This classic slow cooker beef stew is so easy to prepare and simmers away while you get on with other things. It's so comforting and better yet it's made all in one pot!
This classic Farmhouse Slow Cooker Beef Stew is an easy one pot meal that simmers on the counter all day while you go about your busy schedule. At the end of a chilly evening, it’s a nutritious and satisfying dinner that the entire family will love!
There are a handful of recipes that totally remind me of my childhood, and this Slow Cooker Beef Stew is definitely one of them. My mom is an amazing cook, and her Beef Stew is a signature dish. The smell of it cooking is enough to send me back to age 8!
How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
When multiple readers requested a recipe for Crock Pot Beef Stew over the past few months, I decided to pull out Mom’s old-fashioned easy beef stew recipe and adapt it for the slow cooker.
Ingredients – What You Need:
- Stewing beef
- Flour
- Onions
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Red wine
- Condensed tomato soup
- Paprika
- Marjoram
- Peas
Do you need to brown the beef before putting it in the slow cooker?
I basically kept Mom’s recipe the same, with one exception. Mom doesn’t usually brown the beef before adding the rest of the ingredients to the pot. You can certainly skip that step in my recipe too, but giving the meat a nice sear in the skillet first is an extra step that is well worth the time. It gives the beef a rich flavor and color that you wouldn’t otherwise get if you just tossed everything into the slow cooker at once.
Once the beef is browned, transfer the meat to the Crock Pot. Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the peas), cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4 hours. It’s done when the beef is fall-apart tender!
What to serve with Beef Stew:
Thanks to the protein, starch and veggies in this dish, you have an easy one pot meal that doesn’t require any additional sides. That said, here are a few easy options that go well with beef stew:
- Crusty bread or dinner rolls
- Cornbread or Corn Muffins
- Mashed Potatoes
- Rice
- Salad tossed with Buttermilk Dressing
- Roasted Broccoli
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- This is a slow cooker beef stew with red wine. The wine gives the dish so much rich flavor; however, if you want to prepare an alcohol-free recipe, simply replace the wine with an extra cup of beef broth.
- Can you freeze beef stew? Yes! We always freeze the leftover beef stew. It holds up very well in the freezer, but just be aware that the texture of the potatoes might change a little bit after they have been frozen. They tend to be a bit mushy when thawed.
- I use stewing beef that I purchase pre-diced from the store. If you can’t find the diced stewing beef, you can dice your own chuck roast, brisket, bottom round or eye round.
If you’re looking for an easy dinner that you can throw together in advance and then go about your busy day, this is the solution! My Slow Cooker Beef Stew is loaded with vegetables, tender potatoes, and hearty meat for a flavorful, comfort food supper that will warm you from the inside out!
More stew recipes that you might enjoy:
- Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
- Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Stew
- Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew
- Aunt Bee’s Dump and Bake Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This classic slow cooker beef stew is so easy to prepare and simmers away while you get on with other things. It's so comforting and better yet it's made all in one pot!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless stewing beef, cut into 1-2-inch chunks
- 1/3 cup flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4-5 tablespoons mild oil (such as canola)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup (NOT diluted)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 16 ounces frozen peas
Instructions
-
Place beef in a large Ziploc bag. Add flour, plus a dash of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and toss so that the beef chunks are coated in flour.
-
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), brown the beef on both sides until the chunks turn a rich color (about 8 minutes). You will probably need to do this in 2 or 3 batches so that the pan isn’t too crowded. Add more oil to the pan, as needed, with each batch.
-
Place the beef and the remaining ingredients (EXCEPT for the peas) in the slow cooker.
-
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4 hours, until the beef and vegetables are tender. During the final 5 minutes, stir in the peas and continue cooking until heated through. This way the peas will stay green rather than turning mushy and brown.
-
Remove the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper (to taste), and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- This is a slow cooker beef stew with red wine. The wine gives the dish so much rich flavor; however, if you want to prepare an alcohol-free recipe, simply replace the wine with an extra cup of beef broth.
- Can you freeze beef stew? Yes! We always freeze the leftover beef stew. It holds up very well in the freezer, but just be aware that the texture of the potatoes might change a little bit after they have been frozen. They tend to be a bit mushy when thawed.
- I use stewing beef that I purchase pre-diced from the store. If you can't find the diced stewing beef, you can dice your own chuck roast, brisket, bottom round or eye round.
- You can stir in additional water or beef broth as the stew cooks to reach your desired consistency.
This reminds me of my childhood, too. One of my favorite comfort foods! Your version sounds delicious, Blair! I love that it’s made in the slow cooker and with hearty ingredients. I need to try this, and soon!
Thank you, Gayle! I swear that comfort food from our childhood always tastes best!
Oh wow, that looks absolutely fabulous, bursting with root veggies and fall comfort!
Thank you so much! It’s definitely fall comfort food! 🙂
This is one of the best beef stews I have ever tasted. It is so delicious, healthy and easy to prepare. I am making another batch on Sunday for some guests. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked it as much as we do, Sheila! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I love this time of year so I can eat stews like this, I like the trick of adding tomato soup that must add a lot of flavour. Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, Emily! I love soup and stew season, too!
I haven’t actually made this recipe just yet, but I just know it will be fabulous. I do have a couple of questions. I am not an experienced wine drinker, plus the wines that I do enjoy are sweet wines. I understand that while the dish is cooking the alcohol will evaporate. I do not like to drink dry or extra dry wines. To me it sounds like a bad idea to add a sweet, or very sweet wine to Beef Stew. Could or would you recommend a wine for this recipe? Preferably, an inexpensive wine. If you can’t recommend a wine, could you give me some advice on what type of wine I need to look for?? I really want to try this recipe and follow it as close as possible Thank You!
Hi, Judy! I would recommend a pinot noir, syrah/shiraz, a =burgundy, or a cabernet. If you look in the alcohol section at the grocery store, they usually sell mini bottles of red and white wines in a 4-pack, which are perfect for cooking. They’re decent quality drinking wines, but they’re not too expensive because you don’t have to open a whole big bottle of red wine if you don’t plan to drink it all. You can just use the little bottle for the recipe and not have as much waste. Hope that helps!