Slow Cooker Beef Stew

There’s not very many foods as comforting as a bowl of hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew! This stew recipe is loaded with vegetables and has the most tender, melt in your mouth pieces of beef! It’s perfect for extra busy days too because all you need to do is dice up the veggies and meat, throw a few ingredients in the slow cooker to make a broth, and add simple seasonings! Just like that…dinner will be waiting for you!

If you ‘re always on the hunt for super-duper easy recipes you’re in the right place! Slow Cooker Beef Stew is one of those recipes where you throw everything in the slow cooker and let the magic happen! The longer it cooks the better, and if that wasn’t enough the leftovers are even better! You can’t beat that!

It’s a really good thing the leftovers are every bit as good as the first time around with this soup because stew is one of those meals that seems to magically grows bigger than you thought possible! My kids have been packing leftovers in their school lunches all week! It’s definitely been a stew and No Knead Whole Wheat Bread kind of week!

What vegetables can I add to Slow Cooker Beef Stew?

Need another reason to make this soup? It’s so inexpensive! Staying on track with your grocery budget has never been tastier! I have leftover carrots and potatoes from my garden and I was happy to use them up.

You can scrounge around in the bottom of your freezer and grab whatever other vegetables that have been lost and add them to the stew too! There really aren’t any rules with stew. Just substitute what you already have on hand for the same amounts of vegetables listed on the recipe. Here are some alternative vegetable ideas to get you started.

• Corn (my kids favorite and we have plenty of Sweet Freezer Corn in the freezer)
• Squash (butternut, or other winter squashes would be ideal)
• Sweet Potatoes
• Celery
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Green Beans

Some vegetables take less time to cook than others so you’ll want to add them last. Others like sweet potatoes and squash will need longer so be sure to add them with carrots and potatoes.

What cuts of beef can I use in Slow Cooker Beef Stew?

Once again, there aren’t many rules with beef stew. Pretty much anything goes. Since beef stew cooks slowly over a long period of time tougher cuts of meat have a chance to get really tender. Don’t worry about breaking the bank on a super high quality cut of meat here. I used cube steak and it was incredibly fork tender. Melting in your mouth actually! Here are a few cuts of beef you could use. Just be sure to cube the meat before adding to the slow cooker

• Round steak
• Round Roast
• Rump Roast
• Stew meat
• Cube Steak
• Sirloin Steak
• Even hamburger works. Be sure to brown it before adding it to the slow cooker.

Some recipes say you need to sear the beef chunks before adding them to the slow cooker. If you want the extra work, go right ahead! It will create a gorgeous brown crust on the outside of the beef. I don’t typically sear my beef first and it turns out perfectly. So, here’s to skipping extra pan washing!

What can I serve Slow Cooker Beef Stew with?

Personally, I think every bowl of stew, or soup for that matter deserves a warm slice of bread! But you know, if you don’t have time for that go ahead and serve it with saltine crackers. It will get you by in a pinch!

Here are a few of my favorite breads for serving with soup and stews.

• Cheesy Bacon Ranch Monkey Bread
• Whole Wheat French Bread
• No Knead French Bread
• Butter Dips
• Puff Pastry Cheesy Garlic Bread

Since I’m a dairy farmer I think I should add that I almost feel like it’s a sin to serve Beef Stew without a generous sprinkling of grated cheese! Cheddar is always a fantastic classic option, Pepper jack will add a nice touch of spice, Parmesan gives good depth, and mozzarella will be so gooey and melted! It doesn’t matter which kind of cheese you add…just be sure to add more than enough!

Grab my Beef Slow Cooker Stew recipe!

This classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew will take you back to everything you remember about the comfort of your family gathered around the table on cold winter days! It’s has all the amazing flavors of Slow Cooker Pot Roast in super easy stew form! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that there are many, many days I assemble this stew the day before I want to serve it. Just leave it in the slow cooker overnight and all that’s left is setting that puppy on the slow cooker base in the morning. Carry on with your day and that’s all there is to it!

Enjoy!

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5 from 4 votes

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

There's not very many foods as comforting as a bowl of hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew! This stew recipe is loaded with vegetables and has the most tender, melt in your mouth pieces of beef! It's perfect for extra busy days too because all you need to do is dice up the veggies and meat, throw a few ingredients in the slow cooker to make a broth, and add simple seasonings! Just like that...dinner will be waiting for you!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time6 hrs

Total Time6 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Dish, Soup, Stew

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Beef Stew Recipe, Cube Steak Stew, Potatoes and Carrots Stew, Slow Cooker Beef Soup, Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Stew with Beef, Stew with Beef and Vegetables

Ingredients

• 3 cube steaks cut in pieces
• 4 medium russet potatoes diced
• 3 medium carrots diced
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tsp. garlic paste I like Gourmet Garden
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. course black pepper
• 3 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 c. tomato juice
• 4 c. beef broth
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 c. frozen peas
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• cheese for serving

Instructions

• Add pieces of beef, diced carrots, onions, and potatoes to a slow cooker.
• Add garlic paste, sugar, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, tomato juice, beef broth, and tomato paste to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Set bay leaves on top of stew.
• Cook on slow cooker 4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low.
• About 15 minutes before serving mix remove bay leaves. Stir to check consistency. If you'd like the stew broth to be a little thicker mix flour with about a 1/4 cup water. Stir until smooth. Add to stew and stir to combine. Add frozen peas and stir. Peas will warm up quickly and still retain that gorgeous fresh green color if they are added at the end of the cooking instead of with the other vegetables. Put lid back on slow cooker and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
• Serve with plenty of grated cheese and slices of bread!
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Microwave to reheat later.

Notes

Other vegeables may be substituted for listed vegetables. Corn, celery, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower are all delicious options.

Other cuts of beef may be substituted. Cubed shoulder roast, round steak, round roast, and even hamburger are great options. Brown hamburger before adding to the slow cooker.

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