Slow Cooker Beef Stew
A comforting dish featuring tender beef and hearty vegetables, perfect for busy days.
Ingredients
For the stew
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 3.5 tablespoons flour or gluten free flour
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2.5 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1.5 cups yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1.5 cups carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick diagonal
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 0.5 cup frozen peas, thawed
Instructions
Preparation
- Combine the beef broth, flour, tomato paste, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Spray with oil and brown the beef on all sides, doing this in two batches.
- Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
- Spray the skillet again and add the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Brown them for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker.
- Add the potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Pour the broth mixture on top.
- Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- Discard the thyme and bay leaves. Stir in the peas and let them sit for 1 minute to heat through. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Notes
Don’t skip browning the beef and vegetables as it adds a lot of flavor. You can adjust the vegetables to your liking and add more beef broth if the stew is too thick. For additional flavor, consider adding a splash of red wine to the broth mixture.