Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

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"Slow cooking recipes are awesome," Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins raves. With that in mind, she shares a delicious slow cooker beef stew recipe that will wow you with its hearty flavors, and even better for busy weeknights, minimal effort required. "I am a fan of setting it and forgetting it (at least forgetting it until the timer goes off)," Watkins comments and adds, "We are all busy folks, having just that little bit of convenience goes a long way." 

Of course, ease is only part of the picture, and Watkins highlights, "it is really restaurant-quality in terms of flavor." Several key ingredients ensure this outcome. "The broth is enriched with aromatics and savory ingredients; red wine, mirepoix veggies, garlic, rosemary, and thyme — plus the rich infusion of steak drippings and butter," Watkins describes. Plus, the meat and potatoes get all of that flavor infusion too, seriously amping up the taste. "The little textural pops from the peas are fun too," she says, as they tie this stew together to make every bite tasty and novel.

For this recipe, get beef sirloin or ribeye steak and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Next, you'll need salt, black pepper, olive oil, all-purpose flour, and dry red wine. "I like bold, fruit-forward or peppery red wines for cooking," Watkins says, specifically suggesting merlot, sangiovese, malbec, or syrah. "The wine flavor profiles wont get lost in the mix and complement the flavor profiles of the stew — especially a meaty/beefy stew," she explains.

Next, you'll need diced carrots, diced celery, diced onion, garlic cloves (peeled and minced), baby yellow potatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, unsalted butter, fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and frozen peas.

Pat steak pieces dry with paper towels.

Season the steak with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the seasoned steak and sear on all sides until deeply brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle the steak with flour, stirring to coat.

Deglaze the skillet with wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until a thick gravy forms.

Transfer the steak and gravy to the bowl of a Crockpot or slow cooker.

Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and baby potatoes to the slow cooker.

Add the beef broth, tomato paste, butter, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker, and gently stir to combine.

Slow cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until the steak and potatoes are fork tender. You can also cook on high for 4 hours.

When there are 15 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the peas and stir to combine.

Divide the stew between bowls and serve.

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Watkins sticks to baby potatoes and a mirepoix in this stew, but it's easy to add extra vegetables if you want to bulk it up. She specifically recommends root vegetables, like parsnips, turnips, or sweet potatoes, as they would especially complement or serve as a worthy sub for the yellow potatoes. Whether or not you're using both, just toss the root veggies in with the other ingredients at the same time as you would add the potatoes. Just make sure to cut them to a similar size so that everything cooks evenly. 

Aside from root veggies she suggests, "You can add in more tender veggies, like green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, [or] sun-dried tomatoes." If opting for any of these veggies or additions, add them when there is about 30 minutes of cooking time left, around the same time as the peas. All options will add flavor, nutrition, and a colorful palette to this meat stew.

If you don't have a slow cooker, this recipe is still totally feasible. "You can absolutely make this on the stovetop, just make sure you have a pot or Dutch oven large enough to support your ingredients," Watkins notes. That said, since the recipe is designed for a Crockpot, you'll need to adjust a few steps. Watkins instructs: "Once the steak has seared, remove [it] from your pot. Add the mirepoix veggies, garlic, and butter and saute for three minutes before adding the flour." 

At this point, you can pour in the wine to deglaze the pan and build up your gravy, followed by the broth. "Once the broth is simmering, reduce heat to low and add the seared steak and potatoes," she says. Finally, cook the contents for about two hours or until the steak and potatoes are tender, making sure to stir every now and then to prevent anything from sticking. Here too, add the peas near the end of the cooking time to retain their consistency.

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