Slow Cooker Beef Stew: The Ultimate Comfort Food
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.
Equipment
- 1 long wooden spoon
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)
- 3¼ 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:
- Crusty bread for soaking up the rich sauce.
- A green salad like my favorite, Best Ever Side Salad
- Whip up a batch of Air Fryer Green Beans or Oven Roasted Veggies to dial up the vegetable factor.
- Fresh fruit
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
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