Make the most simple beef stew recipe in the crockpot for a cozy Sunday afternoon meal or a hearty dinner during cool autumn nights. You'll love how effortlessly this nutritious stew comes together!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
The crockpot does the work. Aside from chopping a few ingredients, which can easily be done ahead of time to lighten the load, your job is easy. Simply throw everything into the crockpot and turn it on. Dinner will be easily ready 8 hours later!
Ingredients can effortlessly be prepped ahead of time. To save yourself time the morning of making this meal, chop the veggies and stew meat beforehand. You can store them in the fridge until you're ready to make your beef stew recipe in the crockpot.
It's very filling and nutritious. With little kids, it's really helpful to find recipes that are simple and super filling. That way they aren't coming to you 30 minutes later begging for frosted flakes or whatever they can find in the pantry. Bellies will be full and satisfied with this recipe. Beef it up a little more (no pun intended) by serving this stew with a loaf of crusty homemade no knead bread or fluffy dinner rolls.
A perfect freezer friendly meal. If there's leftovers, easily store them in a freezer in a large freezer bag or freezer friendly container.
Great for large families. You may have a beautiful, large, growing family which makes this recipe perfect for you. This beef stew recipe in the crockpot serves 8 or more people!
Tips For The Best Beef Stew
- Don't chop your veggies too small so that they don't get mushy.
- Choose a meat that is lower fat for a less greasy broth. Higher fat=more grease, less fat= less grease. I usually use a chuck roast.
- On top of that, you can save yourself time by buying pre cut stew meat from the grocery store.
- Top with fresh parsley for extra freshness and flavor.
- Cooking the stew on low all day will lead to optimal flavor.
- Searing the meat beforehand is optional. It does, however, add more flavor and lock in the juices from the meat.
- If you prefer a thicker stew, you can add in a cornstarch (or flour) and water slurry. Add equal parts water with your thickener. Stir and then pour into the crockpot. Cook for another 30 minutes to chicken.
Ingredients You'll Need
Stew meat - a chuck roast and a bottom round roast are a great option. I've also made this recipe with a sirloin roast and the flavor was just as great!
Yellow onion
Carrots - Be sure to not chop your veggies too small as you don't want them to turn to mush.
Celery
Potatoes - Peeled or unpeeled, whatever your personal preference is.
All purpose flour - we will coat our meat in this before searing it to help develop a thicker broth as the stew cooks.
Worcestershire sauce - adding this in will help to deepen the flavors of the beef stew.
Bay leaf - adding a bay leaf will also help with the deepening of flavor within in the stew and add a slight herbal taste.
Italian Seasoning
Garlic - I love using this handheld grater to mince my garlic.
Beef broth
Water
Salt & Pepper
Tools You'll Need
Crockpot - You can never go wrong with a good yet affordable crockpot. There's lots of simple dinner recipes that you can make in a crockpot to save you time and energy! Think crockpot salisbury steak, crockpot French dip sandwiches, and slow cooker Italian wedding soup!
Medium sized skillet/cast iron
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Sharp knife - I love this Farberware knife set.
Cutting board
Step-By-Step Instructions
Make sure to read the recipe card below for exact amounts and ingredient details. Here's the step by step instructions for our beef stew recipe in the crockpot.
First, cut the beef stew meat into one inch cubes. Toss them into a large mixing bowl and coat them in flour.
Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. In batches, sear the stew meat on all sides just enough to brown. About 2-3 minutes per side.
Place the seared meat in the bottom of the crockpot.
Add chopped potatoes, sliced carrots and celery, and diced onion to the crockpot. Also add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper as well as a bay leaf.
Pour the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce over everything.
Allow the beef stew to cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 5 hours. Check on it every so often as you want your veggies to be just fork tender and your meat to easily fall apart.
Serve as desired and enjoy!
FAQs
Do I have to brown stew meat before putting it in the crockpot?
Our recipe does say to brown the stew meat before putting it in the crockpot. While this step can be skipped, it really does enhance the flavor of the stew. Searing the meat helps to lock in all those juices and flavors.
What are common mistakes when making beef stew?
A big mistake when making beef stew, especially in the crockpot, is chopping your veggies too small. This will lead to soggy veggies which is exactly the texture we don't want.
What adds flavor to beef stew?
Our recipe consists of adding in freshly minced garlic, Italian seasoning, a bay leaf, salt and pepper. All these things together make for a very flavorful beef stew.
Love This Recipe?
Don't forget to save this recipe for the next time you need an easy and nutritous meal to throw in the crockpot.
Easy Beef Stew Recipe In the Crockpot
This easy beef stew recipe in the crockpot effortlessly comes together for a nutritious, family friendly dinner.
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 pounds stew meat , cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 3 russet potatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- To start, cut up your stew meat into 1-inch cubes then toss it in the ¼ cup of flour. Making sure that each side is evenly coated.
- Second, heat up a medium sized skillet with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in it. Once heated, sear the flour coated stew meat on either side until just browned. Do this in batches so your pan doesn't become too crowded.
- Once the meat is seared, place it into the bottom of your crockpot.
- Then, chop up the carrots, celery, and potatoes, as well as dicing the onion. Being sure to not cut things too small as you don't want them to turn to mush. Place those prepared veggies into the crockpot over top of the meat.
- To the top of the chopped veggies, add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and a bay leaf.
- Lastly, finish it all off with the 4 cups of beef broth, 1 cup of water, and ½ Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low or 3-5 hours on high. You will know it is done when the veggies are fork tender and the meat is pull apart tender.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
If you like your stew a bit thicker, feel free to add a cornstarch and water slurry to the crockpot about half an hour before it is finished cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 1061mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g
Nutrition facts are automatically generated and should only be taken as an estimate.
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