Description
Mom's Slow Cooker Beef Stew is a comforting and hearty dish featuring tender beef chuck simmered slowly with carrots, potatoes, garlic, and herbs in a rich beef broth base thickened to perfection. This classic stew blends savory flavors enhanced with tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and a hint of balsamic vinegar, making an ideal protein-packed dinner for the whole family.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
- Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups beef broth (or beef bone broth)
- 1 cup extra beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch diagonal slices
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (or substitute with all purpose gluten free flour)
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Brown the Beef: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Season beef pieces with salt and pepper. Brown beef in batches, about 5 minutes per batch, ensuring a good sear without overcrowding. Transfer browned beef to a 6 or 8-quart slow cooker.
- Add Broth and Seasonings: Into the slow cooker with the beef, add 1 ½ cups beef broth, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Add Vegetables: Mix in minced garlic, chopped onion, sliced carrots, and diced potatoes. Cover the slow cooker.
- Slow Cook Stew: Cook on low for 8 hours to allow the beef to become tender and flavors to meld, or cook on high for 5 hours if short on time.
- Thicken the Stew: Remove 1 cup of beef broth from the slow cooker and place in a medium bowl. Whisk in ¼ cup flour until smooth with no lumps. Stir this mixture back into the slow cooker thoroughly.
- Add Peas and Finish Cooking: Add 1 cup frozen peas to the slow cooker. Cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes until the stew thickens. If the stew is too thick, add a splash of beef broth as needed.
- Serve: Serve the beef stew immediately with toasted French bread, mashed potatoes, cornbread, crackers, or biscuits.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour for the regular flour during thickening.
- Browning the beef in batches ensures better caramelization and deeper flavor.
- Cooking the stew on low heat for a longer period produces more tender beef and richer flavor.
- If the stew thickens too much after adding flour, simply thin it out with more beef broth.
- This stew pairs wonderfully with rustic breads or creamy sides to soak up the rich gravy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 611 kcal
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 33.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.3 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 35.9 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
