Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew (Printable)

Hearty stew with tender beef, carrots, potatoes, and vegetables simmered slowly in rich beef broth for melt-in-your-mouth comfort.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, optional for thickening
03 - 1 tsp salt
04 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

→ Vegetables

05 - 4 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
07 - 2 celery stalks, chopped
08 - 1 large onion, diced
09 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1 cup frozen peas

→ Liquids

11 - 4 cups beef broth
12 - 1 tbsp tomato paste
13 - 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

→ Herbs and Seasonings

14 - 2 tsp dried thyme
15 - 1 tsp dried rosemary
16 - 2 bay leaves

# Directions:

01 - In a large bowl, toss beef cubes with flour, salt, and pepper until evenly coated
02 - Place beef in the bottom of the slow cooker
03 - Add carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and garlic on top of the beef
04 - In a separate bowl, mix beef broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over the beef and vegetables
05 - Add thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to the slow cooker
06 - Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until beef is very tender and vegetables are cooked through
07 - Remove bay leaves. Stir in frozen peas and cook for an additional 10 minutes
08 - Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The hands-off cooking method lets you start this in the morning and come home to a house filled with an aroma that makes your mouth water before you even open the door.
  • Every spoonful delivers that perfect balance of melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables, and rich broth that somehow tastes better the next day.
02 -
  • After making this dozens of times, I discovered that NOT stirring during cooking creates distinct layers of flavor rather than a homogenous mixture.
  • The stew always tastes significantly better the next day after the flavors have had time to deepen and meld together in the refrigerator.
03 -
  • Cut all vegetables roughly the same size to ensure they cook at an even rate, a lesson I learned after one memorable batch with perfectly tender carrots but still-crunchy potatoes.
  • For a thicker stew without using flour, mash a few of the cooked potato pieces against the side of the slow cooker about 30 minutes before serving.

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