Easy Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker

Nothing Warms Up a Cold Winter’s Day Like Beef Stew for Dinner…

Of course a slow cooker is made for dishes like stew. Some of us are staunch supporters of a slow cooker stew whereas others believe part of the stewing process is getting a good canalization of flavour on the meat prior to cooking.

So, in order to make everyone happy, we have combined the two methods.

Prep everything in the morning and cook on low instead of high and you’ll come home to an amazing-smelling house and easy meal. Or you can easily whip this up on a chilly afternoon for a warm, comforting dinner.

Serve with a crusty, fresh bread or skip the potatoes and serve over rice.

Servings:

Serves 4 to 6

Easy Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker

You’ll Need

2 1/2 lbs cubed stewing beef
1/4 cup flour and/or corn starch
3-6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 tsp each salt and pepper and your choice of dry herbs to taste. (You can use any number of choices such as paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and/or fresh rosemary).)
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 tbsp crushed garlic
1 cup red wine
1 cup low sodium, low fat beef broth
2 small bay leaves
1 tbs of tomato paste or 1/4 cup of tomato sauce (If you prefer a tangy stew you can use chili sauce instead of tomato sauce.)
1lb potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cups total veggies of your choice such as turnips, carrots, frozen peas, etc.

Prep and Cook

1

Toss cubed stewing beef in flour with salt and pepper and your choice of dry herbs and seasonings.
2

Brown the beef in olive oil and then add chopped onions and crushed garlic.
You can add a quarter teaspoon of thyme here or a sprig of fresh rosemary if you like.
3

Deglaze the pan with a cup of red wine and cook off the alcohol for about five or 10 minutes.
4

Add the meat and potatoes into the crock pot and pour the wine over top.
Add the beef broth and two small bay leaves.
5

Add tomato paste or tomato sauce.
6

Simmer on high for about three to four hours.
For the last hour add the veggies of your choice.
7

For the last 20 minutes stir in a slurry (mixture) of flour or corn starch and water to thicken the sauce.