Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew (Printable)
Tender beef and vegetables slow-cooked for rich flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
→ Vegetables
02 - 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 1 large onion, chopped
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
→ Liquids
07 - 3 cups beef broth (use certified gluten-free if required)
08 - 1 cup dry red wine (optional; can be replaced with additional broth)
→ Seasonings
09 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 - 2 teaspoons salt
11 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
14 - 2 bay leaves
→ Thickener
15 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
16 - 2 tablespoons cold water
→ Garnish
17 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef cubes in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, ensuring all sides are seared. Transfer browned beef to the slow cooker.
02 - Place carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and garlic into the slow cooker with the beef.
03 - In a bowl, whisk together beef broth, red wine (if using), tomato paste, salt, black pepper, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Pour mixture over ingredients in slow cooker.
04 - Stir gently to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours until beef and vegetables are tender.
05 - About 30 minutes before serving, mix cornstarch with cold water to create a slurry. Stir into stew, cover, and cook on high for 30 minutes until thickened.
06 - Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning as needed, and garnish with chopped parsley if desired before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The slow cooker does almost all the work while you live your life—minimal hands-on time, maximum comfort on your table.
- Those beef cubes transform into something so melt-in-your-mouth tender that even skeptics ask for seconds.
- The broth turns into this silky, rich liquid that tastes like you've been cooking for hours when the slow cooker did the heavy lifting.
02 -
- Don't skip browning the beef—that initial sear creates flavors you can't get any other way, even though it feels like an extra step.
- If your stew tastes watery instead of rich, you either didn't brown the beef enough or the thickener wasn't stirred in long enough to set.
- Bay leaves are not decoration—fish them out before serving or your guest might find one in their spoon and think you made a mistake.
03 -
- Make this the night before and reheat it the next day—the flavors settle and deepen, and the stew tastes even better than fresh.
- Freeze it in portions for those nights when you need comfort food but don't have eight hours—it reheats beautifully and tastes like a gift from past you.