Slow Cooker Beef Stew made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
Deep-Simmered Beef Stew for Cozy Evenings
A hands-off slow-cooker stew that turns browned beef, savory vegetables, and a rich braising liquid into a reliably comforting bowl.
This is the kind of stew Ember Pot lives for: a slow-simmered, nothing-fussy dinner that fills the kitchen with warm, savory perfume. Big cubes of beef chuck develop a caramelized crust after a quick toss in flour and a hot pan, which gives the finished broth a rounded, silky body. After eight hours in the slow cooker the meat is tender without falling apart, and the sauce has a glossy, spoon-coating richness from those browned bits and the flour.
The technique is straightforward and forgiving. Trim excess fat and pat the beef dry so it browns instead of steams; brown in batches to keep the skillet hot, then sauté the onion, carrots and celery until they soften and kiss the pan. A swirl of tomato paste and garlic wakes up the vegetables, and a deglaze with red wine plus a splash of Worcestershire pulls those browned flavors into the braising liquid. Taste before adding the final pinch of salt—slow cooking concentrates flavors, so a little restraint up front pays off.
Russet potatoes cook down into tender, slightly starchy pieces that thicken the stew and carry the sauce; carrots and celery add sweetness and body. Black pepper and the onion-carrot base keep the seasoning anchored while the beef creates the savory core. The finished stew has a balanced savory-tomato note, rounded acidity from the wine, and a comforting mouthfeel that’s both hearty and smooth.
This recipe is ideal for make-ahead meals: it tastes even better the next day after the flavors have married, and it reheats beautifully on the stove or in the slow cooker. Serve with crusty bread or buttered noodles to mop up the sauce, and expect a dependable, slow-cooked bowl that’s low-effort but big on deep, homey flavor from Cam Torres’s slow-simmer approach.
Ingredients
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Trim any large pieces of excess fat from the beef and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes; pat dry with paper towels and season evenly with 1 tsp kosher salt and the black pepper.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and lightly toss the beef to coat; heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, 2–3 minutes per side, then transfer browned pieces to the slow cooker.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrots (halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces), and celery to the skillet; sauté 3–4 minutes until they begin to soften, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the red wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth and bring to a simmer; taste and add the remaining 0.5 tsp kosher salt only if needed.
- Transfer the skillet mixture to the slow cooker over the beef, add the potatoes (peeled if desired and cut into 1–1.5 inch chunks), bay leaves, dried thyme, and brown sugar, and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or on HIGH for 3.5–4 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk the cornstarch and water together to make a smooth slurry, stir it into the slow cooker, and run the cooker on HIGH for an additional 15–20 minutes until the stew thickens; discard bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed, stir in the chopped parsley, and serve hot with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes if desired.
Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Beef Stew made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 8 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim any large pieces of excess fat from the beef and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes; pat dry with paper towels and season evenly with 1 tsp kosher salt and the black pepper.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and lightly toss the beef to coat; heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, 2–3 minutes per side, then transfer browned pieces to the slow cooker.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrots (halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces), and celery to the skillet; sauté 3–4 minutes until they begin to soften, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour the red wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth and bring to a simmer; taste and add the remaining 0.5 tsp kosher salt only if needed.
- Transfer the skillet mixture to the slow cooker over the beef, add the potatoes (peeled if desired and cut into 1–1.5 inch chunks), bay leaves, dried thyme, and brown sugar, and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or on HIGH for 3.5–4 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk the cornstarch and water together to make a smooth slurry, stir it into the slow cooker, and run the cooker on HIGH for an additional 15–20 minutes until the stew thickens; discard bay leaves.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed, stir in the chopped parsley, and serve hot with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 41.6
- Saturated Fat
- 12.7
- Sodium
- 780
- Fiber
- 4.7
- Unsaturated Fat
- 22.2
- Protein
- 43.7
- Fat
- 34.8
- Cholesterol
- 136
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 655
- Sugar
- 5.4