Slow Cooker Beef Stew

The best, old fashioned, classic, easy slow cooker beef stew recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Loaded with herbs, juicy beef, tender vegetables, lots of potatoes and hearty wine and beef broth.

Today's meal is packed with hearty nutrition, and bursting with intense flavor. Use this to meal prep for lunches for the upcoming work week, or for a comforting dinner with family and friends. This Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup is another excellent variation of this stew!

How To Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe From Scratch?

1. Coat meat- In flour.
2. Saute beef- Until it's browned and keep aside.
3. Saute remaining ingredients- This includes onion and garlic.
4. Deglaze pan- With some broth to the pan.
5. Transfer ingredients to crockpot- This includes onion mixture, deglazed juices and browned meat.
6. Add remaining ingredients- This includes broth, Merlot, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef bouillon cube, dried oregano, dried, thyme, dried parsley, ginger powder, paprika, salt, pepper, sprig of rosemary, bay leaves, potatoes.
7. Cover and cook- Until meat is cooked through.
8. Add remaining veggies- This includes frozen vegetables.
9. Mix in thickening agent- Such as cornstarch slurry.
10. Discard herbs- Remove bay leaves and rosemary stem.
11. Add butter- And swirl it around.
12. Enjoy!- Garnish with fresh parsley.

Easy Beef Stew Ingredients

Flour- All-purpose flour is best to coat the meat.

Meat- Use stew meat that's cut into 1.5 inch cubes.

Fats- Unsalted butter is best, plus a little olive oil.

Vegetables- Finely chopped onion, diced potatoes, frozen vegetables like peas, carrots, and corn.

Broth- Low sodium beef broth is best.

Other flavor developers- Merlot or red wine or Cabernet Sauvignon, Worcestershire sauce,  tomato paste, beef bouillon cube.

Cornstarch- This is a great thickening agent.  

Stew Seasoning/ Spices

You can use pre-made blends or make your own. Adjust the quantities of any of these herbs and spices to suit your taste buds.

• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 1 tsp Dried parsley
• ½ tsp Ginger powder
• ½ tsp Paprika
• 4 cloves Garlic , Finely minced
• Salt, To taste
• Pepper, To taste
• 1 sprig Rosemary , Fresh
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp Parsley, Fresh

Wine Substitute

You can substitute wine with another sweet and acidic flavor like pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, or grape juice. You can also just add the same amount of broth as a replacement.

What Sides To Serve With Stew?

Serve this stew alongside a salad:

• Chopped salad
• Bean salad
• Green salad

It can also ber served alongside casseroles:

• Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
• Slow Cooker Hashbrown Casserole

Serve it with pasta:

• Slow Cooker Mac And Cheese
• Plain boiled spaghetti or shells
• Egg noodles

You can also serve it with bread (this is the classic choice):

• Breadsticks
• Dinner rolls
• Garlic bread
• Cornbread
• Biscuits

Serve it alongside mashed veggies:

• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Mashed Cauliflower

Variations for Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Stew?

Hamburger stew (ground beef stew)- Use ground beef in place of stew meat.

Irish Guiness stew- Add Guiness beer for another layer of flavor instead of red wine.

Stew and dumplings- Add dumplings in place of the potatoes in the stew.

Add other vegetables- Such as green beans, bell peppers, zucchini, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms.

Add pasta- Such as ditalini, elbow, or even bow tie noodles. Be sure to add them in the final 20 minutes to prevent them from getting over-cooked.

Add grains- Like quinoa, barley, or Israeli couscous.

Use other spices– I like to use classic Italian herbs like oregano, thyme and parsley but you can get creative and use Mexican seasoning or Cajun seasoning or any other seasoning blend of your choice.

Tips And Techniques

What is a good cut of meat for beef stew (beef stew meat)? You can get a chuck roast that has tons of flavor, but it a little more expensive than stew meat.

Do I have to brown meat for stew? Yes, I highly recommend it because it makes such a difference in texture and taste! However, if you are short on time, just dump everything in the crockpot and cook.

What is the difference between beef stew and beef soup? Soup are generally pureed into thick liquid form. Stew, almost always, has a chunky texture, heartiness, and is much thicker than soup.

Why is my stew tasteless? How to fix it? Add more seasoning, bouillon, bay leaves, or garlic.

How to make stew richer? Add umami, dried mushrooms, caramelize the onions, or us roasted garlic.

How do you fix tough stew meat? Why is my stew meat still tough in slow cooker? It may have boiled instead of being braised. To make sure this doesn't happen, you can cook the meat on low heat for 7-8 hours. It may also need to cook longer if it is still tough.

Use low sodium broth and unsalted butter- Because it prevents this meal from becoming too salty.

What to do if stew is too thick?- Add some more broth or water thin it out.

Don't omit the butter topping at the end- It's a small quantity but it makes the overall dish so silky smooth.

Storage

Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Freeze- This can be frozen, without potatoes, for up to 2 months. The potatoes will not freeze well.

Reheat- In the microwave or on the stovetop.

More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes

• Slow Cooker Roast Beef
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich
• Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

Recipe