A delicious hearty beef stew with beef, carrots and potatoes in a rich sauce. All cooked in the slow cooker. Comfort food made easy this Winter!
My two favourite things at this time of year are comfort food meals and my slow cooker. So why not put those two together and create a delicious Winter inspired recipe that feeds the soul! I absolutely love easy recipes and my Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is just that!
My Slow Cooker Beef Stew is rich and hearty, packed with tender chunks of beef, carrots and potatoes. All cooked in a thick sauce. So delicious!
How To Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
The key to getting a thick sauce in the slow cooker is to firstly coat the raw beef in flour and then brown on the hob.
You can do this in a frying pan or in a slow cooker pot if you have one that can go directly onto the hob.
Then add the beef back into the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients and leave it to do its magic!
How Long Does It Take To Stew Beef
This stews takes about 6 hours to cook on low or 4 hours on high, so it’s perfect to throw on in the morning ready for an instant dinner for the whole family when you get home in the evening. Having a home cooked meal all done and ready to serve after a long day really is the best, especially on those cold winter nights!
You can see from the pictures how much sauce I have in my stew. I know some people like even more and in that case simply add more beef stock to the recipe.
You could even substitute some of the additional stock for a cup of red wine if you wanted to. Adding the wine will add a really nice depth of flavor to the stew.
Do You Have To Sear The Beef First?
If you are in a rush you can skip this extra step however for the best results I would recommend doing it if you can for two reasons.
Firstly, it gives a lovely caramelised taste to the outside of the beef and helps to lock in all those delicious juices for a really rich flavour.
Secondly, frying the flour coated beef first helps to stop any clumps of flour forming in the sauce in the slow cooker.
Ingredient Substitutions
Beef – There isn’t really a “right cut of beef” to use in this recipe per se. I used lean diced beef but you can use other cuts of beef too. Shin beef would also be delicious.
The beauty of slow cooking is that you don’t have to use the most expensive or the best meat.
Because it it cooks slowly, there is plenty of time for the connective tissue that is often found in cheaper cuts of beef to be broken down.
Flour – It’s totally fine to use a gluten free flour instead of regular all purpose flour.
Veggies – Don’t like carrots or want to add other veg? Parsnips, butternut squash chunks, turnips and sweet potato will all work well too.
Potatoes – I’ve used Maris Piper Potatoes in this recipe as personally I think they are the best potatoes and work well in most recipes. But you could use yukon gold potatoes, russet potatoes or even sweet potato as I mentioned above.
Most potatoes will work well and feel free to use your preferred type or whatever is most readily available in your local grocery store or supermarket.
Can You Make This On The Hob
Yes you can make this recipe on the hob instead. However you will need a lot more beef stock. Liquid in a stew will evaporate when cooked on the hob but doesn’t in the slow cooker.
If you are looking for a hearty stew that you can cook on the hob, then you can find my recipe for Irish Beef Stew cooked on the hob here. It’s another easy beef stew recipe where you can chuck all the ingredients into one pot and leave it by itself to slow cook.
What Can I Serve With This Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew
I would normally serve this beef stew with green vegetables like green beans or broccoli.
But because it is already such a complete meal you don’t really need to serve additional vegetables if you don’t want to.
You could always serve it with some nice fresh crusty bread which would be perfect for mopping up all that great flavour from the sauce!
How Many Servings Does This Recipe Make
This recipe will make between 4 to 6 servings depending on portion sizes and whether you are serving with additional veggies on the side.
If you do have any leftovers though, don’t worry as this slow cooker beef stew recipe tastes amazing reheated the next day too!
Simply allow it to cool, store in the fridge in an airtight container and reheat until piping hot in the microwave or on the hob.
A little bowl of this for lunch will be like a hug in a bowl!
Can You Freeze Beef Stew
Yes absolutely. Leave the stew to cool then add to a freezer bag or container. If using a freezer bag push all the air out of the bag first.
If using an airtight container choose one that just about fits the stew inside. The less air there is in the the container the less freezer burn you will get.
To defrost, leave in the fridge overnight then reheat on the hob or in the microwave until piping hot.
If you liked my Slow-Cooker Beef Stew recipe please do leave me a comment and a star rating below. You can also share your pictures with me on Instagram. I always love to see your creations!
And check out lots more of my Slow Cooker Recipes for more easy dinner time inspiration. I promise you that we’ll have slow cooks for just what you’d want to eat on a cold night during the winter months!
More Recipes You Might Enjoy During The Winter Months!
Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole – No chopping, no frying, bung all the ingredients in the slow cooker and leave it to do it’s thing. This is literally the easiest casserole recipe you’ll ever make! Come home at the end of the day to a hearty meal that the whole family can enjoy.
Slow Cooker Beef Casserole – An easy recipe for Beef Casserole all cooked together in the slow cooker. An absolutely delicious meal and so warming, perfect for an Autumn or Winter evening.
Sausage & Butterbean Casserole – A quick and easy family dinner recipe; Sausage & Butterbean Casserole cooked on the hob in less than 30 minutes! This great recipe is sure to become a firm family favorite.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Prep Time: 10 mins- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 4-6 1x
Category: Slow Cooker
Method: Slow Cooker
Cuisine: Slow Cooker Meals
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A delicious hearty stew with beef, carrots and potatoes in a rich sauce. All cooked in the slow cooker. Comfort food made easy this Winter!
Ingredients
- 800g lean diced beef
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 700g Maris Piper Potatoes, peeled and cut into medium sized chunks
- 400ml beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: fresh parsely
Instructions
- Add the beef and flour to a bowl and mix well.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or in the pot of the slow cooker if you have one that can be used on the hob.
- Add the beef and fry until browned. I tend to do this in two batches.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except the parsley.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- This is optional but once cooked you can sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve with green vegetables.
Notes
Leftovers can be kept in a container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated on the hob or in the microwave. This stew can also be frozen and defrosted overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Looking for ways to get your fussy eater to eat a better variety of food? Try Pick Plates. These round divided plates have five compartments to be filled with a wide selection of food groups and choices of ingredients. Perfect for making food fun, interesting and appealing to picky eaters.
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D. says
Can I use tomato paste instead of tomato puree?
Gwen N says
The whole family really enjoyed this. Your slow cooker recipes are brilliant. Thank you!
★★★★★