Here’s a classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe—hearty, tender, and perfect for set-it-and-forget-it comfort food. Using a slow cooker makes the beef melt-in-your-mouth and the vegetables full of flavor.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
- 2 lbs (900 g) beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 medium carrots, sliced
- 3 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2–3 tbsp all-purpose flour (for thickening)
- Optional: 1 cup frozen peas (added at the end)
Instructions
- Prep the beef
- Lightly coat beef cubes in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. This helps thicken the stew later.
- Layer ingredients in slow cooker
- Place beef in the slow cooker first, then add carrots, potatoes, onion, and garlic.
- Stir in tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and beef broth.
- Cook
- Cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 4–5 hours, until beef and vegetables are tender.
- Optional: thicken
- If stew is too thin, mix 1–2 tbsp flour or cornstarch with a little cold water, then stir into stew. Cook on high for another 15–20 minutes to thicken.
- Add final touches
- Stir in frozen peas 5–10 minutes before serving if desired.
- Remove bay leaves, taste, and adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve
- Serve hot with bread, rice, or mashed potatoes.
Tips
- For extra flavor, brown the beef in a skillet first before adding to the slow cooker.
- You can use leftover stew meat or cheaper cuts, as slow cooking makes them tender.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day after flavors meld.
If you want, I can give a super-easy 4-ingredient slow cooker beef stew that’s ready in under 6 hours and still deliciously rich.
Do you want me to do that?
