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Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food

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Take it from this Minnesota Mom, surviving crazy weeknights in the dead of winter requires warm, stick to your ribs suppers, that warm you from the inside out. This Slow Cooker Beef Stew is the ultimate comfort food, and it does just that. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food in a bowl with a white cloth napkin, copper spoon and sliced bread.

Why make Beef Stew?

As a busy mom, I know how crazy weeknights can get. Between school pick-ups, multiple sports practices, youth group, work and laundry, sometimes dinner can feel like an impossible task. This easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe is one of my oldest recipes, and my favorite trick to pull out of my back pocket on cold nights. 

It’s hearty, kid-approved, and packed with tender beef, soft potatoes, veggies and rich, savory flavors.  It’s made with simple ingredients that I typically have on hand in my kitchen, plus, I throw it all together in the morning and let my trusty slow cooker do the heavy lifting while I handle everything else in my day.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Beef stew meat (or beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • Salt and black pepper 
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced (take a shortcut and use this)
  • Beef broth( I like this brand and this brand)
  • 1/2 large yellow onion
  • Mini Yukon gold potatoes (or red potatoes, quartered)
  • Carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces
  • Peas, frozen
  • Tomato paste
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Corn starch (optional)

Instructions

This first step is optional, but SO worth it to lock flavor into your meat and give it that perfect, tender consistency that you can cut with a spoon. Grab a large skillet or fry pan and drizzle 2T of olive oil over med-high heat.  Pat your beef stew meat dry with a paper towel (this helps it get a nice sear), then season generously with salt and black pepper. Sear the meat in batches, cooking for about 2-3 minutes per side until browned. This extra step is recommended, but can be skipped if you’re short on time.

Transfer meat to your slow cooker. Pour 1/4 c beef broth and the minced garlic into the hot skillet and simmer for 1 minute while stirring.  Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape all of the flavor bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour into crockpot over top of the meat.  

Grab a 1lb bag of mini Yukon gold potatoes and rinse with a fruit and veggie wash (optional) and water. Since we are going to leave the skin on the potatoes, I like to scrub with a soft brush like this to make sure I get all remnants of dirt off potatoes. Cut each potato into quarters and drop into the pot with the seared beef. 

Peal 6 carrots and slice into coin shapes roughly 1/2″ thick. Add to slow cooker along with 6oz tomato paste and 1T Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the remaining 3 cups of beef broth and give everything a good stir to combine.

My husband doesn’t care for chunks of onion in his food, but I definitely don’t want to lose that flavor, so my hack is to simply place half of a peeled onion in the center of my slow cooker, and let its flavor meld into the stew as it cooks. Note: if you don’t mind onion, go ahead and simply dice it up and drop it into the crock pot with everything else. 

Add 3 bay leaves into the pot (I like to spread them out a bit in different corners), and place lid on top.

add onion and bay leaves to crockpot

Set your slow cooker to low heat and cook for 7-8 hours, or on high heat for 4-5 hours

​About 10 minutes before serving, open the lid and remove the onion and the bay leaves. Stir in 1 cup of frozen peas. The heat will warm them up quickly without making them mushy. 

Take a peak at the amount of liquid in your stew. If you want to thicken it up, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a medium bowl. Stir the slurry into the stew. This will give it a thicker, gravy like consistency to your stew. If you prefer it to be more broth like, you can skip this step. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food in slow cooker

​Ladle into bowls. I like to serve with crusty bread and butter for dipping

two bowls of Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food with a white cloth napkin and sliced bread.

What to Serve with Beef Stew

Beef stew is a complete meal on its own, but it’s even better with a few simple sides. Here are some great options:

How to Store Leftovers

Store beef stew in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.

How to Freeze Leftover Beef Stew

You can also freeze leftovers for a quick meal at a later date.  Allow the stew to cool completely to room temperature before transferring it to freezer-safe containers or resealable bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Check out my tips and tricks for freezing here. 

Beef Stew Cooking Tips:

  • Choose your potatoes carefully as some varieties break down and get mushy during the cooking process. Yukon golds, red potatoes or fingerling all work well in this recipe and can be eaten with skin on.
  • Use the tomato paste. I’ve had some people ask if they could substitute a dry red wine instead, but the tomato paste adds a rich depth of flavor that can’t really be duplicated by another ingredient. 
  • When you add the veggies is important. Since carrots take a while to soften, add those at the beginning. Stir in frozen peas or during the last 10 minutes of cook time. I find that peas get very mushy quickly in the slow cooker, so I like to toss them in right at the end so they are warm, but still firm.

FAQ

I don’t have a slow cooker, can I make this another way? 

Yes! This recipe also works great in a Dutch Oven. Start the process of searing, etc on the stove top. Then once all of your ingredients are added, transfer to an oven (set at a low temp like 325 degrees) for 2 hours to let the meat and vegetables cook slowly. 

Can I use Russet Potatoes in this stew?

No. Russet potatoes are not good stew potatoes. They break down too quickly in the heat and become mush in your dish. You want to use “waxy potatoes” in a slow cooker meal as they have a lower starch content, so they will hold their shape better while cooking. Red, Fingerling and Yukon Gold are all waxy potatoes. 

Can I serve mashed potatoes as a side dish with stew? 

Oh you can for sure play with the way you serve this stew. A fun twist could be to leave the potatoes out of the stew, and then serve it over mashed potatoes instead. Or try serving it over egg noodles or rice. 

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Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food in a bowl with a white cloth napkin, copper spoon and sliced bread.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food

Liz @ Up North Nosh
Take it from this Minnesota Mom, surviving crazy weeknights in the dead of winter requires warm, stick to your ribs suppers that warm you from the inside out. This Slow Cooker Beef Stew is the ultimate comfort food, and it does just that. 
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 428 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs Beef stew meat (or beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes)
  • salt and black pepper
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic (take a shortcut and use this)
  • cups beef broth, divided I like this brand and this brand
  • ½ yellow onion
  • 1 lb mini Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 6 carrots
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 T corn starch

Instructions
 

  • This first step is optional, but SO worth it to lock flavor into your meat and give it that perfect, tender consistency that you can cut with a spoon. Grab a large skillet or fry pan and drizzle 2 T of olive oil over med-high heat.  Pat your beef stew meat dry with a paper towel (this helps it get a nice sear), then season generously with salt and black pepper. Sear the meat in batches, cooking for about 2-3 minutes per side until browned. This extra step is recommended, but can be skipped if you’re short on time.
  • Transfer meat to you slow cooker.  Pour 1/4 c beef broth and the minced garlic into the hot skillet and simmer for 1 minute while stirring.  Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape all of the flavor bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour into crockpot over top of the meat.  
  • Grab a 1lb bag of mini Yukon gold potatoes and rinse with a fruit and veggie wash (optional) and water. Since we are going to leave the skin on the potatoes, I like to scrub with a soft brush like this to make sure I get all remnants of dirt off potatoes. Cut each potato into quarters and drop into the pot with the seared beef. 
  • Peal 6 carrots and slice into coin shapes roughly 1/2" thick. Add to slow cooker along with 6oz tomato paste and 1T worcestershire sauce. Pour in the remaining 3 cups of beef broth and give everything a good stir to combine.
  • My husband doesn't care for chunks of onion in his food, but I definitely don't want to lose that flavor, so my hack is to simply place half of a peeled onion in the center of my slow cooker, and let its flavor meld into the stew as it cooks. Note: if you don't mind onion, go ahead and simply dice it up and drop it into the crock pot with everything else. 
  • Add 3 bay leaves into the pot (I like to spread them out a bit in different corners), and place lid on top.
  • Set your slow cooker to low heat and cook for 7-8 hours, or on high heat for 4-5 hours
  • About 10 minutes before serving, open the lid and remove the onion and the bay leaves. Stir in 1 cup of frozen peas. The heat will warm them up quickly without making them mushy. 
  • Take a peak at the amount of liquid in your stew. If you want to thicken it up, make a cornstarch slurry by whisking 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a medium bowl. Stir the slurry into the stew. This will give it a thicker, gravy like consistency to your stew. If you prefer it to be more broth like, you can skip this step.
  • ​Ladle into bowls. I like to serve with crusty bread and butte.

Notes

Store beef stew in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Serve with:
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Nutrition

Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 34gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 915mgPotassium: 1420mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 10650IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 5mg
Keyword beef, comfort food, crockpot, meal prep, slow cooker, stew, weeknight meal, winter recipe
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