bread and enjoy!

Also, this recipe can be made in an electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe is perfect for when you forget to throw the ingredients in the crock pot that morning.

Tips For Making The Best Beef Stew

• Sear your beef beforehand. This is important! Browning the beef in a skillet beforehand will bring out even more flavor.
• Cook it on low. While many slow cooker recipes can be made on high for 3-4 hours, I highly recommend cooking this beef stew on low for the full 7-8 hours. This will ensure that the beef gets nice and tender.
• Thicken your stew properly. When its time to add your flour to thicken the beef stew, remove 1 cup of beef broth from the slow cooker and add it to a bowl. Youll then whisk in ¼ cup flour until there arent any lumps, add back to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Be sure you dont add flour straight to the slow cooker as it will become lumpy.

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Everyones favorite comforting beef stew made easily in the crockpot! The meat is SO TENDER and the stew is rich, chunky and hearty!

We had another heat wave in LA again. And when I say heat wave, I mean its 95 degrees. In the beginning of October, of course.

Then it was 55 the next day. The following week, it was 98.

Still. You know I made this beef stew when it was in the high 90s, not when it was our one day of winter.

But fortunately for my slow cooker, I barely had to lift a finger. I just ate this piping hot bowl of comforting stew with the AC on my face.

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Bread To Go With Beef Stew

Beef stew really is a great all in one pot meal. That said, I do like to serve it with a delicious bread or roll on the side. Ive got some great breads to go with beef stew for you.

• Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls are absolutely perfect to pair with this recipe.
• My Jiffy Cornbread recipe, when paired with this stew, is the ultimate in comfort food!

How To Make Beef Stew In Slow Cooker

Its really easy to make this beef stew crock pot recipe! Heres a brief rundown of steps.

How long to cook beef stew in slow cooker? This recipe calls for 7-8 hours on low and then an additional 30 minutes if youre thickening the broth. While you can cook on high for 3-4 hours, I do not recommend it. Low and slow is the way to go to achieve tender, fall-apart meat and deep flavors!

How to thicken a beef stew in slow cooker? If you want the liquid to be more like a gravy, youll create a slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup stew broth until combined and smooth. Slowly stir the mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened.

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Slow Cooker Beef Stew Ingredients:

Ingredients for this beef stew are hearty and filling.

• Stew Meat The best meat for this stew is chuck steak. I like finding the stew meat that is already cut up, and it will specifically say on the package stew meat.
• Frozen Green Beans You can also use frozen peas.
• Whole Carrots Chopped in bite size pieces. You can also use the baby carrots.
• Russet Potatoes Cut in small pieces. You can also use red potatoes or yukon gold potatoes.
• Onion, chopped You can chop these onions in smaller pieces or larger slices. It is up to you. My kids prefer that they are cut in smaller pieces.
• Bay Leaves
• Crushed Tomatoes You can also stew tomatoes as well. Use what you have.
• Water
• Worcestershire Sauce This adds a some extra flavor. You can always omit this ingredient if you dont have any.

That is all you need to make this delicious and easy crock pot beef stew.

What To Serve With Beef Stew:

I love serving this delicious and easy beef stew recipe with my easy cornbread recipe. This recipe is simple to throw together in no time at all. There is nothing better than serving a perfect beef stew over a piece of cornbread.

I love cornbread so I have more than just one recipe.

Here are some other delicious and easy cornbread recipes that you can make to go with this stew recipe.

However, if youre not a fan of cornbread, this would also be delicious served with homemade dinner rolls or these delicious Kings Hawaiian Rolls.

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Tools For This Recipe

– Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

• Kitchen tongs make it really easy to delicately handle the meat to place it into the pot for searing it and to remove it afterward.
• I have this Crock Pot which allows you to sear meat right on the stove-top. It also automatically switches to warm once the cooking time is up.
• Kitchen Bouquet Browning + Seasoning Sauce – Adds an even richer darker color.

Best Meat For Beef Stew

While you can buy pre-cut stew beef its not usually the choice I go with. In general tough cuts of beef with plenty of collagen are ideal for beef stew. These are often found from either the front shoulder or the rear end. A bonus is that these are often less expensive cuts of beef.

The goal with beef stew is to find flavorful cuts of meat that are tender, juicy and melt in your mouth after cooking. To achieve this, the right cut of beef combined with slow and low heat is key.

Here are a few good choices for meat:

• Chuck, Chuck Shoulder, Chuck Roast, Top Chuck
• Bottom Round Roast, Bottom Eye Roast, Rump Roast, Top Round, Round Tip Roast
• Pot Roast, Beef Shank, Boneless Beef Short Ribs

My go to is typically chuck, but if another one of the cuts is on sale, I wont hesitate to go with it.

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Slow Cooker Beef Stew Ingredients

Heres what youll need!

• Meat beef chuck roast
• Veggies baby new potatoes, carrots, peas, onion, and garlic
• Seasonings thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, mustard seeds, bay leaves, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper
• Liquids low sodium beef broth, vegetable juice , Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste
• Other extra-virgin olive oil to sauté the meat and flour to thicken the gravy

How To Make A Beef Stew With More Depth Of Flavor

These few simple tips will go a long way in creating the most flavorful and delicious slow cooker beef stew. You dont have to use these tips, but I highly recommend them if you want to enhance your stew.

• Add in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the broth while cooking.
• Dont skip the Worcestershire sauce.
• Substitute a little red wine for the beef broth .
• Try using beef consume or beef stock in place of the beef broth. Makes a big difference!
• Taste as you go and add salt as needed.

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Why You Should Make This Country Beef Stew In The Slow Cooker

• Easy: Slow cooker recipes are known for being so easy without a lot of extra work! If youre needing to make sure dinner is prepared by the time you get home from work or school, then throw everything in the Crockpot at the beginning of the day so it will be ready just in time for dinner.
• Filled with Savory Flavors: Rich and savory flavors from garlic, sautéed beef, fennel, onions, and seasoning are simmered with the broth and make this Crockpot stew so delicious. The beef absorbs all of the flavors and gets loaded with flavor!
• Healthy: Gluten-free and made with whole ingredients with additions of some carrots and potatoes, this recipe is a great option for whenever you are wanting something meaty but with some nutrients from fresh produce.
• Freezer-Friendly: Have a lot of leftovers left? Dont worry! Freeze a large batch of this soup to save for a day whenever youre just wanting to defrost and reheat. Great for meal planning!

Why This Recipe Works

This recipe for crockpot beef stew has fresh vegetables, lots of seasonings, and a touch of tomato paste for a smooth tomato flavor.

The stew is thick, for the beef is coated in flour, which helps thicken the gravy. Browning the meat adds a rich flavor to the stew. Though this recipe has a few steps, you will have grandma-made traditional beef stew at the end of the day.

This recipe will not disappoint you, it is full of great flavor, and its nice and thick. This easy beef stew recipe reminds me of a perfect comfort food pot roast dinner, with everything chopped to the perfect size, with gravy on it!

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Slow Cooker Beef Stew

cook time:8 hours 35 minutes

total time:8 hours 50 minutes

Everyones favorite comforting beef stew made easily in the crockpot! The meat is SO TENDER and the stew is rich, chunky and hearty!

• 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
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

About Crock Pot Beef Stew

If youre searching for an easy, hearty meal that will warm you up on a cold day, look no further than a big, flavorful bowl of beef stew.

And since this stew is made in a crock pot, its perfect for novice cooks: the slow cooker does all the work for you. All you need is time for it to cook, and once you make it to the end, youre rewarded with a delicious stew thats perfect as an appetizer, dinner, or a comforting snack.

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Ingredients In Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This easy slow cooker beef stew recipe is filled with savory flavors, hearty potatoes and veggies to make it filling and delicious. Heres what youll need to make it:

• Beef chuck: youll need about 3 pounds of beef chuck, which will end up about 2 1/2 pounds once you trim the excess fat off.
• Beef broth: you can use beef broth or beef bone broth in this recipe.
• Dry red wine: my recommendations are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
• Tomato paste: youll use some tomato paste to help thicken the broth and to give it a nice tang of sweetness.
• Worcestershire: the wonderful addition of Worcestershire gives this beef stew recipe an incredible savory umami flavor.
• Balsamic vinegar: helps to give the beef stew a little tang and sweetness.
• Fresh herbs: both garlic and thyme are used!
• Vegetables: onions, carrots, potatoes and peas are forever my favorite.
• Flour: this helps to thicken the stew once its done. You can use regular, whole wheat or gluten free all purpose flour.

Do You Have To Brown Stew Meat Before Putting It In The Crock Pot

The meat does not need to be browned before its added to the slow cooker. Some people think that coating the stew meat in a flour mixture and browning it before adding it to the crock pot adds a flavor to the stew and the flour thickens the sauce.

I have tried it both ways and I dont think its worth the time and dishes that it takes to brown the meat before adding it to the crock pot, so I skip this step.

If you have a multi-cooker slow cooker that works as a stove top and crock pot than it would be easy to brown the meat on the sauté setting, then add in the other ingredients after you have browned the beef and switch it to the slow cooker setting.

I have a few of these multi-cookers and I love them.

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Storing & Freezing Tips

• To store: store any leftover crock pot beef stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop.
• To freeze: let the beef stew cool completely, transfer it to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the slow cooker beef stew thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating it in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Dessert To Go With Beef Stew

Crock Pot Beef stew is such an earthy and hearty meal, that you can get away without serving dessert. But we all know dessert makes every meal better! Here are some great desserts to serve with beef stew

• My Easy Apple Crisp is a fabulous comfort food dessert to serve after beef stew.
• Berry Crumble Bars are a delicious way to finish off the meal. Added bonus, these are easy to make ahead of time!
• If you are serving your beef stew during the holidays, a small slice of pecan pie would be a sweet way to go.
• Chocolate more your style? My Easy Brownies made with cocoa powder always get rave reviews.
• Each of these four desserts would be best served with a scoop of ice cream. Barefeet In The Kitchen has the best, and easiest, homemade ice cream recipe.

I hope your family enjoys this delicious Beef Stew Crockpot meal as much as mine does! If youd like more great recipes like this, make sure to !

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The Best Crock Pot Beef Stew

I have been working a lot of hours. And, an unusual amount of those hours have been outside of the house. That means while I might be scheduling the menu, tweaking recipes, doing the grocery shopping, taking the photos and editing and posting the recipes, not every recipe on here or GOODEness Gracious are always made by me. Ya see, we only post what we eat for dinner and sometimes especially these days Puddie is doing the cooking so the family can eat at a decent hour. And so goes the story of the best Crock Pot Beef Stew that I never made . I had been wanting to try this recipe for ages.

Only I made notes that instead of tapioca, I wanted to switch out barley and also switch out the cocktail veggie juice for my favorite Tomato Juice. I did the shopping, I did the meal planning. But once again, I was away in meetings and I popped a text to Puddie to toss everything in the slow cooker so it would be ready in time for dinner.

Everyone is going crazy over the amazing stew. Such complex flavor! The beef is sooo tender. Oh the barley was the perfect add!

And then I pipe up without thinking and with all seriousness and say,This is incredible! I do believe this is the BEST Beef Stew I have ever made!

My husband looks at me like I had done lost my mind.

No, Im serious honey, this stew is fantastic, I say, trying to convince him. I mean what stew is he eating? This stuff was killer good!

You think it is the best stew YOU have ever made, huh?

Honey, I made the stew.

Do You Need To Sear The Beef

While this is a crock pot recipe, it is recommended that you sear the beef in a hot skillet first. This helps remove any excess fat and gives the beef a beautiful brown color and crust that helps preserve all the natural juices and flavors while in the crock pot.

That being said, searing the beef is technically an optional step you can skip it if you really want to or are pressed for time, but keep in mind the impact itll have on the finished stew.

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Make Ahead Tips For The Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• Cut up beef, onions, carrots, celery and garlic the night before cooking . This will give you a huge head start the following morning because this recipe does have a lot of prep work.
• You could also measure out and whisk together the beef broth mixture then just have it ready to pour into the skillet the next day.

Notes & Tips For Beef Stew

• When picking your vegetables, feel free to substitute, omit, increase, or decrease the amounts used. The vegetables do add their own texture and flavor, but its more important that you like the combination used as opposed to using the exact melody of flavors listed in this recipe. For instance, Im not always in the mood for mushrooms, so Ill leave those out and increase the amounts of carrots or green beans to make up for it.

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