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Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew has lots of veggies, such carrots and potatoes, and a very tender chuck roast. The broth is well-seasoned, so it tastes great. This crockpot beef stew dish is excellent for family dinners after a long day of work.

I took my amazing original beef stew recipe, changed a few things, and put it in the crockpot. That’s how this slow cooker beef stew came to be. It’s incredibly good!
That’s saying a lot, as I don’t really like crockpots. The carrots and potatoes are soft but not mushy, and the flavor comes from garlic, beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, a few spices, and more. Not at all bland, which is what a lot of slow cooker dishes are. Whomp whomp.

You can have the beef stew by itself or with a lot of mashed potatoes on top. Just thinking about this dish makes my mouth water. This is the finest crockpot beef stew ever. You’re going to adore it!

Mary says:
“Made as written, with no alterations. This beef stew recipe is so good that I’m getting rid of all my other ones. I came home to a great lunch and feel really thankful.

This Slow Cooker Beef Stew is full of flavor and filling, with lots of vegetables, tender meat, and a broth that is beautifully seasoned. After a long day, this crockpot beef stew recipe will become a family supper favorite!

Time & Yield

15 minutes to be ready
8 hours of cooking time
Total Time: 8 hours and 15 minutes
8 servings
Slow cooker with a capacity of 6 quarts

Ingredients

2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds of beef chuck roast cut into pieces that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound of young new potatoes, cut in half
Four medium carrots, peeled and chopped into pieces that are 1/2 inch thick
1 big sweet onion, cut into little pieces
Three cloves of garlic, chopped up
2 cups of beef broth with little salt
1 cup of vegetable juice, such V8
Three teaspoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 sprig of fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme)
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
Two bay leaves
3 tablespoons of flour for all purposes
1/2 cup of frozen peas that have been thawed
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a big skillet over medium heat.
Add salt and pepper to the beef to taste. Put the meat in the pan and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is uniformly browned.
Put the beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker that holds 6 quarts.

Mix the beef broth, vegetable juice, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, paprika, and mustard seeds together in a basin until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Then pour it over the beef and veggies.
Add 2 bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
Put the lid on and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.
Mix the flour and 1/2 cup of stew stock in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add the ingredients to the slow cooker slowly. Cover and simmer on high heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
Add the peas in the last five minutes.
Throw away the thyme sprig and bay leaves.
Serve right away in bowls, and add parsley if you want.

What goes into this recipe for beef stew in a crockpot?

Here’s what you need to cook delicious beef stew in a crockpot.For the specific measurements, look at the recipe card below.

Meat & Vegetables

The best meat for beef stew is boneless beef chuck roast. It has a good combination of meat and fat, and it has a lot of connective tissue that breaks down after being cooked slowly all day, making it very soft.
Baby fresh potatoes, carrots, peas, onion, and garlic lend flavor, heartiness, texture, and color to the stew.

Liquids & Seasonings

Low-sodium beef broth, vegetable juice (such V8), and Worcestershire sauce are the main ingredients in the stew. They give it a lot of flavor. This crockpot beef stew recipe doesn’t call for red wine like my Irish beef stew does, but you could add it for an extra layer of flavor!
Tomato paste gives the base a deep tomato taste.
Flour— To make the gravy thicker. If you need to, you could use cornstarch instead.
Olive oil is used to fry the meat until it gets a golden crust before putting it in the slow cooker.
Seasonings: A mix of thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, mustard seeds, bay leaves, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper makes the meat and broth taste great!

How Long Should You Cook Beef Stew in a Slow Cooker?

If you want to thicken the broth, this recipe says to cook it on low for 7 to 8 hours and then add 30 more minutes. You can cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, but I don’t think you should. To get meat that is soft and falls apart, cook it low and slow.

How to make beef stew thicker in the slow cooker?

You can make a slurry if you want the liquid to be thicker like gravy. Whisk the flour and 1/2 cup of stew liquid together in a small bowl until they are smooth and well mixed. Add the ingredients to the slow cooker slowly. Cover and simmer on high heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Helpful Tips for Getting Ahead

If you cut the cubes of beef too small, they will fall apart before they can absorb up all the flavor from being cooked slowly all day.
First, brown the beef! It’s important to brown the beef first before adding the remaining ingredients. Making a good crust on all the pieces of meat keeps the flavor in. This extra step is really worth it!
You don’t have to peel baby fresh potatoes, but you can if you want to. You might wish to cut them into quarters if they are quite big.
You can use chicken broth instead of beef broth if that’s all you have, but the flavor won’t be as strong.

What to Eat with Beef Stew

This is a whole dinner in a bowl because it has a lot of meat and vegetables. You don’t need anything else, but it’s hard to resist serving it with mashed potatoes, fresh popovers, or Irish soda bread that just came out of the oven to soak up the gravy. A simple side salad might also make dinner complete.

How to Store Leftovers

Make sure you save enough stew for lunch the next day because it’s so excellent.

How long will beef stew be good?

Let the stew cool all the way down, then put it in airtight containers and keep it in the fridge for up to four days.

Is it okay to freeze beef stew?

You can freeze beef stew, but the vegetables will get softer and break down into smaller pieces when you thaw it. Leave a space of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in the container so that it can grow. It will last in the freezer for up to three months if you store it correctly. Wait to thicken the stew until you reheat it if you know ahead of time that you intend to freeze it.

Nutritional Information

The nutritional information is calculated automatically and may change depending on the specific ingredients you use and any adjustments you make to the recipe. If these numbers are really essential to you, I suggest that you figure them out yourself.