Crock Pot Beef Stew
With a hearty and flavorful mix of beef chuck roast simmered with diced vegetables in a thick gravy, this beef stew makes for an ideal warm and comforting meal.
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Table of Contents
- About Crock Pot Beef Stew
- What type or cut of beef should you use?
- Do you need to sear the beef?
- What type of red wine should you use?
- How long is beef stew good for?
- Can you freeze beef stew?
- Notes & tips for beef stew
- Other great crock pot recipes
- More recipes with beef
- How to make crock pot beef stew
- Recipe Details
About Crock Pot Beef Stew
If you’re searching for an easy, hearty meal that will warm you up on a cold day, look no further than a big, flavorful bowl of beef stew.
And since this stew is made in a crock pot, it’s perfect for novice cooks: the slow cooker does all the work for you. All you need is time for it to cook, and once you make it to the end, you’re rewarded with a delicious stew that’s perfect as an appetizer, dinner, or a comforting snack.
What type or cut of beef should you use?
This recipe calls for chuck roast, which is ideal for slow cooker recipes due to its deep marbling, as it ensures that the beef will cook fall-apart tender with lots of flavor.
For best results, I’d recommend buying a whole piece of chuck roast (from a meat market, if you can) then trimming and cutting it yourself at home. This way you’ll know exactly what you’re getting and can control the size of the cuts. From there, you can use as much as you need and freeze the leftovers for next time.
Do you need to sear the beef?
While this is a crock pot recipe, it is recommended that you sear the beef in a hot skillet first. This helps remove any excess fat and gives the beef a beautiful brown color and crust that helps preserve all the natural juices and flavors while in the crock pot.
That being said, searing the beef is technically an optional step – you can skip it if you really want to or are pressed for time, but keep in mind the impact it’ll have on the finished stew.
What type of red wine should you use?
When it comes to picking a wine, the most important aspect is that it should be a dry (not sweet) wine. This makes cabernet sauvignon a popular choice, as the tannins in it really bring out the flavor of the beef. You really can’t go wrong picking any type of cabernet sauvignon that fits within your budget.
If you’d like to read more about using red wine in cooking, check out this guide: Best Dry Red Wine for Cooking.
How long is beef stew good for?
Once prepared and cooled, beef stew and be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three or four days.
Can you freeze beef stew?
Yes, you totally can!
Once prepared and cooled, beef stew can be stored in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to three months.
When ready to eat, allow the stew to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Notes & tips for beef stew
- When picking your vegetables, feel free to substitute, omit, increase, or decrease the amounts used. The vegetables do add their own texture and flavor, but it’s more important that you like the combination used as opposed to using the exact melody of flavors listed in this recipe. For instance, I’m not always in the mood for mushrooms, so I’ll leave those out and increase the amounts of carrots or green beans to make up for it.
Other great crock pot recipes
More recipes with beef
How to make crock pot beef stew
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Prepare the beef chuck roast by trimming excess fat, cutting it into cubes, then searing it in a skillet with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Once cooked, transfer the beef to the bottom of a crock pot (4.5 quarts or bigger).
Step 2 – Add the following ingredients to the crock pot: russet potatoes, yellow onion, carrots, baby bella mushrooms, yellow onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, sweet paprika, and bay leaves.
Step 3 – Whisk together the beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl, then pour it over the meat and vegetables in the crock pot.
Step 4 – Cover and cook!
Step 5 – Do a quick taste test of the stew and make any adjustments you need (typically just salt and pepper). If you’d like the sauce to be thicker, create a slurry by removing 1/2 cup of stew broth and slowly whisking in the all-purpose flour, mixing until there are no clumps (if needed, clumps of flour can be removed). Pour the slurry back into crock pot and mix well.
Step 6 – Add the green beans to the crock pot.
Step 7 – Cook a little bit more!
Step 8 – Serve and enjoy!
Crock Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 cups russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (roughly 3 large potatoes)
- 2 cups yellow onion, diced (roughly 1 large onion)
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced (roughly 3 medium carrots)
- 6 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup green beans, fresh or frozen, trimmed and cut in half
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add chuck roast to skillet and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sear all sides of chuck roast until golden brown, typically 4 minutes on both sides. Avoid overcrowding the pan; cook chuck roast in batches and add more vegetable oil if needed.2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 pounds beef chuck roast, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch black pepper
- Place cooked chuck roast in the bottom of a crock pot (4.5 quarts or larger) then add the following ingredients: russet potatoes, yellow onion, carrots, baby bella mushrooms, yellow onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, sweet paprika, and bay leaves.3 cups russet potatoes, 2 cups yellow onion, 1 1/2 cups carrots, 6 ounces baby bella mushrooms, 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 2 bay leaves
- In a large bowl, whisk together the beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture into crock pot over vegetables and meat.3 cups beef broth, 1 cup dry red wine, 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Cover crock pot and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
- Stir stew and do a taste test, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Also check consistency; if you'd like a thicker stew, create a slurry by removing 1/2 cup of stew broth and slowly whisking in the all-purpose flour, mixing until there are no clumps (if needed, clumps of flour can be removed). Pour slurry back into crock pot and mix well.1 pinch salt, 1 pinch black pepper, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Add green beans to crock pot, then cover and cook on LOW for 30 minutes or HIGH for 15 minutes.1/2 cup green beans
- Taste test stew a final time, adding salt or pepper as needed. Remove the two bay leaves.1 pinch salt, 1 pinch black pepper
- Serve immediately with fresh parsley as garnish (optional.)fresh parsley
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
