Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is a simple dump and go recipe that is both tangy and delicious. Great for busy people who need a nutritious, family friendly, one pot meal!

I wasn’t sure whether to call this a Slow Cooker Beef Casserole or Stew but after a poll on Instagram I went with stew.

But before we continue, I have a confession to make, this isn’t actually my recipe, this is another winning recipe from the King of Slow Cooking, Mr Fab Food 4 All!

You might remember his 2 Ingredient Slow Cooker Roast Lamb, I’m blown away with how popular that has become! Then more recently there was his Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Stew which has also had heaps of positive feedback!

What’s so good about this Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew?

• You just dump the ingredients and go, no pre-cooking or frying required.
• A meal the whole family will love.
• Really tasty and tangy due to the addition of the Worcestershire and Tabasco Sauces. If you like hot food you could add more Tabasco.
• It uses common ingredients from your vegetable drawer, freezer and store cupboard.
• It’s a complete meal in one pot.
• It makes 5 generous portions so good for a large family.
• It’s gluten free (you can add flour to the beef if wished though).
• What are the main ingredients of this Slow Cooked Beef Stew?

What ingredients do you need?

• Diced Beef (stewing steak, brisket, chuck steak) which has lots of connective tissue which breaks down and renders the beef tender in the slow cooker. Best trimmed of excess fat and sinew if not already.
• Vegetables: onions, celery, carrots, potatoes (use floury variety for a thicker stew, mine were waxy), frozen peas and garlic.
• Tinned Chopped Tomatoes: use good quality Italian tomatoes for the best sauce consistency. Cheap tinned tomatoes will ruin this stew.
• Rosemary: dried or chopped fresh would be great.
• Sugar: any kind, just brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes.
• Tomato Puree: adds colour and flavour.
• Sauces: Worcestershire and Tabasco, add tang.
• Butter: use whatever type you have. Fat carries flavour so butter acts as a flavour enhancer as well as adding richness.
• Flour: totally optional. Dust the diced steak in it if using for a slightly thicker sauce. I didn’t use it this time but hubby put it in when he developed the stew, then forgot to write it down for me. Was fine without though.

How do you make Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew?

• Place all the prepared vegetables (bar the peas) and garlic into the slow cooker followed by the beef (which can optionally be tossed in flour), sugar, rosemary, butter, salt and pepper.
• Then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, Tabasco Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and beef stock.
• Cook in the slow cooker on high for 5 – 6 hrs or low 7 – 8 hrs.
• One hour before the end stir in the frozen peas.
• Serve with crusty bread.

Can you reheat leftover Beef Stew and how long will it keep in the fridge?

• Leftovers always taste even better don’t you find? You can store your leftover beef stew in an airtight container for 2 – 3 days in the fridge.
• You should reheat until piping hot on the hob or in the microwave (stirring intermittently). If you have a digital thermometer the core temperature should reach 72 C for a minimum of 2 minutes or reach 75 C on a single test.
• Never reheat any food more than once.

Can you freeze Beef Stew?

Yes, you can freeze beef stew for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw thoroughly in fridge overnight before reheating as above.

What do you serve Slow Cooker Beef Stew with?

You don’t need to serve this Beef Stew with anything as it’s a meal in itself but you can serve it with crusty bread which is great for mopping up the juices.

Bread recipes that would go well with Beef Stew

• Easy Cheesy Jalapeno Soda Bread 
• Walnutty Wholemeal Bread 
• Olive & Parmesan Cob Loaf 
• Spelt & Chia Fishtail Plait Loaf 
• Easy Cheesy Chilli Cob 
• Spelt & Wholemeal No-knead Loaf 
• Bread Rolls 

More slow cooker beef recipes

Once you’ve tried my quick and easy slow cooker beef stew be sure to check out the following recipes:

• Slow Cooked Beef & Butternut Squash
• Beef in Beer
• Slow Cooked Beef & Vegetable Stew
• Boeuf Bourguignon 
• Slow Cooker Beef Curry

I’m sure you’ll love this quick and easy slow cooker beef stew so do comment and leave a rating when you try it. On social media? Then you can share a picture with me by tagging @FabFood4All – I love seeing my recipes come to life! Who knows I might even share it!

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Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew is a simple dump and go recipe that is both tangy and delicious!

Course Main

Cuisine British

Keyword one pot, slow cooker, stewing steak

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 hours

Author Camilla Hawkins

Equipment

• scales
• Chopping Board
• Kitchen knife
• Measuring spoons
• Slow Cooker (Crock Pot)
• Serving spoon

Ingredients

• 2 onions large roughly chopped
• 2 celery sticks chopped
• 2 carrots 1 cm cubes
• 2 potatoes cut 2 cm cubes
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 400 g diced beef stewing steak, trimmed of fat & sinew
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tin Italian good quality chopped tomatoes
• 2 large knobs of butter
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 splashes Tobasco Sauce
• 500 ml beef stock made with 2 beef stock cubes
• 125 g frozen peas 2 good handfuls
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• optional
• 1.5 tbsp plain flour to thicken (toss with the beef)

Instructions

• To a slow cooker (Crock Pot) add chopped onions, celery, carrot, potatoes, minced garlic, beef (tossed in flour if using), 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp sugar, salt, pepper, heaped tbsp tomato puree, tinned chopped tomatoes, 2 knobs butter, 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 3 splashes Tabasco Sauce and 500 ml beef stock.
• Cook on high for 5 - 6 hours or low 7 – 8 hrs.
• One hour before the end of cooking time add the peas and give a good stir.
• The stew is ready once the meat is tender and vegetables cooked.
• Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

Video

Notes

If you're going to be out all day and just want to come home to a cooked meal you could add the peas at the beginning of the cooking process.

Plus if you're really pushed for time you could use some frozen mixed vegetables in place of the fresh vegetables but still use a couple of potatoes.