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 by 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 is required.
- A meal the whole family will love.
- 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 you wish).
- What are the main ingredients of this Slow Cooked Beef Stew?
What ingredients do you need?
- Diced Beef (stewing steak, brisket, chuck steak) 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 a 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, 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 and adds richness.
- Flour: 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 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 for 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 the 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:
- Easy Slow Cooker Braised Beef with Onions & Mushrooms
- Easy Slow Cooker Beef Curry
- Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with Onion Gravy
- Slow Cooked Beef & Butternut Squash
- Beef in Beer
- Slow Cooked Beef & Vegetable Stew
- Boeuf Bourguignon
- Slow Cooker Pulled Beef with Harissa
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Pin Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew for later!
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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.
Roxy
I made this exactly as in the recipe, cooked on low for eight hours and the vegetables were still hard and the beef wasn’t tender. So I then cooked on high for six hours. By the end the onion was still not cooked. I’m afraid I won’t be making a slow cooker recipe again without first browning the meat and frying off the veg first as this was a complete bust and I can’t afford to waste food like this. I shall be making it into a soup, so I hope that comes out okay.
Camilla
Hi Roxy, sorry to hear this. It sounds like there may be an issue with your slow cooker as you can cross reference any dump style beef stew recipe and they all cook in this time. We have had this stew many times so I know it works.
Nickki
This is such a delicious looking one pot dish – perfect comfort food! Thank you for sharing my beef curry
Camilla
Thanks Nickki, it’s a winner all round:-)
Cat
I love beef stews, especially in the slow cooker. It makes the meat so tender and delicious, I like that you’ve included the potatoes so it is an all in one dish and you don’t have to cook anything else to serve with it. The perfect winter warmer.
Camilla
Thanks Cat, it’s a fab one pot dish:-)