Slow Cooker Beef Stew

The slow cooker makes stew meat and vegetables fall apart tender. With rich, savory gravy, this hearty vegetable beef stew looks good, smells good, and tastes oh-so comforting.

Sometimes, I feel like real, down-home comfort food is a lost art. We get so busy as humans that we are constantly running around and going out to eat. And even as a food blogger, I am just as guilty as the next person. But there is something special about a meal made with fresh food, slow-cooked all day, and then spooned into a hearty, delicious dinner.

This crockpot beef stew is just that. Loaded with vegetables, it’s an old-fashioned throwback with a seasoned, thick gravy that just shines on mashed potatoes or white rice.

You should make this beef stew recipe if you love to fall apart tender beef, enjoy an all-in-one meal that requires no side dishes, love the low-key and ease of a slow cooker, and need a meal that makes you feel happy and full.

Ingredients

• vegetable oil
• For beef stew meat, I highly recommend cutting the pieces down to at least 1 inch so they fit comfortably on your spoon.
• all-purpose flour
• carrots, celery, onions, fresh mushrooms, and potatoes all cut into bite-sized pieces
• Worcestershire sauce
• minced garlic, paprika, salt, ground black pepper, and dried rosemary leaves
• beef broth

We also recommend that you serve your vegetable beef stew over mashed potatoes (the gravy over those mashed potatoes is just a chef’s kiss), white rice, or egg noodles.

• My choice to pair with hearty beef stew is to serve it over mashed potatoes, taking advantage of all that gravy.

What kind of beef is used in stew?

Before getting started, one of the first questions you may have is what kind of beef is best for stew. In our area, we simply purchase beef stew meat. Depending on your store, it should have some fat in it (after all, fat brings flavor) and is usually cut into large chunks.

The cut of beef in prepackaged beef stew meat can vary. It’s typically lower-quality beef like chuck, round, or randomly available trimmings.

Because the meat is slow-cooked, it is infused with all the herbs and flavors and then goes from tough to fall-apart tender. Slow cooking is one of my very favorite ways to spend less money on a dish with quality results.

Other beef recipes that use a slow cooker: slow cooker beef tips, slow cooker beef cube steak (one of my favorites), and our slow cooker chili recipe.

How to Make Vegetable Beef Stew in the Crockpot

Start by trimming any excess fat from your beef stew meat if necessary, and cut into smaller 1″ pieces if you find the store cuts too large. This ensures each piece is bite-sized and easy to eat.

Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef. Combine the flour, salt, and black pepper, and sprinkle over the beef, tossing to coat evenly.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is nicely browned on all sides. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

Move the browned beef into a slow cooker.

Add the chopped carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, and potatoes to the slow cooker.

The potatoes should be peeled and cut into small 1/2″ pieces to cook evenly.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, paprika, and dried rosemary to the mix.

Pour the beef broth over the ingredients in the slow cooker, ensuring everything is well-mixed. Cover and set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, depending on your timing needs.

Serve over mashed potatoes:

Once the stew is cooked and the beef is tender, spoon it over warm mashed potatoes (or rice or noodles).

What should I serve with beef stew?

I know it has carbs due to the potatoes, but having crusty garlic parmesan bread (made with French or Italian bread) is a total must for me.

Not only does it round out the meal as super filling, but bread is also perfect for sopping up all those last bits of gravy.

Can beef stew be frozen?

It can! First, let it cool down completely. Then, pour any leftovers into a zip-lock bag, flatten, and throw in the freezer. I recommend that you write the date on it so you know when you put it in there (if you are like me, you find things like a year later).

To cook at a later date, simply remove the mixture and leave it in the fridge to defrost. Then, pour it into a stovetop saucepan and heat slowly until warm.

More Beef Recipes

First, thank you for reading. If you made this beef stew, please come back and rate it and leave a comment with your feedback, suggestions, or changes. ❤️

Second, please find me on Pinterest so you can save all these recipes and connect with me.

Homemade Beefaroni

Cheesy Beef Tortellini

Cheesy Beef Tortilla Casserole

Beef Cabbage Soup