Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew

Fresh, light, and packed with crisp summer veggies, my Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Stew is a classic comfort food re-imagined!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword beef stew with zucchini, summer beef stew, vegetable beef stew, vegetable beef stew recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 10

Servings servings

Calories 142kcal

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)

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.