This slow cooker beef stew is an easy dinner recipe that packs a lot of veggies, meat, comfort, and flavor into every bowl. You’re going to love how rich and savory this stew is after just a few hours in the crockpot.
This slow cooker beef stew is made with red wine for added depth of flavor and richness. Every bite will taste high-class and fancy.
Made with just a few basic ingredients this slow cooker beef stew recipe is super simple to throw together and doesn’t take too much effort to prep. The hardest part is smelling it as it slowly cooks to perfection all afternoon.
What is beef bourguignon?
This recipe is technically a cross between the American beef stew that you already know and the fancier french counterpart- beef bourguignon. The biggest difference is that American stew is made with beef broth or water for the base whereas bourguignon has red wine to help braise the meat. We are using red wine in the broth to help add depth of flavor.
Ingredients you’ll need for Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
- Boneless chuck roast-– trimmed, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- Carrots
- Russet potatoes
- Green beans-– fresh or frozen
- Baby Bella mushrooms
- Red wine--dry or any similar that you have on hand
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Beef broth
- Bay leaves
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Sweet paprika
- Tomato sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- All-purpose flour
For the exact measurements needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to make slow cooker beef stew
Trim off the excess fats from your beef and slice it into 1 ½ inch-sized cubes. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
In the bottom of a large heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat, cook your vegetable oil.
Sear the cubed beef for about 4 minutes per side until a well golden brown. Do not overcook the beef and do not overcrowd the pan.
If needed work in batches and wipe down the inside of the pan between them with a paper towel.
When the beef is cooked, place it at the bottom of a 4.5 quart-sized crockpot.
Add in the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and onion.
Sprinkle the spices on top.
Mix together the beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl and pour into the slow cooker.
Add 2 bay leaves.
Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours. After that, taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
To thicken the stew, remove two cups of broth from the slow cooker and whisk together with ½ cup of flour. Work in batches to combine to avoid lumps.
Pour the slurry back into the soup and stir gently to combine.
Top with green beans and cook on high for another 15 minutes or on low for 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings again if needed.
Serve as is or portion it out with cooked rice or serve with a simple green lettuce salad.
Substitutions
- Tomato sauce. If desired you can replace the tomato sauce with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Oregano. I have also used dried thyme instead or a mix of Mediterranean dried herbs, works well every time! Another delicious alternative is fresh or dried rosemary.
Recipe Tips
- Beef. For stew and slow cooker pulled beef recipes Chuck roast cut is the best due to its deep marbling that ensures your beef will cook perfectly fall-apart tender. I’d recommend buying a whole piece of chuck roast from the market and trimming/cutting it yourself at home. This way you’ll know exactly what you are getting and cutting the beef yourself in similar sizes will help the beef cook evenly. Use as much as you need (as much as the recipe requires) and freeze the leftover meat for next time.
- Make sure to use plenty of salt and pepper when seasoning the beef as it will give the best flavor to meat in the end.
- Searing the beef. is an optional but important step in the beef cooking process. It removes excess fat, gives the beef a beautiful brown color and crust, that helps to preserve all the natural juices and flavors in the beef during slow cooking.
- Storing instructions. Keep the cooked stew refrigerated at all times closed in the food container. For best flavor consume within 3-4 days.
FAQs
Can beef stew be frozen?
Store cooled leftover stew in an airtight freezer-safe storage container or larger ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat the stew in a pot on the stovetop or in individual bowls in the microwave. Add some extra warm water or beef broth to thin the stew a bit before reheating.
Why is the meat in my stew tough?
Beef can become tough if it is overcooked or undercooked. Make sure to keep an eye on it and that it isn’t overcooked when being browned in the first few steps as this is meant to add flavor and not actually cook the meat thoroughly. Cooking the meat in the stew for a few hours is how the meat finishes the cooking process without becoming overdone.
When to thicken beef stew
This is different for different recipes. If the meat is initially floured when being cooked and browned then the soup is thickening since the beginning. We however are waiting until not long before serving to add in the flour slurry to thicken our soup so that it’s thick but not too thick, keeping it hearty and broth-like at the same time.
Check out these other great slow cooker recipes
- How To Make Pork and Sauerkraut (Slow Cooker)
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Chili Recipe
- Guinness Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Candy Recipe
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 5-3 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- 3 medium carrots, thick half moons
- 3 large russet potatoes, ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup fresh or frozen Green beans, trimmed and cut in half
- 6 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
- 1 cup red wine, dry or any similar that you have on hand
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 (heaping) tablespoons tomato sauce or 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Garnish with fresh parsley, oregano, green onions or chives
Instructions
- Prepare your meat by trimming the excess fat off and cutting the beef into 1 ½ inch cubes. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks until well golden brown (about 4 minutes on both sides is enough). Don’t overcrowd the pan, you’ll need to do this in batches, carefully cleaning the surface of the pan with a paper towel if necessary and adding more oil before the next batch. Don’t change the heat temperature and don’t overcook the beef.
- When beef is golden brown, place it in the bottom of a 4.5 quart slow cooker.
- Add the veggies (potato, carrot, mushrooms, onion). Sprinkle with spices.
- In a large bowl or measuring cup mix beef broth, red wine, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the slow cooker and add 2 bay leaves.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. After that taste for seasoning and add more salt/pepper if necessary.
- Thicken the stew: Take out 2 cups of broth liquid from the slow cooker and add ½ cup of all purpose flour in batches, whisk well until combined before adding the flour each time. If any lumps occur, carefully remove them with a spoon. There should be no lumps in the end. Pour in the slurry back into the slow cooker. Gently stir to combine. Top with green beans and cook on HIGH for another 15 minutes or LOW for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning again.
- Serve as it is or with a portion of rice or simple green lettuce salad.
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