Mom's Slow Cooker Beef Stew
User Reviews
4.8
Mom's Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Description
This hearty beef stew begins with searing trimmed beef chuck pieces to build flavor through browning. The slow cooker combines the meat with beef broth, red wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and a touch of balsamic vinegar, along with dried thyme and seasoning. Garlic, onion, carrots, and Yukon gold potatoes add texture and depth.
Cooking on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours yields tender beef that easily breaks apart. Before finishing, a mixture of flour and beef broth is whisked and stirred back into the slow cooker to thicken the stew. Frozen peas are added last to retain their color and a slight bite. The resulting stew is richly flavored with a thick sauce and tender vegetables, offering satisfying warmth and comfort.
This dish pairs well with crusty bread or mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce. Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for longer storage. Reheating gently preserves the texture and flavors. Substituting extra beef broth for red wine can be done without compromising richness if preferred.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces (about 2 1/2 pounds when done
- salt freshly ground
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 ½ cups beef broth or beef bone broth
- 1 cup dry red wine or sub extra beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper lots of freshly ground
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow onion large, cut into chunks
- 4 carrot large (or 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices
- 1 pound potato Yukon gold, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour or sub all-purpose gluten free flour
- 1 cup peas frozen
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium high heat. Add beef, season with salt and pepper and brown in batches, so that you give the meat room for a nice sear. This should take about 5 minute per batch of meat. Transfer to large 6 or 8-quart slow cooker.
- Next add in beef broth, dry red wine, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, thyme and salt and pepper. Stir together with the beef until combined, then add in garlic, onion chunks, carrots and diced potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. I prefer to cook this slow and low so that the beef become really tender and the flavors have time to meld together.
- Next, remove 1 cup of beef broth from the slow cooker and transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in ¼ cup flour until there aren’t any lumps remaining. Add back to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Add in frozen peas and cook uncovered on HIGH for 10-15 more minutes until beef stew thickens up a bit. Serve immediately with toasted french bread, cornbread, crackers, or biscuits. Serves 6.
Notes
- You can replace red wine with extra beef broth if preferred without losing flavor depth.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- For freezing, cool stew completely and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Thaw frozen stew overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove or microwave.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 410 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving (based on 6) | |
| Calories | 410cal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 7% |
| Protein | 39.6g | 79% |
| Fat | 14.5g | 22% |
| Saturated Fat | 4.8g | 24% |
| Fiber | 3.8g | 15% |
| Sugar | 5.1g | 10% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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