This hearty slow cooker beef stew is sure to become a favourite, so easy to prepare, packed full of flavour. An entire meal in one pot.
Busy households love this sort of meal, simply prepare the ingredients then throw it in the slow cooker and allow it to infuse all the flavour.
Cooking cheap cuts of meat is one of the highlights of using a slow cooker, the long and slow method of cooking allows for the tougher cuts of meat to become tender.
The moist heat of the slow cooker allows the tissue that binds the muscle fibres to soften allowing the meat to become tender and fall apart. With the temperature set to low this also means the meat is unlikely to become dry with the longer cooking time.
We love these all in one recipes, the hardest part is prepping your ingredients but that is no problem at all, especially if you know 15 minutes of prep now means dinner on the table tonight.
There is some conjecture as to whether you need to brown meat before using it in the slow cooker. You definitely do not have to, in some cases I like to as browning meat gives a lovely flavour to the final product.
It takes such little time to sear the meat, so if you have time then definitely do as caramelizing the meat gives a great flavour to the gravy!
I have used some vegetables in this to ensure it is a full meal, using carrot, potato and mushroom also adds to the flavour. Feel free to use what vegetables you like. If you choose to leave out the potato you can serve this on a lovely bed of mashed potato instead.
The ingredients for this one are pantry basics, I like to have these things on hand as they form the basics of so many slow cooker meals
Stock/Broth – Chicken, beef or vegetable
Onion & Garlic
WORCESTER Sauce
Herbs, Salt, Pepper
Tomato Paste
You will be surprised at just how many recipes you can create from those basics. They add such a lovely depth of flavour, you can amend the quantities depending on your tastes
You can see how I have used them in the following recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Slow Cooker Devilled Sausages
The smell of this one as it cooks through the day is just lovely. The cuts of meat you can use are chuck or blade steak, stewing steak, rump. Any of the really muscly cuts of meat make for a delicious stew, and of course are the more inexpensive so a win!
This is a recipe you can make in the slow cooker, I prefer it to be done long and slow 7-8 hours, or if you have an instant pot or multi cooker you can have this one done in as little as 35 minutes! See the methods for all of this below.
I finish mine off with a little cornflour and water, making this slurry thickens the sauce to give it a more gravy like appearance, you can add some peas or beans at this stage for extra flavour and colour.
Serve this dish with some crusty bread, on a cauliflower mash or on it’s own. This hearty Slow Cooker Beef stew should become a family favourite.
Onto the recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Delicious hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew, a lovely easy dinner idea, all in one pot.
Ingredients
- 900 grams Stewing Steak, chuck, rump, blade etc, diced into 2cm chunks, fat removed
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 to 1 Onion, finely diced
- 3 teaspoons Garlic, crushed
- 4 Carrots, peeled and diced into 2cm chunks
- 4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm chunks
- 250 grams Button Mushrooms, cleaned, diced into halves
- 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, dried
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary, dried
- 1 teaspoon Paprika Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Worcester Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 2 1/2 Cups Beef Stock or Broth, 625mls
To Serve
- 2 Tablespoons Cornflour
- 1 Cup Frozen Peas, 150 grams
- Parsley
Instructions
- Prepare all of the vegetables and beef and set aside
- Coat the beef in the salt & pepper
- In a frying pan add the olive oil and over a high heat brown the meat in batches until seared and caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside
- In a 6 litre slow cooker, add the seared meat, the onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms
- Then to this add the rosemary, thyme, paprika, Worcester sauce, tomato paste and pour over the beef stock.
- Stir well then cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4-5 hours (or 30 minutes in an Instant Pot on the meat/stew function see notes below)
- Once the meat is fall apart tender and the vegetables are cooked through remove half a cup of the liquid and add 2 tablespoons of cornflour or flour to this and mix together well. This thickens the gravy, if you prefer you can omit this step
- Pour the cornflour mixture back into the slow cooker and stir through.
- Add the peas and stir them into the mix for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the slow cooker and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve in bowls sprinkled with parsley and a side of crusty bread.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Can I make this in the Instant Pot or Multi Cooker?
Yes, This recipe is delicious and so quick in a multi cooker, you can even sear the meat in the first step directly in the instant pot. For completely fall apart meat and vegetables cook for 30 minutes on pressure cook. Allow the steam to release naturally then add the peas and cornflour as above and stir through. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Can I freeze this recipe?
This recipe freezes well. It makes several portions, so in order to freeze simply allow this to cool and store in portion sizes in the freezer. If you plan to freeze the entire stew do not thicken it with cornflour until you thaw and reheat it or it may separate.
Can I leave out or add ingredients?
Yes! Definitely. The basic ingredients add depth of flavour but if you have herbs you prefer then use those, if you want to add more or less vegetables then do!
Thank you so much for stopping by to check out this recipe and others on my blog. If you are not already be sure to follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more deliciousness
Happy Cooking!
Anna
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I love this recipe, I add a couple of herbs and whatever veggies are lying around to fill it out as suggested and it’s very toddler friendly. There are so many slow cooked stew recipes out there but I think this is a winner! Thank you 🙂
That’s so lovely to hear thank you ☺️ Anna
i mean instant pot 🙂
Yes, 30 minutes cooking time in an instant pot vs 8 hours in the slow cooker. It takes time to get to pressure so allow an hour total, including the natural release. Full details are in the recipe and notes.