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My Chuck Roast Stew recipe is light and fresh, filled with beef and seasonal veggies! It's budget-friendly and easy to make in your slow cooker.
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Crock Pot Beef Stew
If you love beef stew recipes but want a lighter variation, this recipe is for you! Making use of fresh seasonal vegetables, my slow cooker beef stew is flavorful and filling but lighter than the average beef stew. And trust me, I know a good stew! Beef and dumplings is one of my family's favorite recipes, so I knew I had to make a vegetable beef stew recipe that would be great year-round. Using a lighter broth and swapping out the root veggies for fresh summer selections like crisp bell peppers and squash makes this crock pot beef stew recipe a great summer stew!
Beef Stew Crock Pot Ingredients Notes
- Stew beef: I prefer to make this a chuck roast stew, but you can also use other cuts like rump roast.
- Minced garlic: Fresh cloves are ideal, but you can use jarred minced garlic or garlic paste if you preferred. If you have none of these, add a little bit of garlic powder to the seasoning.
- Bay leaves: A necessity for stews and soups. If you don't have bay leaves, try adding a little thyme or oregano instead.
- Shallot: If you don't have shallot, swap in yellow onion. You can also use white onion, green onions, or vidalia onions, but avoid red onion.
- Tomato paste: Because of its stronger, more acidic flavor and thicker texture as compared to tomato sauce, you want to make sure to use paste instead of sauce. If you don't have tomato paste but do have tomato sauce or canned tomatoes, you can use them instead; just keep in mind the flavor and texture will differ from tomato paste.
- Beef broth: Beef stock can also be used for a thicker soup.
- Kosher salt: Or sea salt flakes. I tend to prefer sea salt, but if I don't have any on hand, kosher is my go-to. I never use table salt.
- Black pepper: Freshly cracked is best, but I also like to keep black pepper and salt in cellars on my counter for easy access.
- Zucchini: Other squashes will work, too. You can use any summer squash.
- Summer squash: You can swap it out for more zucchini if you prefer.
- Bell peppers: I like to use red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper for the sweeter flavors, but orange or green bell pepper work too.
Vegetables for Beef Stew
Add as many veggies as you'd like to my slow cooker beef stew recipe! Here are more good vegetables for beef stew.
- Potatoes: Either diced into bite-sized cubes or halved fingerling potatoes. I prefer red potatoes for stew, as russets and Yukon gold can turn out too soft, but use what you have.
- Carrots: Add these in at least an hour before the cook time is over, especially if you're using baby carrots.
- Celery
- Green beans
- Rutabaga: Like carrots, they need plenty of time to cook, so add them in nice and early.
- Parsnips: Another hard vegetable. Add them an hour before the cook time is done.
- Kale or spinach: Add right at the end, minutes before serving! The leaves just need to limp.
Hi, I'm Isabel! I've been sharing my recipes online, in cookbooks, and in TV specials since 2012. The most important thing to me is Sunday supper with my family, and inspiring togetherness with my recipes!
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Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew Detailed Instructions
Optional preparation: In a large skillet or pot, sear the meat over medium-high heat. This isn't necessary, but it adds great flavor to the dish, so I recommend it!
Step 1: Dice the shallot, and slice the meat into 2-inch cubes. In your crock pot, combine the beef broth, tomato paste, diced shallot, garlic, and salt and pepper. Whisk well to combine. If you seared the meat, add a little of the broth mix to the pot and use it to de-glaze the pan, then pour it into the crock pot.
Step 2: Place the stew meat in the crock pot, stirring to ensure that it's immersed in the broth, and add the bay leaf.
Step 3: Cook on Low for 6-8 hours. I recommend the full 8 hours as that will ensure the beef is fully tender and fall-apart soft.
Step 4: In the last 30 minutes of cook time, dice up your vegetables and add them to the pot. If you're cooking with harder vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga, add them earlier, an hour before the stew is done.
Step 5: Let the stew finish cooking, then serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftover Beef Stew
- Cooling: It's important to cool beef stew quickly so it doesn't linger at unsafe temperatures for too long. To do this, fill the sink with cold water, then place the ceramic pot from the slow cooker into the water after it's had about an hour to cool. This will rapidly cool the stew the rest of the way!
- Refrigerator: Store the leftover slow cooker beef stew in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: My ideal way of storing beef stew! Store in portion-sized plastic containers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: You can thaw frozen stew in the fridge overnight, or quick-reheat it on the stove by running water over the container until the stew pops out, then placing it in a saucepan over very low heat and letting it slowly heat up.
Tips for Making Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker
- The beef and tomato paste already make for a flavorful stew, but if you want, you can add more seasonings like paprika, fresh herbs like oregano, or a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
- This is a beef stew recipe without wine, but if you want, you can add up to ½ a cup of red or white wine to the stew base.
- Don't add the vegetables right away! Instead, add them near the end of the cooking time. Vegetables added right away will be extremely soft to the point of complete mush if they're added early on.
- Make sure to use in-season vegetables for the freshest and most budget-friendly stew. This recipe is more of a summer stew, but you can swap the vegetables out for fall or spring veggies, too.
FAQ
For a thicker stew, you can add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into a splash of cold water to form a slurry, then add it to the crock pot as the stew is boiling. Mix well until it's well incorporated and let it keep cooking to thicken.
It's really all about the meat you use and the amount of time it cooks. I recommend always cooking beef on low heat when you're cooking beef stew in the slow cooker, as it will ensure the meat doesn't get tough. Then just let it cook!
In general, I recommend using hearty, marbled, muscular cuts like chuck roast or rump roast. Alternatively, you can buy pre-portioned stew meat, ox tail, or cuts with bone in them; the meat will fall right off the bone, and the bone will add tons of flavor!
Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound stew beef
- 2 cloves garlic - minced, or 2 teaspoons of garlic paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 shallot - sliced thinly, or 2 green onions
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 zucchini - cubed to bite size
- 1 summer squash - cubed to bite size
- 1 yellow bell pepper - cubed to bite size
- 1 red bell pepper - cubed to bite size
- pinch salt and pepper - to taste
- Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional) - for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk together beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste in the pot of your crock pot.2 cloves garlic,1 shallot,2 tablespoons tomato paste,2 cups beef broth,pinch salt and pepper
- Add in the meat, and turn it to coat.1 pound stew beef
- Add the bay leaves and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.2 bay leaves
- Add diced vegetables in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Garnish, serve, and enjoy!1 zucchini,1 summer squash,1 yellow bell pepper,1 red bell pepper,Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional)
Notes
- The beef and tomato paste already make for a flavorful stew, but if you want, you can add more seasonings like paprika, fresh herbs like oregano, or a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
- This is a beef stew recipe without wine, but if you want, you can add up to ½ a cup of red or white wine to the stew base.
- Don't add the vegetables right away! Instead, add them near the end of the cooking time. Vegetables added right away will be extremely soft to the point of complete mush if they're added early on.
- Make sure to use in-season vegetables for the freshest and most budget-friendly stew. This recipe is more of a summer stew, but you can swap the vegetables out for fall or spring veggies, too.
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