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Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow cooker beef stew with fork-tender beef, tender potatoes, and thick glossy gravy made by browning the flour-coated cubes and deglazing the pan. Cook on LOW for 8 hours for rich flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soups, Stews & Chili
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck roast
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
All-purpose flour
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
Salt
  • 1.5 tsp salt
Black pepper
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Onion
  • 1 large onion, diced
Garlic
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Beef broth
  • 3 cup beef broth
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1.5 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks
Carrots
  • 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
Celery stalks
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Bay leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
Frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen peas
Fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Toss the beef with the flour, salt, and pepper until every cube looks evenly coated. Visual cue: flour should cling to the meat in a light, powdery layer.
  2. Brown the beef in hot olive oil in batches for 4-5 minutes per batch, then transfer to the slow cooker. Visual cue: edges should be deeply browned and the surface should look dry rather than steamy.
Build the stew base
  1. Cook the diced onion in the same pan for 4 minutes until softened. Visual cue: the onion should turn translucent and start to pick up light color.
  2. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Visual cue: the tomato paste should darken slightly and become fragrant.
  3. Pour in 1 cup of the beef broth and scrape up the browned bits from the pan, then add everything to the slow cooker. Visual cue: the bottom residue should dissolve into the liquid as you scrape.
Slow cook
  1. Add the remaining beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Visual cue: the liquid should come up around the vegetables but not completely cover them.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4-5 hours) until the beef is fork-tender. Visual cue: a fork should slide through a beef cube with almost no resistance.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the frozen peas and cook for the last 10 minutes. Visual cue: peas should turn bright green and become tender-crisp.
  2. Remove the bay leaves, then top the stew with chopped fresh parsley before serving. Visual cue: parsley should sit fresh on top with a vivid green color.

Notes

For the thick, glossy gravy, don’t skip browning the flour-coated beef and be sure to scrape the browned bits when you add the broth. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently until steaming. Freezing is yes: cool completely, freeze up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge before reheating. For a lighter option, use low-sodium beef broth and reduce the added salt slightly.